Q: Detox is blocking an app I didn't mean to block. How do I fix it?

Fastest fix: add the app to iPhone Settings → Screen Time → Always Allowed. It will bypass every block, Detox's included, going forward, no matter which group or block is running. Why it's blocked: the app is almost always part of a category you selected in Apple's picker (Social, Entertainment, etc.). Selecting a category blocks every app Apple classifies inside it, including apps you may not have realized were there. Occasionally an app you rely on, like Messages or Messenger, gets caught even when you never selected it individually, because iOS Screen Time can bundle related apps together. Two ways to fix this below; for an app you rely on that keeps getting caught, Option 1 (Always Allowed) is the dependable one. The in-app version of these same steps is at Detox → Settings → Problems with blocks? → App blocked by mistake?. This is about an app you didn't mean to add to a block in the first place. <blockquote> If you meant something else: your apps stayed blocked after a schedule ended → see <a href="https://help.detox.so/en/article/why-are-my-apps-still-blocked-after-the-schedule-ended-1xgy5go/">Why are my apps still blocked after the schedule ended?</a>. A block isn't firing at all → see <a href="https://help.detox.so/en/article/detox-isnt-blocking-my-apps-how-do-i-fix-it-1wtcxxr/">Detox isn't blocking my apps. How do I fix it?</a>. Some Home Screen icons turned blank or white → see <a href="#">Why are some of my app icons blank or white?</a>. </blockquote> <h2 id="option1addtheapptoiosalwaysallowed">Option 1: add the app to iOS Always Allowed</h2>

Question 1

What is Auto Block?

Accepted Answer

Auto Block is Detox's automatic block for compulsive use. You pick a continuous-use threshold (for example, 5 minutes), and Detox blocks the apps in your initial group the moment you've been using one of them for that long without a break. To change which apps Auto Block watches, you edit that group.

It's the doomscroll catcher: when you go past your threshold on Instagram, TikTok, or any app in your initial group, Detox steps in.

Auto Block is not the same as Block Now (which you start manually for a fixed duration) or a Scheduled Block (which runs on days and time windows you set). Auto Block runs continuously in the background, fires only when you cross your continuous-use threshold, uses Snooze (not Pause) when you need to bypass it briefly, and is the one block that is always tied to your initial group rather than letting you pick a group each time.

If you meant something else: start a block right now for a set time → see What is Block Now?. A recurring time-window block → see What are Scheduled Blocks?. Save more than one set of apps so different blocks cover different apps → see What are App Groups?.

How it works

Auto Block watches the apps in your initial group (your original list of monitored apps, now shown as "Your initial group" or "My app

Question 2

Detox isn't blocking my apps. How do I fix it?

Accepted Answer

Start with the fix that resolves most cases: open Detox → Settings → Problems with blocks? → Apps not blocked? and tap Reset your blocks. If your apps still aren't blocking after that, the cause is one of a few specific situations, and the 2-minute self-check below points you to the right one.

If you meant something else: apps stay blocked after the schedule ended → see Why are my apps still blocked after the schedule ended?. A specific app is blocked that you didn't mean to block → see Detox is blocking an app I didn't mean to block. How do I fix it?. You need to unblock right now → see What is Urgent Unblock?. Some Home Screen icons look blank or white → see Why are some of my app icons blank or white?.

Why did all my blocks suddenly stop working?

If blocking stopped for everything at once, and it used to work, rule out a lapsed subscription before anything else. Detox can only block your apps while your subscription (or free trial) is active. If it expired, was cancelled, or was refunded, every block silently stops and the apps you had blocked simply open again.

Check in App Store → tap your profile icon (top right) → Subscriptions → Detox and confirm it's act

Question 3

What are Breaks?

Accepted Answer

A break is a way to pause an actively-running block for a short window so you can use a normally-blocked app, then the block resumes automatically. You take a break from the Detox home page, on the My current block widget, by tapping Pause. The button only appears if Allow breaks is on for that block.

Breaks only apply to Scheduled Blocks and Block Now. Auto Block uses a different mechanism called Snooze (which pauses monitoring before a block fires). For an emergency release of every active block in one shot, see Urgent Unblock, not breaks.

If you meant something else: Pause Auto Block monitoring before a block fires → see What is Snooze?. Release every block right now in an emergency → see What is Urgent Unblock?.

How they work

When you take a break, the apps blocked by the active block are released for the duration you pick. Your block stays "running" in the background; when the break time is up, the block resumes and your apps are blocked again.

You can take more than one break during a single block session. There's no fixed cap on the number of breaks; you're only limited by the per-break duration setting.

Enabling breaks

Breaks are optional per block. When you create or edit a Scheduled Block or Block Now, look for the Allow breaks toggle. If it's off, the Pause option won't appear duri

Question 4

What can I do on the Progress page?

Accepted Answer

The Progress page is your long-view dashboard. Where the Home page shows today's screen time at a glance, the Progress page zooms out: how much time you've spent on your monitored apps versus the baseline you reported before using Detox, what that adds up to over time, and what it projects forward.

When the page becomes available

The Progress page needs at least one full day of your actual usage data to give meaningful numbers, so it stays in a setup / waiting state for the first 24 hours after you set things up.

If you installed Detox recently, you set your baseline (your age and your pre-Detox screen time) during onboarding. After that, you wait 24 hours before the page shows its full content.
If you updated Detox from an older version that didn't have the Progress page, you'll see a one-time popup asking for your age and pre-Detox screen time, then the same 24-hour wait.

Once the 24 hours have passed, the page is ready and shows everything described below.

Your Life in Years

The hero section at the top is a grid of 83 small dots, one for each year of an 83-year lifespan. Each dot is colored based on what that year is projected to look like given your habits: some dots represent time on screens (the years you'd lose), and others represent the years you'd reclaim by sticking with Detox.

Below the grid, a big headline number reads something like X years projected to be saved in a gradient green. That's the centerpiece statistic for the whole page.

Question 5

Detox is blocking an app I didn't mean to block. How do I fix it?

Accepted Answer

Fastest fix: add the app to iPhone Settings → Screen Time → Always Allowed. It will bypass every block, Detox's included, going forward, no matter which group or block is running.

Why it's blocked: the app is almost always part of a category you selected in Apple's picker (Social, Entertainment, etc.). Selecting a category blocks every app Apple classifies inside it, including apps you may not have realized were there. Occasionally an app you rely on, like Messages or Messenger, gets caught even when you never selected it individually, because iOS Screen Time can bundle related apps together. Two ways to fix this below; for an app you rely on that keeps getting caught, Option 1 (Always Allowed) is the dependable one. The in-app version of these same steps is at Detox → Settings → Problems with blocks? → App blocked by mistake?.

This is about an app you didn't mean to add to a block in the first place.

If you meant something else: your apps stayed blocked after a schedule ended → see Why are my apps still blocked after the schedule ended?. A block isn't firing at all → see Detox isn't blocking my apps. How do I fix it?. Some Home Screen icons turned blank or white → see Why are some of my app icons blank or white?.

Option 1: add the app to iOS Always Allowed

Question 6

Why are my apps still blocked after the schedule ended?

Accepted Answer

To unblock right now: open Detox, on the home page find the My current block widget, then tap the Unlock button (lock-open icon). Apps unblock immediately.

Why this happened: your block's Ending Action is set to Manual Unlock, which keeps apps blocked past the end time until you tap Unlock yourself. This is by design (not a bug), but you can switch it to Auto Unlock so it won't happen next time. Steps below.

If you meant something else: a block that should be active isn't firing at all → see Detox isn't blocking my apps. How do I fix it?. You need to release every block right now in an emergency → see What is Urgent Unblock?. Some Home Screen icons turned blank or white → see Why are some of my app icons blank or white?.

Why this happened (in more detail)

When you create a Scheduled Block or a Block Now session, you choose an Ending Action. There are two options:

Auto Unlock (the default in recent app versions): apps unblock automatically the moment the end time hits.
Manual Unlock: apps stay blocked past the end time until you tap Unlock yourself.

If your block is on Manual Unlock and you didn't realize it, you'll get the surprise you just hit: 8am rolls around, your overnight schedule technically ended at 7am, but your apps are still blocked.

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