Write first, scroll later. Write a few words each morning for your distracting apps to unlock, and your streak grows—100% private, your words never leave your phone.
Write first. Scroll later.
WritersLock is the writing app that makes daily writing a breeze by locking your apps until you've written. At the writing times you choose, your most distracting apps lock themselves and they stay locked until you write 20+ words. Once you've written, everything opens back up.
THE PROBLEM ISN'T WILLPOWER
The thoughts you keep meaning to write down lose to the feed every morning. Most screen time and app blocker tools just take your phone away—and willpower alone rarely lasts past the first hard day. WritersLock takes a different path. Instead of only saying "no," it gives you a small, meaningful thing to do first: write. It turns "stop scrolling" from a daily battle into a habit you actually keep.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Your apps lock. At your chosen writing times, the apps you picked lock—no way past them but to write.
2. You write today's entry. Free journal, gratitude log, dream diary, or a guided prompt. Hit a small, repeatable word goal.
3. Your apps unlock. The words are down, your apps open, and your streak grows.
FOUR WAYS TO WRITE
- Free Journal — a blank page for whatever's on your mind
- Gratitude Log — note what you're grateful for in seconds
- Dream Diary — capture last night's dream before it fades
- Creative Prompt — a fresh daily writing prompt so you never face a blank page
BUILT TO ACTUALLY STICK
- Per-app blocking — lock only the apps that pull you away (social media, news, games). Everything else keeps working.
- Your writing times — set when the locks hold the line: morning, midday, night, or all three.
- Streaks & momentum — track entries, words written, and your daily streak with a writing-days view. A simple habit tracker for your writing practice.
- Vacation mode — take a day off without breaking your habit. It's practice, not punishment.
- Snap to journal — write by hand and photograph the page; WritersLock reads it on-device and counts it as today's entry. No typing required.
WHY IT WORKS
Big changes rarely survive contact with a busy morning. Small ones do. WritersLock is built around tiny, repeatable wins: a few minutes of writing, tied to the moment you'd normally reach for the feed. Do it once and you've journaled. Do it daily and you've built a practice. The streak keeps you honest; the word goal keeps it easy.
GREAT FOR
- Reducing screen time and doomscrolling without a full digital detox
- Building a daily journaling, gratitude, or dream-logging habit
- Anyone who keeps meaning to start journaling but never quite does
- Writers, students, and creatives who want a daily writing practice
- Supporting mindfulness, self care, and mental wellbeing through reflective writing
PRIVATE BY DESIGN
Your writing is yours. Entries never leave your device—we only ever see anonymous metadata like word count, duration, streak, and which mode you used. We never read or track what you write. WritersLock uses Apple Screen Time only to lock and unlock the apps you choose.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
"My days start with clarity. I know what I want and I know how I feel. It's already changing me."
"Actually helped me build the habit—small daily wins that add up over months and years."
Trade endless scrolling for a writing habit that finally sticks — starting tomorrow morning.
WritersLock is a subscription with a 3-day free trial. No payment is due up front, and you can cancel anytime.
Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://getwriterslock.com/privacy
I love this app! as someone who loves to jot down thoughts and ideas as they come, this is a great vehicle for that and such a good way to distract myself from scrolling unproductively. also love the prompts for a more guided experience. I’d love to see how we can connect with friends on the app. For example, sharing entries, allowing feedback or matchmaking genres or writing styles? Not sure! Lots of possibilities!
Terrific writing-specific app
jennNicM
I love this writing-specific app. It builds in focus time for me to write, which is essential as a distracted writer. It’s really easy to use. I like the variety of prompts it has, especially the free journal prompts and the dream diary. I also love that you can take a photo of your notebook.I wish it would allow paste feature as sometimes I write in my notes app. I would also love the option to create your own category for writing since I’m working on 2 different writing projects, and I’d like to be able to choose from those to write in. The last thing I think would be very useful would be a way to link a Google or word doc for longer writing. A paste option would also work. I love this app, and I’m so glad it exists.
Developer Response
Hey! Thanks so much for using WritersLock and for the thoughtful feedback! I'm getting started working on custom writing categories now. Google doc link is a great idea -- will take me a bit longer to make happen but it's definitely in the pipeline. Thanks!
Actually helped me build the habit
Sam Neufeld
I’m not usually someone who writes reviews, but my friend made this app and I’m genuinely impressed.I’ve been using it for a few days and it’s actually helped me stay on track with writing. It reminds me of the concept behind the book Atomic Habits. Instead of trying to make huge changes overnight, it focuses on small daily wins that add up over months and years. I think that’s a much more realistic way to build a habit.The app is really clean, easy to use, and just feels well thought out. I’m gonna keep using it for journaling and probably some other simple writing too.Easy 5 stars.
Developer Response
Yes Atomic Habits was definitely on my mind when building this. Thank you for the feedback!
WritersLock
Tyler Knepp
Writerslock has been an absolute game-changer for me. The interface is clean and distraction-free, and it helps me focus the moment I start typing. I love how intuitive the tools are, and the autosave gives me peace of mind. I’ve written some of my best work here, honestly. Highly recommen
- Setup now finishes by picking your apps for you — the ones you actually use most, with your own screen time next to each.
- More writing styles: 12 total writing types.
- Share a weekly writing recap, or print a favorite line — or a whole entry — as a card.
- Back up and transfer your journal to a new device.
- Screen time bug fixes
Thanks for writing with us!
Version 1.0.26
The developer, Devin Starks, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Purchases
Contact Info
User Content
Identifiers
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Devin Starks
Size
61.8 MB
Category
Productivity
Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.4 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 16.4 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 16.4 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
