An app blocker for the kind of distraction ADHD brings

Lock In Squad is a free app blocker for iPhone and Android, a practical tool if phone distraction is part of life with ADHD, though it does not treat ADHD. Pick your most distracting apps and start a timer or stopwatch. They stay blocked until you hold a button for the 1 to 10 seconds you set, even after a timer reaches zero.

Phone alerts can make focus harder for anyone, and willpower alone is a tough fight against them. In a 2016 experiment, people reported more inattention and hyperactivity during the week their alerts were on.

Download FreeHow it works
Lock In Squad Block tab with distracting apps selected to be silenced

Built for how distraction actually works

Friction beats willpower
You can always get back to a blocked app, but the hold to end the session comes first. That pause interrupts the automatic "check the phone" loop and hands the decision back to you.
Reduce the decisions
Decide once at the start of a session instead of over and over while you work. While you are locked in, there is nothing to negotiate with, which can be a relief when switching tasks is the hard part.
A streak you can keep
The bar is low on purpose. You pick your work days, and a single lock-in on each one keeps the streak alive, so every day you show up is a small, satisfying win.
Make it rewarding
You earn minutes for time spent focused and can spend them on customizations, so focusing pays you back a little every time.

Questions

Why don't normal app blockers work for ADHD?

Often the override is too easy or the rules are too rigid. A limit you can dismiss with one tap loses to a reach that happens before you decide, and strict schedules can end up switched off after one bad day. A barrier that costs a few seconds sits between the two.

Can app blockers help with ADHD hyperfocus on phones?

They can help with the phone side of it. If you tend to disappear into one app for hours, block that app before you start a task, so the pull meets a barrier instead of a feed. A timer also gives the session a visible end, which is a cue to stop and take a break.

What is the best free app blocker for ADHD?

We could not find a clinical trial of any app blocker in people with ADHD, so judge them on features. Look for a quit option you can set to take several seconds instead of one tap, and a reward for showing up. Lock In Squad, which we make, is free on iPhone and Android and has both.

Should I use an app blocker or medication for ADHD?

Talk to your clinician about medication, because that decision belongs with them. An app blocker answers a different question. It changes your environment by putting a barrier between you and the apps that pull you away, so the easy distraction takes a deliberate effort to reach while a focus session runs.

Make focus the easy path

Free app blocker. Add friction to distraction and build the habit.

Download Lock In Squad on the App StoreGet Lock In Squad on Google Play