Hurdle - Screen Time You Earn

Block apps with real tasks

Free · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.

Develop a healthier relationship with your phone. Complete meaningful tasks to earn access to your most distracting apps. Too often, I catch myself reaching for my phone the second I get bored. Standing in line at the store, waiting at the dentist’s office, even spending time with friends or family. Zero effort. One flick of the thumb and I can play a game, browse social media, and tune out the real world around me. The habit has become so automatic that I barely notice myself doing it anymore. “Why are you on your phone?” my wife will ask when it’s just the two of us. “I’m not,” I’ll say defensively, sometimes before I even realize that I pulled it out. Then I wonder why I felt the need to defend myself in the first place. I built Hurdle to interrupt that habit and create a healthier feedback loop by putting a little meaningful effort between the impulse and the reward. Hurdle requires you to do something meaningful before your distracting apps become available. You choose the hurdle. It might be finishing a to-do list, reaching a fitness goal, taking a short walk, or spending two minutes breathing. Effort comes first. Then the reward. A HEALTHIER LOOP WITH YOUR PHONE Distracting apps make it incredibly easy to go from impulse to reward. Open, scroll, repeat. There is nothing in between to make you stop and think about whether you actually want to be on your phone. Hurdle adds a small amount of effort before the reward. Before you can open the apps you selected, you have to do something real first. The goal is not to give up the apps you enjoy. It is to stop opening them without thinking and start using them within limits that work for you. HOW IT WORKS • You pick a task that you must complete before your apps unlock • Hurdle tracks your progress toward that goal • Once you complete it, your apps unlock for the amount of time you choose • When that time is up, your apps return behind a hurdle • Complete the task again or choose a new one Hurdle uses Apple’s Screen Time controls to shield only the apps you select. TASKS THAT FIT YOUR LIFE • Health goals: Reach a goal for steps, exercise minutes, or active calories. Your progress is read from the Health app with your permission. • Guided workouts: Complete a 10-minute workout with no equipment required. Finished workouts can be saved to the Health app. • Checklists: Make a list of what you need to get done, then finish it before you scroll. • NFC tags: Put any compatible NFC tag somewhere that makes you get up and move. Stick it on the fridge, leave it in another room, or put it by the door. Scan it when you want to unlock your apps. • Partner codes: Let someone you trust create a code that only they know. Your apps remain blocked until they enter it on your phone. • Mindful activities: Slow down with breathing exercises, cool-down timers, math puzzles, and more. Choose your apps. Choose your hurdle. Earn your screen time.

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The developer, Tyler Edwards, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

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    Information

    Seller
    • Tyler Edwards
    Size
    • 8.8 MB
    Category
    • Productivity
    Compatibility
    Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
    • iPhone
      Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
    • Mac
      Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
    • Apple Watch
      Requires watchOS 10.0 or later.
    Languages
    • English
    Age Rating
    9+
    Copyright
    • © 2026 Tyler Edwards
  • Developer Website
  • Privacy Policy