Articles on: Troubleshooting

What can't Detox do?

Detox has a handful of real limits, most of them set by Apple's Screen Time framework (the system Detox is built on), the rest deliberate product choices. Below are the ones people ask about most, each with a workaround where one exists.

If you came here looking for a feature you think is missing: you can block different apps at different times now, with App Groups. See Can I block different apps at different times? and What are App Groups?.

Detox doesn't block based on total daily time on an app

Auto Block triggers on continuous use, not cumulative. There's no setting like "block Instagram after 1 hour total today, regardless of how that hour is spread."

Workaround: Lower your Auto Block continuous-use threshold so the block fires earlier. Or create a Scheduled Block over the time of day you tend to overuse.

Detox can't tell what you're doing inside an app

Detox can't allow some activities inside an app and block others. For example, it can't let you message on Instagram while blocking the feed, or watch on TikTok while blocking the comments.

Why: Apple's Screen Time API only reports total time spent on each app. It doesn't expose what you're doing inside.

Workaround:

For a quick message inside a mixed-content app (like Instagram), take a Break or use Snooze before opening it. Snooze works for Auto Block; Break works if you enabled Allow breaks on the active block.
For pure messaging apps you always need available (WhatsApp, Messenger, etc.), add them to iPhone Settings → Screen Time → Always Allowed so they're never blocked. Don't do this for apps that also have a feed or video content (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube); Always Allowed bypasses the block completely and you'd end up scrolling Reels or videos exactly when you're trying not to.

You can have only one Auto Block

You get a single Auto Block, and it's tied to your initial group. More Auto Blocks are marked Coming Soon in the app and aren't available yet. To change what Auto Block watches, edit the apps in your initial group.

This is different from blocking different apps at different times, which you can do. Each Scheduled Block picks its own App Group, so one schedule can cover Instagram while another covers email (a one-off Block Now can target any group too). See Can I block different apps at different times? for the walk-through.

There's no global always-on Strict Mode

Strict Mode is configured per block. It activates when its block goes active and lifts when the block ends. There isn't a single setting that keeps Detox permanently tamper-proof outside any specific block.

Workaround: Enable Strict Mode on each block where it matters. For an always-on layer that prevents Detox from being disabled or deleted, set up the iOS Screen Time Passcode.

Blocks don't sync between your devices

If you use Detox on more than one device (iPhone and iPad, for example), your App Groups, Scheduled Blocks, and Auto Block settings have to be configured on each device separately. They don't automatically sync from one to the other.

Your subscription does sync. Premium status is recognized automatically on every device tied to your Apple ID.

There's no real workaround for the block-config side; you set up each device once, and the configuration is durable from then on.

Custom Websites and the adult-website filter can't drive Auto Block

Custom Websites and the Block Adult Websites toggle are blocked whenever a block using their group is active, but neither can trigger Auto Block on its own. The continuous-use detection that Auto Block relies on doesn't work on website-only tokens (an iOS limitation). Both settings are now configured per App Group.

Workaround: If you want a website to drive Auto Block, add it through Apple's picker instead (Settings → Monitored Apps → open your initial group → Apple's picker → Search). Websites added through the Apple picker support the screen-time tracking that Auto Block uses; websites typed into Custom Websites do not.

Detox doesn't show per-app or per-group screen time

Detox reports your overall screen time, not a breakdown of how long you spent on each app or on each App Group. With two or more groups you get a dedicated Screen Time section in the Settings tab, but it still tracks your total, not a per-group split.

Detox does support Apple Family Sharing on a higher-priced subscription tier, but you can't sign up for it from inside Detox; you have to switch through Apple's subscription settings. See Can I share Detox with my family? for the full path.

There's no vacation mode to pause all blocks for a stretch

Detox doesn't have a single switch that pauses every block at once for a defined window like "the next week" or "this weekend."

Workaround: For one day of access, use Urgent Unblock (once every 24 hours per device). For a longer stretch, manually deactivate or delete the blocks you want off and recreate them when you return.

If your case isn't here

If you ran into a limit that isn't listed above, or you're not sure whether something is a limit or a bug, contact us via the in-app chat (Detox → Settings → Problems with blocks? → Something else). We'll let you know what's possible.

Updated on: 23/06/2026

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