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 30 seconds you chose, even after the timer reaches zero. Streaks count on the study days you pick.

Download FreeHow it works
Lock In Squad's Lock In tab on an iPhone, with the safe open, the focus timer ready and the 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. Whitelist mode flips it around on iPhone and Android, so you can block everything except your notes app and your PDF reader.
Conscious friction instead of a cage
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. Set a daily goal, from 15 minutes to 8 hours, and your heatmap marks the days you hit it.
Lock in with friends
Start a group lock-in before a library cram and watch the live standings. For a study group that meets every week, the organizer can give the group lock-in set times, and everyone who accepts has their apps blocked then. Keep a friend streak going so neither of you flakes. Whoever has the most time locked in each week wears a crown all the next week, and you can share a group win as a card for your story. See how to study with friends step by step.

How to use Lock In Squad to study

  1. Open Lock In Squad and pick the apps that distract you most.
  2. In the Your week card on the Block tab, pick your study days and a daily goal.
  3. Set a timer for your study block (try 50 minutes, then a real break).
  4. Hit Lock In and stay with the material until the timer ends.
  5. Earn minutes for the time you focus and watch your streak grow.
  6. Studying with a group? Start a group lock-in so everyone sees who is locked in.

Questions

How do I block apps while studying on iPhone?

Install Lock In Squad, tap Continue on its first screen to allow 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?

Yes. In Lock In Squad, add a classmate as a friend and start a group lock-in, where live standings show how long each of you has been locked in. A friend streak grows each time you both lock in on a study day you share, and each week's winner on the friends leaderboard wears a crown all the next week. 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

A free app blocker for students, with no subscription.

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