The app blocker that puts your phone to bed first.
SETL blocks the apps you choose, at the times you choose, automatically. Nights first, then your day.
What is an app blocker?
An app blocker is an app that stops chosen apps from opening at set times, or for a set length of time.
On iPhone, app blockers are built on Apple's Screen Time framework. That lets them block apps like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or games without ever seeing what you do in them.
Most app blockers were designed for the workday. SETL is the app blocker built for the hardest moment to put a phone down: bedtime.
New to this? Read what an app blocker is and how app blockers work.
How to block apps on iPhone with SETL
Three steps, once. Then it runs every night.
Pick your apps
Choose the apps that steal your evenings. Social, video, games, anything.
Set your bedtime
Decide once, in daylight, while you are thinking clearly.
Let SETL block them
At bedtime your chosen apps lock automatically. Everything you did not pick keeps working.
Everything in the SETL app blocker
Blocks apps at bedtime
Set your bedtime once. Your chosen apps lock automatically every night. About SETL Sleep.
Blocks apps on demand
Pick the apps and how long, and get deep work in the day. About SETL Sessions.
Nights off, planned ahead
Weddings, birthdays, night shifts. Book them weeks ahead and SETL steps aside.
Your night in one number
A Lock Screen widget that shows how much of the night is left for sleep.
Nothing leaves your phone
Apple gives SETL private tokens, so we never learn which apps you block.
What SETL gave back in beta
The average tester's screen time, cut every single day.
Less screen time a day. About 3 hours by day and 1 hour at night.
Handed back every week.
Every month. That is more than 5 full days.
Across a lifetime of daily use.
Average daily reduction in screen time reported by SETL beta testers in 2026, against usual screen time of 5 to 7 hours a day. Week and month figures multiply that average out. The lifetime figure assumes daily use from age 15 to 87. Individual results vary.
Why an app blocker works when willpower does not
At midnight, every scroll is a new decision, made by the most tired version of you.
That version of you is busy. 50% of US adults use a screen in bed every day, and 38% say it makes their sleep worse.1
An app blocker makes the decision once, earlier, and holds it. That is the whole idea behind SETL.
Compare the options in the best app blocker for sleep, or see SETL vs Opal.
App blocker guides
What is an app blocker, and how does it work?
An app blocker stops you opening chosen apps at set times.
App blockersThe best app blocker for sleep in 2026
What makes the best app blocker for sleep? How screen blocker apps work on iPhone, and how Apple Downtime, Opal, Sunbreak and SETL compare.
Screen TimeThe best screen time apps for iPhone in 2026
The best screen time apps for iPhone in 2026 compared: Apple Screen Time, Opal, one sec, ScreenZen, Brick, Sunbreak and SETL, with prices and platforms.
FocusApp blocker for ADHD: does blocking apps actually help?
Can an app blocker for ADHD help? What research says about ADHD, phone use and sleep, why removing the option beats willpower, and how to set one up.
App blocker FAQs
What is the best app blocker for iPhone?
The best app blocker is the one you cannot talk yourself out of at 1am. SETL blocks apps automatically every night and costs $39.99 a year. Compare app blockers.
How do app blockers work on iPhone?
iPhone app blockers use Apple's Screen Time framework. You choose apps, the blocker receives private tokens for them, and iOS blocks those apps during the times you set.
Can an app blocker block TikTok and Instagram at night?
Yes. With SETL you pick TikTok, Instagram or any other app, set your bedtime, and SETL blocks them automatically every night.
Is there a free app blocker for iPhone?
Apple Screen Time is free and built in, but limits you set for yourself are easy to ignore. SETL is paid, with up to 7 nights free. Compare them.
Will an app blocker stop my calls and alarms?
No. SETL only blocks the apps you choose. Calls, alarms and every app you did not pick keep working.
Does SETL work on Android?
Not yet. SETL is an app blocker for iPhone only for now.
How much screen time does SETL save?
In SETL's 2026 beta, testers reported an average of 4 hours 3 minutes less screen time a day: about 3 hours in the day and 1 hour at night.
Your phone can go to sleep first.
Join the SETL waitlist. Get up to 7 nights free when we launch.