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Notice On Blocking Issues

Refocus is built on top of Apple’s Screen Time technology. It does not work without it. Unfortunately, this technology may sometimes behave in unexpected ways. That said, once you learn how to set up Refocus on your device, it will work as expected.

Please read through this page to see if your issue is documented. If not, use the “Contact Support” button in the app for help! On a personal note, I (Kris - the founder of Refocus) care a LOT that Refocus works well for you. If you are consistently experience issues not described here, I want to know about them and fix them for you!

Common Mistake For Refocus Pro Users

If you can’t unblock apps, and set Strict Modes (ex. “Unblock Limit” or “Always Block”), you need to set the Strict Mode back to “Normal” to unblock. In Refocus Advanced Settings, there is a “Reset Strict Modes” button for these scenarios (optionally, it can be hidden).

Reset Strict Modes setting in Refocus

Issue #1: I Can’t Unblock Apps!

If you see the screen on the left side, Refocus is not blocking the app:

  1. Either your apps are blocked by your Apple Screen Time settings

  2. You encountered a bug with Screen Time Technology

If you see the left side, Refocus is not blocking your app!

If you see the left side, Refocus is not blocking your app!

To resolve:

  • Make sure you have an active “Stop Blocking” session. If you do not, apps will be blocked. See the FAQ on how to stop blocking.

    • If you are a Refocus Pro user, please note that some strict modes like “Always Block” are designed to not allow you to unblock. Double-check your strict modes.

    • If you encountered despite having an active “Stop Blocking” session, sometimes deleting, or recreating the “Stop Blocking Session” can fix the issue.

  • Inside Refocus app, going to Settings > Advanced Settings, and pressing “Fix App Blocking” may fix this issue.

    • Where are Refocus “Settings”? In the “Home” tab (the first screen Refocus shows), press the “gear” icon on the top-right corner.

  • If all of the above doesn’t help, your apps could be blocked by another app, or Apple’s Screen Time itself.

    • To fix, in iOS, go to “Settings” app, turn off all Screen Time settings, and then ensure to toggle of all the apps in ‘APPS WITH SCREEN TIME ACCESS’, and then restart your phone.

  • Make sure you are not using multiple Screen Time management apps. Using multiple apps that have Screen Time permissions enabled will increase this problem.

  • Finally, if all else fails, restart the device.

  • Additionally, visit this checklist for even more tips on how to stop this issue.

  • Blocking one app or website, can block a different app (by the same company). Here is a list of some known cases:

    • Blocking “Amazon” will also block “Amazon Alexa.” (FB11988641)

    • Blocking “https://m.facebook.com/” will also block “Messenger.”

    • Blocking Instagram website or WhatsApp website, can block the respective app.

  • If you are on iOS 16 or iOS 17, please update to iOS 18 as it’s less common on that version (or is entirely resolved).

(FB12952408, FB14185770, FB11888225)

Other Known Issues

All of these issues have been reported to Apple. We are always trying to create workarounds to make a more-seamless experience.

  • Using other Screen Time apps, in addition to Refocus, can cause all sorts of side-effects. For example, it will be a lot more common for apps to fail to unblock after pressing ‘Stop Blocking’. Also, features like “allowlists” may not work properly. (some of this should be much better in iOS 18)

  • “Time Limit” might unexpectedly activate before the limit is reached (learn more here). If this happens and you own multiple Apple devices:

    1. On all your devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac), open Apple “Settings” app > “Screen Time” > turn off “Share Across Devices.”

    2. On all your devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac), open Apple “Settings” app > “Screen Time” > tap “Turn Off App and Website Activity”

    3. After (1) and (2), the change should take effect the next day.

  • The “app & website picker” can sometimes crash, or freeze. Press here to learn how to avoid it. (FB15208071, FB11442734, FB12937776, FB11737092, FB11994816)

  • Blocking more than 50 apps or websites (when not using an allowlist), can cause apps to not block. Learn more here.

  • Safari private browsing may be disabled, ability to clear history may be disabled, and Google SafeSearch may get enabled. Read this page on how to prevent that.

  • Blocking one app or website, can block a different app (by the same company). Here is a list of some known cases:

    • Blocking “Amazon” app will also block “Amazon Alexa.” (workaround: blocking “amazon.com” website will block the Amazon app without blocking Alexa) (FB11988641)

    • Blocking “facebook.com” or “m.facebook.com” will also block “Messenger.” (workaround: blocking Facebook app will automatically block facebook.com)

    • Blocking Instagram website or WhatsApp website, can block the respective app.

    • Blocking “YouTube” app will also block “m.youtube.com” in Safari. (workaround: use a third-party browser like Chrome for visiting the website)

    • Blocking “Facebook” app will also block “m.facebook.com” in Safari. (workaround: use a third-party browser like Chrome for visiting the website)

  • Blocking some popular websites (www.reddit.com) with the “Time Limit” feature may not work. For www.reddit.com, instead of selecting the website, select the application and it will block the website as well. (FB15160892)

  • Delayed website blocking:

    • When using “Additional Websites, or when using third-party browsers like Chrome, website blocking will only happen on page-reloads. Use the combination of Safari, and the app & website picker, for websites to block even without page-reloads. Read here on how to block websites.

  • During an active block, depending on your Apple Screen Time settings, some additional restrictions may apply that are outside of Refocus control:

    • Go to Apple “Settings” app > “Screen Time” > turn everything off except Refocus permissions.

    • For example, one common complaint is that communication apps get blocked:

      • Go to Apple “Settings” app > “Screen Time” > “Communication Limits” > “During Downtime” (make sure that is “Everyone”) - and do the same for “During Screen Time.”

  • Using “allowlist” and using other Screen Time apps at the same time will likely make the “allowlist” not work properly (ex. it will block allowlisted apps).

  • Apps can fail to unblock after pressing ‘Stop Blocking’. (this should happen very rarely if ever on iOS 18)

  • Apps can fail to block when a scheduled session starts. (this should happen very rarely if ever on iOS 18)

  • Apps can fail to unblock when a scheduled session ends. (this should happen very rarely if ever on iOS 18)

  • Screen Time reports can be incomplete if you are a new user, or have recently deleted the app. Screen Time reports inside of Refocus start populating from the time you first installed the app.

  • Screen Time reports can be laggy, take a long time to load, or don’t load.

  • “Time Limits” can be delayed in activation. If they never activate, even after waiting a minute, refresh blocking (see “Other Tips”).

  • “Time Limits” for websites only work with Safari.

  • When blocking by using “Additional Websites,” some websites may not be blocked. Here is a list of known cases:

    • Blocking “pinterest.com” or “twitch.tv” may not work on some earlier iOS versions.

    • Blocking “twitter.com” may not work on some browsers.

    • Blocking “tiktok.com” may not work sometimes.

  • If you try to create or update a session, you may experience the app freezing. This is because the selected app icons are loading. (FB11836901)

  • Deleting Refocus, before stopping the blocking, can cause apps to not unblock. Learn how to fix this here.

  • To preserve battery, Apple sometimes only activates (or removes) blocks if the device is unlocked and being used. So, for example, if you haven’t picked up your phone in a while (or its in low power mode or low battery), but you pick it up, then there might be some period where the “blocking state” is not correct. That’s why opening Refocus can sometimes resolve things.

  • The app & website picker may show apps that you previously deleted, or that exist on a second shared device. Particularly on iOS 18+

Other Tips On Maintaining A Good Experience

  • Update Refocus app version.

  • Update iOS. Each iOS version improves Apple’s Screen Time technology.

  • Unlock your phone. iOS does not activate schedules until you start using your phone.

  • Open the app. Every time you open the app, Refocus will recalculate blocking. This can fix issues.

  • Refresh blocking. Inside Refocus app, going to Settings > Advanced Settings, and press ‘Fix App Blocking’.

  • Restart your phone. Periodically restarting your phone reduces the chance you see issues.

  • Turn off “Low Power Mode.” It makes your device perform worse.

  • Upgrade your device. Unfortunately, the older the device, the more likely you could experience issues.

Where Are Refocus “Settings”?

In the “Home” tab (the first screen Refocus shows), press the “gear” icon on the top-right corner.

Please keep the feedback coming!

Sometimes, Refocus may be responsible for the bugs. We want to know about it and fix it for you. Please send a message with your problem by using the ‘Contact Us’ button! Thank you 🙏

This is frustrating!

Agreed. Sorry about that. It’s equally frustrating for Refocus to see you experience these issues. Refocus is actively working to make the experience better ❤️