Frequently asked questions

No. UnlockFocus works fully without an account. Your notes, decks, progress, and blocked-app choices all stay on your iPhone. Creating an account is optional and lets you sync your data across devices.

Yes. The Free tier includes core blocking, up to 3 focus sessions per day, 2 saved notes, 1 study deck, and 1 AI quiz per month. Premium raises or removes those limits — see Premium for current pricing.

Open UnlockFocus, tap Start Focus, and choose the apps or categories you want to block. The app will ask for Screen Time permission — once you grant it, those apps are blocked for the duration you set.

UnlockFocus uses Apple’s Screen Time / Family Controls framework to block apps. This is the only supported way to restrict app access on iOS. The permission lets UnlockFocus manage which apps are blocked during your focus sessions.

Yes. UnlockFocus blocks the apps you choose, not your entire phone. Phone calls, messages, and any apps you haven’t blocked continue to work normally.

UnlockFocus is a self-control aid, not a security lock. Anyone with physical access to the device and its passcode can change or remove blocking through iOS Settings. It is designed to help you resist impulse, not to enforce restrictions on others.

Blocking persists through restarts. Your focus session continues where it left off once the phone is back on.

Simple Focus blocks distracting apps for a time you choose — from 15 minutes to 24 hours. No tasks, no quizzes. Just clear, uninterrupted space for whatever matters right now.

Yes. You can end a session at any time from within the app. The blocked apps become available again immediately.

Learn to Unlock blocks distracting apps and gives you a way to earn access back — by completing short study tasks. Write a note, review a deck, or take a quiz, and the block lifts. It turns the urge to scroll into a moment of learning.

You can write notes by hand, scan a photo of handwritten or printed text (OCR), import a PDF, paste text, create study decks (flashcards), or generate AI-powered quizzes from your notes.

No. AI quiz generation is entirely optional. You can use local quizzes generated on your device, study decks, or simply write and review notes — all without AI. See our AI & OCR Notice for details.

Premium raises or removes limits on focus sessions, notes, decks, AI quizzes, and photo scans. It also includes advanced search and priority support. See the Premium page for the current feature comparison.

Open UnlockFocus, go to Settings → Premium, and choose a plan. Subscriptions are billed through your Apple App Store account. You can cancel anytime from your iPhone’s Settings → Subscriptions.

Subscriptions are billed by Apple. To request a refund, visit reportaproblem.apple.com. See our Subscription & Refund Policy for full details.

Very little. Your notes, decks, and blocked-app choices stay on your device by default. If you create an account, your data syncs to your private account on our servers. We do not sell your data or show ads. See our Privacy Policy for the full picture.

Yes. Go to Settings → Privacy in the app to delete all local data. If you have an account, you can delete it from Settings → Account → Delete Account, which removes all synced data from our servers. See our Account Deletion page.

Only when you explicitly request it. When you tap Generate quiz (AI) and confirm, the single note you selected is sent to our API (hosted on Google Cloud), which passes it to OpenAI to generate questions. Nothing is sent automatically. See the AI & OCR Notice.

Make sure Screen Time permission is granted: go to iPhone Settings → Screen Time → UnlockFocus and check that the permission is enabled. If you recently updated iOS, you may need to re-grant the permission.

iOS occasionally resets Screen Time authorisation, especially after major updates. Simply grant the permission again when prompted. Your notes and settings are preserved.