Articles
What is Auto Block?
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 starPopularWhat are Breaks?
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 emergeSome readersWhat is Snooze?
Snooze pauses Auto Block monitoring for a short window you pick, so you can use a monitored app without getting blocked. You start a Snooze from the Detox home page, on the My current block widget, by tapping Snooze. The button only appears when Auto Block is the currently active block (not during a Scheduled Block or Block Now session). Snooze is not the same as Pause (which is a break taken during an actively-running Scheduled Block or Block Now), and not the samSome readersWhat 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).Some readersHow do I block specific apps and websites?
You choose which apps and websites Detox can block by building App Groups, in the Settings tab under Monitored Apps. A group is a named set of apps, categories, and websites. When you start a block, you pick which group it covers, so different blocks can target different apps. This is not one shared list anymore. There used to be a single Monitored Apps list that every block drew from. Now Monitored Apps opens a list of groups, and each block points at a specific group.Some readersWhat 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).Some readersWhat are App Groups?
App Groups let you save more than one set of apps and websites, so different blocks can cover different apps. You create and manage them in the Settings tab, under Monitored Apps. Each group is a named set with its own emoji, and when you start a Scheduled Block or a Block Now, you choose which group it blocks. An App Group is a set of apps, not a block on its own. You still create an Auto Block, a Scheduled Block, or a Block Now; App Groups just let each one target a diFew readersCan I block different apps at different times?
Yes. You make one App Group for each set of apps, then attach each group to its own Scheduled Block on a separate, non-overlapping time window. A group on a 9 to 5 schedule blocks one set of apps during work hours, and a different group on a 6 to 10pm schedule blocks another set in the evening. This uses two features together: App Groups hold the sets of apps, and Scheduled Blocks decide when each set is blocked. It is not the same as Auto Block, which is a single always-onFew readersHow does Screen Time tracking work?
You see your screen time on the Detox Home page, in the screen-time chart near the top. It shows the total time you have spent on your monitored apps, added together into one number rather than broken down app by app. Screen-time tracking is not the same as a block. It only measures time on the apps you monitor. It does not stop you from opening them. Blocking is done by your Auto Block, your Scheduled Blocks, or Block Now. Tracking is also not the same as your **ProgresFew readers