iOS Screen Time is already the best iPhone app blocker. The only problem? You know the passcode.
WaitToUnlock helps set a Screen Time passcode you won't remember - and makes you wait 6 hours to get it back.
Free forever. One time payment of $9.99 to unlock longer wait times.
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 to set your passcode 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.
The simple solution
You need a way to set your Screen Time passcode without ever knowing what it is - so you can't just type it in and switch off your own limits.
How WaitToUnlock works
App blockers like Opal can be uninstalled. WaitToUnlock is just a website - nothing to install - that works with the Screen Time passcode already built into iOS. We just make sure you can't remember it, or 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
Why not just install an app blocker?
Apps like Opal can block apps too. But Screen Time is already built into iOS - free, OS-level, and more powerful than any app you can download. It just needs one thing: a way to stop you switching it off.
Third-party blockers (Opal and the rest)
An app you install, often a pricey monthly subscription. And when the urge hits, you delete it in two taps and you're straight back to scrolling. The block only lasts as long as your willpower.
WaitToUnlock
Nothing to install, nothing to delete. It locks Screen Time, the blocker already built into iOS, and a timer - not your willpower - decides when you get back in.
Ready to make Screen Time actually stick?
Set a passcode you won't remember, and let the timer keep you honest. It takes about a minute.
Get started with Google - it's free