I received my blok 2 weeks ago, and it’s already been game changing. My screen time is down, and I feel happier and more focused. It’s so clever. Because think about it: temporarily blocking apps on your phone is easy to do, but just as easy to undo. We’ve all tried it and quickly given up. The temptation to use some apps again is too strong, and I always fall back into that trap. It truly takes discipline. But the thing about owning this blok is that it’s actually forced me to become more disciplined. With blok, I can have a physical barrier and better enforce my app limitations in a way that I can’t easily fall into temptations to open them again. It’s purposely harder to do that, and that’s the key here.It’s the perfect solution for this problem, and I really wish I had my blok years ago. It’s the little push I needed to finally make this change in my life.

I like blok. I genuinely do. However there are multiple things that really keep the product from competing with other similar items. The first one being: stop releasing or updating features before it’s guaranteed to work! The most egregious ones being reliable blocking and unblocking of apps as scheduled. That’s the bare minimum for the service, so why is it not working as expected? Why does blocking on a schedule not necessarily block the apps and why does the end of the time frame not always unblock the apps? Second example: why did the new update firstly break the timer feature? The old version made so much more sense interface wise, and more importantly, it works. If we as intelligent users cannot figure it out (given that an app update tutorial was not provided upon update, which should’ve happened given how many changes occurred), then it should be intuitive to use. Why is not blocking after I click yes? Thirdly: the app developer either needs to hire more people or reduce the cost. This is not a well finished product that should be selling for as high as it is. It’s a pet project designed to compete with Brick at best (down to the name), but it’s clearly the inferior product, from design to development to support. You’re telling me we’re paying $50+ for this tiny plastic NFC chip in this flimsy case which doesn’t even work if it’s on a magnetic surface (despite it being magnetic in design, which shouldn’t be the case if it interferes with usage)? Altogether, would not really recommend until the developer gets it together.

I like how this app is cheaper for what you get than the leading competitor, and it was what convinced me to get it. Keep in mind that the website advertises this app as a “subscription free” service but thats not 100% accurate. Upon initial download, it actually charged $10/m or $60 a yr to allow all apps to be blocked but allowed for exceptions, whereas the free version required you to manually select which apps to block, with a max of 50. It seems that they have recently adjusted that number according to their changelog. I think for transparency, you (the customer) should be aware that this payment gate exists somewhere in the app. I don’t know if the leading competitor also has a hidden paywall because they too advertise no subscription fees.Other than that hiccup, this app is incredible and works perfectly with a clean and easy to use UI. The Bloks themselves take a little finagling to register that I would expect will be easier to lock/unlock with practice.

Since I got Block I’ve been able to control my phone usage.When I started blocking, I’d still try to open the blocked apps, as if I had some form of muscle memory. Until the behavior disappeared.I still use Block. Blocking for me is not self-constrain, instead it is a self-acknowledgment that it is time to focus on what’s important right now.