ScreenZen- Screen Time Control 4+

If you’re addicted to your phone and it’s sucking the happiness out of you I promise you need this app IMMEDIATELY. Literally SO GOOD AND EFFECTIVE!!!!! I wanted to cut down on screen time and my app addiction (im looking at you tiktok) and this has helped so much and the results were literally INSTANT. Something about the psychology of having a limited number of opens makes me want to cherish them and never open the app ever unless its dire, so day 1 my screen time was cut legit in half.

This app also tops every other one it’s category. Besides the fact that there’s NO ADS OR PAYWALL it has more features than the others I’ve tried, such as restricting access only during certain time periods (for me bed time) which makes it so much less tempting to rage delete when I just want to open an app to find a picture or show someone a video in the middle of the day. It also has an immensely better UI and the way that it doesn’t require setting up a shortcut and awkwardly jumping between apps on your screen to run the popup is just 😙🤌 chefs kiss. AND screen time is integrated for the apps you choose to limit so you can actively SEE your progress is so neat!

long story short, perfect, effective app that everyone needs

Unlike many of the other apps that offer the same blocking options, ScreenZen gives that and more at no monthly subscription. The philosophy that this app uses, which is creating a delay before you open the app, is a great way to get you to ask “why?” before you indulge your app-opening habits. ScreenZen also has a great blocking system when you reach the end of your opening goals, which prevents you from breaking your goals the same way you could with the “ignore limit” and “15 minutes more” options in screen time. I’ve been locking my settings page on ScreenZen to stop myself from impulsively changing my settings, and I’ve found that I have been truly sticking to my time goals for my phone and iPad. Really, this app gives way more than other app blocking apps and doesn’t lock important features, like unoverrideable blocks and scheduling your blocks, behind a paywall. If I could donate to this developer, I would.

This is perfect for my use, which is dealing with a moderate phone addiction while still needing to use social media for photography purposes. I’ve tried various blockers in the past, but they tend to be either too lenient (letting you bypass too quickly and easily) or too strict (blocking apps completely with no bypass option). I’ve also tried ditching my smart phone completely, but that does disconnect me from social networks that I do want to be a part of.

With ScreenZen, I can set a prompt like “Is this for business?” on relevant apps, and it’s been shocking to me the number of times I’ve mindlessly opened an app and been given the prompt without even realizing that I was just seeking a dopamine hit. Having a specific time delay, up to 30 seconds, before being able to access an app is also brilliant, as it prevents me from bypassing the prompt without truly being confronted with the consequences of my actions.

Great app!