Does Detox work on my Apple Watch?

Yes. With a premium subscription, Detox has an Apple Watch app that lets you see your active blocks, start a block from your wrist, and check today's screen time, all without picking up your iPhone. Your iPhone still runs the actual blocking; the watch is a remote for it.

One thing to know first: the watch can start a block, but it cannot stop, unlock, end, or take a break on one. Anything that removes or pauses a block stays on your iPhone, on purpose. The watch is a fast way to arm a block, never a way around one.

If you meant something else: to pause a running block, see What are Breaks?; to release every block in an emergency, see What is Urgent Unblock?. Both are done on your iPhone, not the watch.

What you can do from the watch

The watch app has three screens:

Now shows every block that is currently active, each with a live countdown to when it ends. If nothing is running, it tells you so, and a block you set to unlock manually shows that it is waiting for you.
Start Block lets you pick one of your App Groups and a duration, then start blocking it. Groups that are already blocked appear locked, so you cannot start the same one twice. The block runs on your iPhone, even when the phone is in your pocket.
Screen Time shows today's total for your monitored apps, with a 7-day chart. These are the same numbers as the Progress page on your iPhone.

Watch widgets

Detox adds two widgets you can place on your watch face or in the Smart Stack: a block countdown that ticks down on its own, and a screen-time total for today. They show the last information synced from your iPhone, so they refresh when your watch and phone are in range.

What you need

A premium subscription. Without it, the watch app shows a prompt to open Detox on your iPhone.
The Apple Watch app requires Detox 4.5.8 or later, so update Detox to the latest version from the App Store.
The blocking always happens on your paired iPhone, so keep Detox installed there; the watch mirrors it.

Why can't I stop or unlock a block from my watch?

This is by design, not a bug. The watch can arm a block but never remove one, so it cannot be used as a shortcut around your own blocks. To pause, unlock, or end a block, use your iPhone: see What are Breaks? and What is Urgent Unblock?. The watch is intentionally arm-only.

Why don't I see Detox on my watch?

Check these in order:

The watch app is a premium feature, so it needs an active premium subscription.
It requires Detox 4.5.8 or later. If your iPhone is on an earlier version, update Detox from the App Store first.
After updating, Detox installs on your paired watch automatically. If it does not appear, open the Watch app on your iPhone and install Detox from the available apps.

Updated on: 29/07/2026

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