Roots: Screen Time Control 12+

Update: since my original review they have fixed some of the performance issues and the app has gotten significantly better! I still experience a couple here and there but overall I’ve had a great experience with this app and tell all my friends about it so they can cut down their screen time too. It’s literally been a life changer!

Original: I like this app for what it does and the interface. It’s a phenomenal tool that has helped me so much with getting control of how much I use my phone. With that said, it has the potential to be the best app out there for cutting down screen time if they could fix all the bugginess that happens too frequently with the downtime blocking/unblocking, app picker, screen time tracking, etc… the free trial has been good but until they get the kinks ironed out not sure it’s worth paying the premium price yet. Hoping they can fix the issues so it’s a better experience for users!

Hi sierraqt97, thank you so much for the thoughtful review. We are very glad to hear you like the app, and sorry to hear you are having some issues with the bugginess. We actually just released a new version (2.2) that addresses some of this, and we have another release planned in the next two weeks that will make it even better. We'd love to connect with you and learn more about exactly what you are seeing if you are up for it, send us an email! hello(at)getroots.app 

We look forward to making Roots the best app out there for you and others. Thank you again, and we wish you all the best.

Your feedback is invaluable as we continue to refine the app. We hope you'll give us another shot as we roll out updates. Thanks again for your support and patience!

I have a pretty bad phone addiction, and I got Roots to support me by offering the time limits for apps and also blocked off time. I paid for the subscription so I could have monk mode and the most access to Roots’ offerings. I had to stop using app specific time limits because I would find myself locked out of apps that I needed after only being awake for three minutes. It would tell me that I timed out of my four hours of time limit for a work necessary app at 6:03 AM when I hadn’t even opened that app. the screen would have the accurate time for my screen usage, but the time limit would be locked anyways. And here I am sitting on my lunch, hoping to have 15 minutes of downtime before heading back into my stressful workday to find that my apps are locked once again when I have no active time limit, and no active blocked out time running. I paid around $30 to find my phone bricked more often than not and while it has significantly reduced my phone time, I also want to be able to use my phone when I find it appropriate. I really hope that these issues can be fixed, and I will be seeking some sort of refund or at least some amount of cheat days added to my account because I should not have to use an entire cheat day that I earned by following my goals because I want to be on my phone for 15 minutes and I’m finding myself locked out. It does not seem fair to the user and I am very dissatisfied with that.

Hi Alex, 

We are very sorry about your experience. That has to be so frustrating and is absolutely not what Roots is all about. Thank you for letting us know, and for the honest feedback.

There is a small bug that can cause app limits to block too early for a small percentage of users in some cases (should be completely fixed in the next release), and a certain setting on your phone that can cause issues if it’s not properly configured.

First, we will absolutely send you a refund immediately. We’ll also give you lifetime access to premium for the hassles.

Second, we’d love to work with you to troubleshoot the issue you’re having and get it fixed. We’ll even pay you a separate “bug bounty” for the help. Please contact us via email so we can help!

Thank you, and again I apologize that you’ve had a negative experience so far.
I look forward to making things right for you.

Best,
Clint Jarvis
Founder, Roots

I’ve only been using this app for a few days but I can already feel myself spending less time on my phone! The design is super simple and easy to understand which is great for my lifestyle as I don’t have the time to learn an unintuitive design. I was also able to get a student discount on the premium membership which I am eternally grateful with the development team for :)

Suggestion wise, a dark mode for the app would be better for my eyes and sometimes, people have hectic schedules which make it hard to stick to a structured routine. In my case, I would find it super useful to have a “lock in” mode where I can turn it on, Roots will block my apps, then I can do my work, then go back to Roots, and turn it off. This way, I don’t have to worry about interruptions in my workflow or nights out. Just a suggestion though!!

Keep up all the good work you guys do 🙏🙏💜💜

Thank you so much! 💜 We're really glad Roots is already making a difference for you, and it means the world to hear that the design fits smoothly into your lifestyle. Huge thanks as well for your kind words about the team — we're so happy the student discount helped!

Your suggestion for a “lock-in” mode is awesome — Our “On demand blocking” feature is designed to do exactly that. "On-demand blocking" lets you instantly block distracting apps whenever you need to focus. Unlike scheduled blocks that activate at set times, "On-demand blocking" gives you immediate control over your screen time. Use it for studying or simply taking a break from your phone—without having to wait for a scheduled block to kick in. To use this blocking type, go to "Roots Home > Start blocking now".

And yes, dark mode is a popular request and very much on our radar 👀🌙 And it should be out very soon. 


Thanks again for your thoughtful feedback and encouragement. We’re rooting for you! 🙏