A free app blocker for Android, with a whitelist mode
Lock In Squad is a free app blocker for Android. You pick the apps to block, or switch to whitelist mode and block everything except the apps you allow. Start a timer or stopwatch, and those apps stay blocked until you hold the Lock Out button for 1 to 10 seconds.
On Google Play the app is listed as Lock In, by Eli Young, until the next update renames it.
Block list or whitelist
The Block tab on Android has a switch with two positions, Blacklist and Whitelist. In Blacklist mode you tap the apps you want blocked, such as Instagram or a game, and leave everything else open. In Whitelist mode you tap the apps you want to keep, and every other app on the list is blocked while you are locked in.
If you use a whitelist, keep your phone and messages apps on it so people can still reach you. The app also warns you not to block overlay apps such as launchers and music players, because they would set off constant alerts.
On iPhone, Lock In Squad blocks through Apple's Screen Time picker, where you choose the apps and categories to block. The next update brings the whitelist to iPhone too.
The two permissions, and why each is needed
Android asks you to grant two permissions before Lock In Squad can block anything. You grant both from the Block tab. Each one opens Android Settings, where you find Lock In (the app's name on your phone) and switch it on.
- Usage Access
- The app describes it as "Required to detect running apps." It lets Lock In Squad see which app you have open, so it knows when you open one that you blocked.
- Display over other apps
- The app describes it as "Required to show blocking screen." When you open a blocked app, Lock In Squad comes to the front with an alert that the app is blocked while you are locked in.
While a session runs, Android shows a notification titled "Lock-In Active" that says the app is monitoring for blocked apps. You need a free account to use Lock In Squad on Android.
The hold to quit
Once a session starts, the Lock In button turns into Lock Out (Hold). To end the session you press and hold it for the delay you picked in Settings, anywhere from 1 to 10 seconds. If you let go before the countdown finishes, the session keeps running.
A stopwatch session runs until you hold Lock Out. When a timer reaches zero, the app shows "Goal completed!" and keeps counting, and you end that session with the same hold. The free version shows an ad when you end a stopwatch session or leave a timer early, and a $4.99 purchase, paid once, removes ads.
How it differs from Digital Wellbeing Focus mode
Some Android phones include Digital Wellbeing in the Settings app. Its Focus mode pauses the apps you choose, and Google's help page says that while it is on, "you can't use these apps and won't get notifications from them." Here is how the two compare.
| Digital Wellbeing Focus mode | Lock In Squad | |
|---|---|---|
| What gets blocked | The apps you choose to pause | The apps you choose, or everything except your whitelist |
| How it starts | Turn on now, or on a schedule you set | You tap Lock In to start a timer or stopwatch |
| How you get back in | Tap Turn off now, or tap Take a break and choose how long apps unpause | Hold Lock Out for 1 to 10 seconds, a delay you set |
| What it tracks | Screen time, times opened and notifications, per app | Your focus sessions, a streak on the work days you choose, and a heatmap of your history |
| Cost | Comes with phones that include Digital Wellbeing | Free to download, and $4.99 paid once removes ads |
If your phone has Digital Wellbeing, Focus mode costs nothing to try, so start there if a single tap to turn it off is enough of a pause for you. For step by step instructions for both, read how to block apps on Android.
Coming in the next update
Friends, group sessions, friend streaks, referrals and lock avatars are coming in the next update. Today's version is for locking in on your own.
Questions
Is there a free app blocker for Android?
Yes. Lock In Squad is free on Android and blocks the apps you pick during a timer or stopwatch session, with an optional whitelist mode. The free version shows an ad when you end a stopwatch session or leave a timer early, and a $4.99 purchase, paid once, removes the ads for good.
Why does an Android app blocker need Usage Access?
Usage Access lets the blocker see which app you have open, which is how it knows you opened a blocked one. Lock In Squad also needs Display over other apps, so it can come to the front and tell you the app is blocked. You grant both in Android Settings, with no root access.
What is the difference between a blacklist and a whitelist?
A blacklist, or block list, names the apps to block and leaves the rest open. A whitelist, or allow list, names the apps to keep and blocks everything else. Lock In Squad offers both on Android. A whitelist suits sessions when you need only a few apps, such as a dictionary and your messages.
Can I schedule app blocking on Android?
Yes, with Digital Wellbeing. In Focus mode, tap Set a schedule and Focus mode turns on by itself at the times you set. Lock In Squad has no schedules, so each session starts when you tap Lock In. If you want blocks to start on their own, Focus mode is the better fit.
Block distracting apps on Android
Free, with a whitelist mode and no subscription. Google Play lists it as Lock In until the next update.
