Block TikTok while studying on iPhone

How it works

1. Pick what distracts you

   TikTok, Instagram, a game, a website: select them with Apple’s picker. Burrow cannot see their names, iOS only gives it opaque tokens.

2. Start a session

   The timer starts, the apps you chose go on pause, and Gaston the mole digs his burrow while you work.

3. Need an app?

   Breathe for about ten seconds, then open it for 1 to 10 minutes. The block comes back by itself.

A focus session blocks even when it is short, a few minutes long. Without Screen Time access, Burrow is still a timer: the access is optional.

Three levels, from Gentle to Strict

• Gentle

  A guided breath, then you choose how long the app opens. For the days you want a hand without being forced.

• Firm

  The breath, then a question: "Why now?". Stopping a focus block early goes through the same small ritual.

• Strict

  No ritual, and no stopping before the end. An emergency unlock (3 a month, a 30-second wait) ends the session and keeps your minutes.

All three levels are free. Leaving early is never a failure: your minutes still count.

A schedule for the night or for class

One free block schedule pauses your apps at set times, even without a session: evenings, or class hours. A "school day" template (Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 17:00, Firm) is ready to use. Burrow Pro adds more block lists and up to 15 schedules.

Coming next

• Pause first Coming soon

  Apps that always ask for a breath before they open, even outside a session: you pick 1 to 30 minutes, or give up, and the block returns at the end. In the works, not in the App Store yet.

• Daily limits Coming soon

  A daily allowance for an app, say 30 minutes of TikTok: after that it is paused until midnight. In the works, not in the App Store yet.

Honest about the limits

Hard to get around, not impossible: iOS always lets you remove Screen Time access in Settings. To help you stay on track, a guide in the app shows how to hand the Screen Time passcode to a friend or a parent.

Questions