iOS Screen Time is already the best iPhone app blocker. The only problem? You know the passcode.
WaitToUnlock guides you to set a Screen Time passcode you won't remember - and makes you wait at least 6 hours before you can get it back.
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The problem with Screen Time
Your iPhone has a built-in feature called Screen Time that lets you set app limits, block apps, and schedule downtime. It's powerful, but it has one fatal flaw.
You know the passcode
You set the Screen Time passcode yourself, so when a limit hits at midnight you just tap "Ignore Limit" and keep scrolling.
Asking a friend is awkward
You could have someone else set the passcode. But they'll tell you it when you ask, and it's a weird favour to keep asking for.
How WaitToUnlock works
No app to install on your phone, so nothing to delete when you're tempted at 1am. WaitToUnlock works with the Screen Time passcode already built into iOS. We just make sure you can't remember it, and can't get it back instantly.
Set a passcode you won't remember
Our guided flow tells you which digits to tap on your iPhone, with decoy digits mixed in. By the end, you've set a Screen Time passcode your brain can't recall.
We store it encrypted
Your passcode is encrypted and locked away on our servers. Like handing it to a trusted friend, except this friend is available 24/7 and never caves when you ask nicely.
Wait to get it back
Choose a wait time (6 hours to 1 month). When you need the passcode, you request it and wait. The delay kills the impulse.
Step 1: Open Screen Time settings
On your iPhone, go to Settings and tap Screen Time
Step 2: Set your app limits and downtime
Set up App Limits, Downtime, and any other restrictions you want. Do this before locking, because you won't be able to change them easily after.
Step 3: Tap "Lock Screen Time Settings"
Scroll down and tap Lock Screen Time Settings
Step 4: Follow our guided entry to set the passcode
Step 5: "Ignore Limit" won't work anymore
Trusted by 1000+ users
The guided passcode entry is genius
It's so simple. It's just a website - nothing to install on your phone. It generates a random Screen Time passcode for you, then walks you through entering it on your phone in this deliberately confusing way - tap these digits, now delete, tap more, delete again. By the end you've entered the passcode but you have zero idea what it actually is. Then it keeps it stored safely and makes you wait hours before you can see it. That's the whole thing and it just works.
Fixes the one loophole iOS Screen Time has
You don't need any third party apps. Screen Time can already block apps, set time limits, and schedule downtime. The only problem is you can just type in your passcode and bypass everything. Apple will never fix this because they need adults to always be in control of their own phone, which is fair. But if you actually want those blocks to stick, someone needs to close that loophole. That's all WaitToUnlock does and it's exactly what was missing.
My wife doesn't have to set my passcode anymore
I used to have my wife set my Screen Time passcode so I couldn't override my own limits. It worked, but I'd bug her to unlock it constantly, and it felt embarrassing honestly. WaitToUnlock replaced that whole dynamic. The guided entry means I set a code I can't remember myself, and the wait time means I can't just get it back on impulse. Same result, zero awkwardness. She was relieved when I told her she was off passcode duty.
