The app blocker for getting real work done

Lock In Squad is a free app blocker for iPhone and Android that keeps your phone from breaking up deep work. Choose the apps that pull you off task 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.

Download FreeHow it works
Lock In Squad running a work session with the safe shut and distracting apps blocked

Why professionals lock in

Protect your deep work blocks
Block the apps that fragment your attention for the length of a focus block. The hardest part of knowledge work is staying with one thing long enough to do it well, which is exactly what a locked session protects.
Friction instead of a hard cage
You still get to your phone if a real work emergency comes up. The hold to end early is enough of a pause to separate "I need this for the job" from "I am avoiding the hard task."
See your focused hours add up
Lock In Squad logs every focus session automatically, so you get real numbers on your focused hours, your peak times, and your streak. No spreadsheet, no manual timer, just a clear picture of your week.
Focus with your team
Group sessions are rolling out next, so the whole team can see who is locked in during a focused sprint. Shared focus time beats a calendar block nobody respects, even when everyone is remote.

A simple routine for deep work

  1. Pick the apps that derail you most (Slack on your phone, news, social, games).
  2. Set a focus block that matches the task, 50 to 90 minutes for deep work.
  3. Hit Lock In and put your head down until the timer ends.
  4. Take a real break, then start another block. Your streak grows each work day you show up.
  5. Check your weekly stats to see your focused hours climbing.

Questions

How do I block apps during work hours?

Start a Lock In Squad session each time you sit down to work, and tie that start to something you already do at your desk, like opening your laptop. Repeating it after the same cue each day helps the habit become automatic, so you stop having to remember it.

How do I block apps at certain times?

Use the scheduler built into your phone, since Lock In Squad has no scheduled blocking and every session starts when you tap Lock In. On iPhone with iOS 26, go to Settings, then Screen Time, then Downtime (Screen Time Schedule on iOS 27). On Android, go to Settings, then Digital Wellbeing, then Focus mode, and tap Set a schedule.

Is there an app blocker that actually works?

Yes, as long as the friction is enough that you do not bother fighting it. In a 2023 field study of 280 people using the one sec app, which shows a pop-up with a short wait before a chosen app opens, people backed out of 36% of attempts, and after six weeks they opened those apps 57% less.

Sources: Lally et al., 2010, on how habits form; Grüning, Riedel and Lorenz-Spreen, 2023, on the one sec app; Apple, Set schedules with Screen Time (iOS 26); Google, Digital Wellbeing Focus mode.

Lock in and get the work done

Free app blocker for focused work. No subscription, no paywall.

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