Shielded Focus
Blocks the apps you name while you focus
Name the apps that distract you and they stay shut for the whole session — with the countdown on the block screen itself. Free for up to three.
About
Every other focus timer trusts you not to open Instagram. This one does not have to.
You name the apps that take your attention, start a session, and they stay shut until the block is over. Try one anyway and you get a screen telling you how much focus time is left, instead of the feed. Breaks are never blocked — the break is the part of the cycle where you are meant to look at your phone.
What it does that a timer cannot
- Blocking is in the free tier, up to three apps. It is the reason to use this app, not the thing you pay to unlock
- The block screen carries the countdown — “12 min of focus left”. A blocker that is not also your timer has no way to say that
- On iPhone the block is held by iOS itself, not by this app staying alive: force-quit mid-session and it still lifts exactly on time
- The running session shows a live countdown outside the app — on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and later, in the notification shade on Android. The OS draws it, so nothing is pushed once a second
What it cannot see
On iPhone, your choices are held by iOS as opaque tokens: the app cannot read which apps you picked, cannot list them, and has nowhere to send them. On Android, usage access is used only to see which app you have just opened, so the app knows whether to show the block screen — your app usage is not recorded, stored or sent. There is no account and no server.
Who it's for
Anyone who has already tried deciding not to look. Students, developers, writers, remote workers — if the problem is not knowing what to do but stopping yourself mid-sentence, the block is the part that helps.
Privacy
No account required. All data is stored locally on your device. We never sell your personal data, and we don't collect it ourselves. Free-tier ads are served by Google, which receives your device's advertising identifier; the ads are non-personalized, so the app never asks permission to track you, and Pro removes them completely. See our privacy policy for the details.
Available for iPhone and Android.
Features
- Block apps for the length of a focus session, and let them go on the break
- A block screen that shows how much focus time is left
- Live countdown outside the app — Lock Screen and Dynamic Island on iPhone, notification shade on Android
- Customizable focus, short break, and long break durations
- Session history with a weekly heatmap and a daily streak
- 12 ambient soundscapes that keep playing with the screen locked
Free vs Pro
Free
- Block up to 3 apps — blocking is not the paid part
- Standard 25 / 5 / 15 minute sessions, unlimited
- The live countdown outside the app
- 7-day history, weekly heatmap, daily streak
- 3 soundscapes: Rain, White Noise, Forest
- Supported by occasional ads
Pro $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr
- Block as many apps as you like
- Strict mode — a focus session cannot be skipped or reset once it is running
- Custom focus and break lengths
- All 12 soundscapes
- Auto-advance between sessions
- No ads