What is Block Now?

Block Now is Detox's on-demand block. You go to the Blocks tab, tap Block Now, pick which apps to block and a duration, then tap start, and Detox blocks that set of apps for that fixed window. It's the tool for "I want to focus for the next 90 minutes" or "no phone until my dinner is over."

Block Now is not the same as Auto Block (which runs continuously in the background and fires on a continuous-use threshold) or a Scheduled Block (which runs on days and time windows you set). Block Now is a one-shot session you start manually for a fixed duration, and it does not recur. To pause a Block Now session that's actively running, use Pause (if Allow breaks is on); to end it early, see Ending a Block Now early below.

If you meant something else: a recurring time-window block → see What are Scheduled Blocks?. The always-on background block → see What is Auto Block?. Saving and reusing different sets of apps → see What are App Groups?.

How it works

When you start a Block Now, Detox immediately blocks the set of apps you picked for the duration you chose. The block runs to completion, then apps unblock automatically (or stay blocked until you tap Unlock, depending on your Ending Action).

You can run one Block Now session at a time. There is no schedule-based restriction: a Block Now can start even while a Scheduled Block is running, and starting a Scheduled Block does not depend on whether a Block Now is active. The only two things Block Now requires are that no other Block Now session is already running, and that you have chosen which apps to block.

If the Block Now you start covers the same apps your Auto Block watches, Auto Block monitoring is suspended for the overlap (those apps are already blocked, so there's nothing for Auto Block to do). Auto Block only suspends when its own group is actively blocked. The home screen's My current block widget shows the Block Now session with Pause as its action button, and returns to Auto Block when the session ends.

Choosing which apps to block

When you start a Block Now, Detox asks Which apps? and you pick one of:

• A group you have created, or
• Just these apps, a one-off selection for that single session that is not saved as a group.

You have to choose before the start button becomes available. This means a single Block Now can target whichever set of apps you want, independent of your Auto Block or your Scheduled Blocks. If you regularly block the same set, save it as a group so you can pick it again next time. See What are App Groups? for how groups work.

Starting a session

To start a new Block Now:

1. Open Detox and go to the Blocks tab.
2. Tap Block Now.
3. Choose Which apps? (a group, or Just these apps).
4. Adjust the settings:

5. Tap Block for X minutes to start. The button label updates live to match the duration you picked, and stays disabled until you have chosen which apps to block.

Each new Block Now starts from these defaults. Your previous session's settings are not remembered, so adjust them every time if needed.

What you see when Block Now is active

When you try to open one of the blocked apps during a Block Now session, Detox shows its block screen. The block screen anatomy is the same across all block types; see What is Auto Block? for the full breakdown of what's on it (title, message, Close button, Manage Block button). The only difference for Block Now is the subtitle, which reads "Your block now session is currently active."

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

Taking a break

If you enabled Allow breaks when starting the session, you can pause it for a short window:

1. On the Detox home screen, tap your active Block Now's widget. (Alternatively: Blocks tab → Block Now.)
2. Tap Pause and pick a duration, up to the max break you configured.
3. Apps unblock for that duration. When the break ends, the session resumes.

If breaks were not enabled when you started the session, the Pause option is not available. Strict Mode does not disable breaks; those two settings are independent.

Ending a Block Now early

If a Block Now session is currently running and you want to stop it before the timer is up:

1. On the Detox home screen, tap the My current block widget to open the active session. (Or Blocks tab → Block Now.)
2. Tap Edit to enter edit mode.
3. Tap the trash icon and confirm.
4. Apps unblock immediately.

Deleting is the only way to end a Block Now early. (Scheduled Blocks have a separate Deactivate button that ends the current occurrence but keeps the schedule; Block Now doesn't have that, since each session is one-off and there's nothing to preserve for later.)

When Strict Mode is on, the trash icon is disabled until the session ends, as part of Strict Mode locking the block.

What Block Now doesn't do

• It doesn't recur. If you want the same block on a regular schedule (e.g., every weekday 9-17), use a Scheduled Block instead.
• It doesn't remember your previous session's settings. Each new Block Now starts from the defaults.
• It doesn't save your apps for you. If you pick Just these apps, that selection is one-off and is not kept as a group. Save it as an App Group if you want to reuse it.

Related

• What is Auto Block?
• What are Scheduled Blocks?
• What are App Groups?
• What is Strict Mode?
• What can't Detox do?

Updated on: 23/06/2026