The app blocker built for students

Lock In Squad is a free app blocker for students on iPhone and Android. Pick the apps that eat your study time, start a timer or stopwatch, and those apps stay blocked until you hold a button for the 1 to 10 seconds you chose, even after the timer reaches zero. Streaks count on the study days you pick.

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Lock In Squad home screen with the focus timer and lock-in button

Why students use Lock In Squad

Block what derails you
Block any mix of apps, from Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat to the games you open between chapters. On Android, whitelist mode flips it around, so you can block everything except your notes app and your PDF reader. The next update brings it to iPhone.
Conscious friction instead of a cage
Lock In Squad does not trap you. The hold to end a session early is just enough friction to make you ask "do I really need this right now?", and that pause gives you a real chance to get back to the textbook.
Streaks that build the habit
Every study day you lock in adds to the streak, which turns "I should study" into a habit you do not want to break over a whole semester.
Lock in with friends
Squad features are rolling out next, starting with a group session before a library cram and friend streaks so neither of you flakes.

How to use Lock In Squad to study

  1. Open Lock In Squad and pick the apps that distract you most.
  2. Set a timer for your study block (try 50 minutes, then a real break).
  3. Hit Lock In and stay with the material until the timer ends.
  4. Earn minutes for the time you focus and watch your streak grow.

Questions

How do I block apps while studying on iPhone?

Install Lock In Squad, tap Grant Screen Time Access, and choose apps or whole categories like Social and Games in Apple's picker. Set a timer for your study block and tap Lock In. Without an app, Screen Time's Downtime (Screen Time Schedule on iOS 27) can block apps at set hours, though Apple lets you ignore it by default.

Is there a free app to lock apps while studying?

Yes. Lock In Squad costs nothing on iPhone or Android, and blocking, timers, stats and streaks all work without paying. The app shows ads, and one optional $4.99 purchase, paid once, removes them. Forest is also free on both, and the Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing tools built into your phone are free but easy to override.

How do I block apps while studying on Android?

Install Lock In Squad from Google Play and grant the two permissions it asks for, Usage Access and Display over other apps, which let it spot a blocked app opening and put itself in front. Pick your apps, start a timer and tap Lock In. Android's own Digital Wellbeing Focus mode can also pause chosen apps.

Is there a study focus app with friends?

Not in Lock In Squad yet, since group sessions and friend streaks arrive in the next update. For now, pick a start time with a classmate, both start a session, and compare focus time afterward. People who work alongside someone like this, called body doubling, said in a survey published in 2023 that it helps them get going.

Source for the survey: Eagle et al., 2023, a survey of 220 people about body doubling.

Lock in and actually study

Free app blocker for students. No subscription, no paywall.

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