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# What are Scheduled Blocks?

A Scheduled Block is a recurring time-window block. You pick the days and the start and end time, choose which apps it covers, and Detox blocks those apps during that window automatically. Useful for things like "no Instagram between 9am and 5pm on weekdays" or "phone off after 22:00 every night."

A Scheduled Block is **not the same as Auto Block** (which runs continuously in the background and fires on a continuous-use threshold) or **Block Now** (a one-shot manual session you start by hand). A Scheduled Block runs on the days and time windows you set, recurring automatically. Each Scheduled Block also picks its own set of apps through an **App Group** or a one-off **Just these apps** selection, so different schedules can block different apps.

> If you meant something else: the always-on background block → see [What is Auto Block?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/what-is-auto-block-1t86axm/). Block apps right now for a set time → see [What is Block Now?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/what-is-block-now-1ik0nma/). Saving and reusing different sets of apps → see [What are App Groups?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/what-are-app-groups-1l6j9cu/).

## How they work

A Scheduled Block runs on the days you pick, between the start and end time you set. When the start time hits on an active day, Detox blocks every app in the group you chose for that schedule. At the end time, apps unblock automatically, unless you set the schedule's Ending Action to Manual Unlock, in which case they stay blocked until you tap **Unlock** on your home screen.

While a Scheduled Block on your initial group is active, Auto Block monitoring is suspended (the same apps are already being blocked by the schedule). The Detox home screen has a widget called **My current block** that shifts to match: during an active Scheduled Block, the widget shows that schedule with **Pause** as its action button. Once the schedule ends, the widget returns to showing Auto Block with **Snooze** as its action button.

## Choosing which apps a schedule blocks

Each Scheduled Block targets its own set of apps. When you create one, Detox asks **Which apps?** and you pick one of:

- **An App Group** you have created, like 🎮 Games or 📱 Social, or
- **Just these apps**, a one-off selection for that single schedule that is not saved as a group.

**Save** stays disabled until you choose. Because each schedule picks its own apps, you can block one set during work hours and a different set at night. See [What are App Groups?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/what-are-app-groups-1l6j9cu/) for how groups work, and [Can I block different apps at different times?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/can-i-block-different-apps-at-different-times-44r15s/) for a full walk-through.

## Setting one up

To create a new Scheduled Block:

1. Open Detox and go to the **Blocks** tab.
2. Tap **Scheduled Blocks**.
3. Tap **Create new**.
4. Configure the schedule:

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name (optional) | A label for the schedule, like `Work hours` or `Bedtime` |
| Which apps? | The group or one-off selection this schedule blocks. Required before you can save |
| Active days | Tap each day of the week you want the block to run (Mon, Tue, ...) |
| Start time | When the block kicks in |
| End time | When the block releases (or shifts to manual unlock, depending on your Ending Action) |
| Ending Action | `Auto Unlock` releases apps at end time. `Manual Unlock` keeps apps blocked until you tap Unlock on your home screen. Default is `Auto Unlock` in the latest app version |
| Allow breaks | Optional. If on, you can pause the block during its active window |
| Max break duration | When breaks are on. Default 15 minutes |
| Strict Mode | Optional. When on, your schedule's settings, the group's apps, and the ability to uninstall Detox are locked while the block is active |

5. Tap save.

You can have up to **10 blocks total** across your Auto Block and your Scheduled Blocks. Block Now and screen-time tracking do not count toward that number.

If your new schedule overlaps with one you already have, the app will refuse to save it and name the conflicting schedule. Adjust the days or the time window to remove the overlap.

## What you see when a Scheduled Block is active

When you try to open a blocked app during the schedule's window, Detox shows its block screen. The block screen anatomy is the same across all block types; see [What is Auto Block?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/what-is-auto-block-1t86axm/) for the full breakdown (title, message, Close button, Manage Block button). The only difference for a Scheduled Block is the subtitle, which reads "Your scheduled block is currently active."

The block screen disappears automatically when the schedule ends, or when you take a break.

## Taking a break

If you enabled **Allow breaks** when configuring the schedule, you can pause the active block to use your apps for a short time:

1. On the Detox home screen, find the **My current block** widget showing your active Scheduled Block. Tap it to open the schedule's info sheet, then tap **Pause**. (Alternatively: **Blocks** tab → **Scheduled Blocks** → tap the active schedule to reach the same sheet.)
2. Pick a duration, up to the max break you configured.
3. Apps unblock for that duration. When the break ends, the schedule resumes.

If breaks were not enabled when you configured the schedule, the Pause option is not available.

Strict Mode does not disable breaks. If your schedule has both Strict Mode and Allow breaks on, you can still take a break during the active block; Strict Mode only locks the schedule's settings and prevents uninstalling Detox.

## Ending a Scheduled Block early

If a Scheduled Block is currently blocking you and you want to end this occurrence early:

1. On the Detox home screen, tap the **My current block** widget to open the active schedule. (Or **Blocks** tab → **Scheduled Blocks** → tap the relevant schedule to reach the same place.)
2. Tap **Edit** to enter edit mode.
3. Tap the blue **Deactivate** button at the bottom (to the left of **Save**) and confirm.
4. Apps unblock immediately for this occurrence.

The schedule itself stays saved and activates again normally on its next scheduled day. Deactivating only ends the current occurrence; your settings persist for future ones.

If you want to remove the schedule entirely (so it never runs again), tap the trash icon in the same edit view and confirm. Deletion is permanent.

When Strict Mode is on and the schedule is currently blocking, both Deactivate and Delete are disabled until the block ends, as part of Strict Mode locking the schedule.

## Overnight blocks

A Scheduled Block whose end time is earlier than its start time is treated as overnight. For example, start `22:00` and end `07:00` means the block runs from 10pm through 7am the next morning.

For overnight schedules, pick only the day(s) when the block should *start*. The hours that spill into the next morning are handled automatically. So `Sunday 22:00 → Monday 07:00` means selecting Sunday as the active day.

## What Scheduled Blocks don't do

- They don't run without an apps selection. Every Scheduled Block has to point at an App Group or a one-off **Just these apps** set before it can save.
- They don't go beyond the limit. You can have up to 10 blocks total across your Auto Block and your Scheduled Blocks.
- They don't sync between devices. If you have Detox on iPhone and iPad, schedules are per-device. Your subscription syncs across devices on the same Apple ID; configurations don't.
- They can't overlap. If you need different rules at different times of day, create separate non-overlapping schedules.

## Related

- [What is Auto Block?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/what-is-auto-block-1t86axm/)
- [What are App Groups?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/what-are-app-groups-1l6j9cu/)
- [Can I block different apps at different times?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/can-i-block-different-apps-at-different-times-44r15s/)
- [What is Strict Mode?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/what-is-strict-mode-1xqv27s/)
- [Why are my apps still blocked after the schedule ended?](https://help.detox.so/en/article/why-are-my-apps-still-blocked-after-the-schedule-ended-1xgy5go/)