How to block distracting apps while you study on iPhone
The hardest part of studying with an iPhone nearby isn't the big distraction. It's the two-second reflex: unlock, tap, scroll. Here are three ways to stop it, from the lightest to the strictest.
1. A Study Focus: silence the notifications
A Focus stops notifications from pulling you away. It doesn't stop you opening apps.
- Open Settings › Focus and tap +, then Custom. Call it "Study".
- Under People and Apps, allow only who and what may still notify you.
- Optional: under Customize Screens, show only a Home Screen page without your usual time sinks.
- Turn it on from Control Center, or give it a schedule.
2. Screen Time App Limits: make apps harder to open
- Open Settings › Screen Time › App Limits › Add Limit.
- Choose a category (Social, Games, Entertainment) or single apps.
- Set a short daily time, even 1 minute.
When the limit is reached the app's icon dims and opening it shows a Time Limit screen. Without a Screen Time passcode you can still tap Ignore Limit, so it's a speed bump rather than a wall. To make it stricter, ask a friend to set the Screen Time passcode. Downtime, on the same page, does the same on a schedule.
The catch: limits are per day and on a schedule. They don't know when you're actually studying.
3. A focus timer that closes apps only while you focus
This is what Pobbo does. It uses Apple's own Screen Time permission: you pick the apps in Apple's app picker, and only your phone knows which ones you chose. When you start focusing, those apps are closed; when the session ends, they open again. Calls and Pobbo always work.
You choose how firm it is:
- Peek: your buddy peeks in to remind you. You can still go on, 5 minutes at a time.
- Tug: your buddy tugs your sleeve. "Just a minute" works 3 times a session.
- Guard the door: closed until you're done. To use them, pause or end the session in Pobbo.
- Only these doors: every app is closed except the ones you choose, until you're done.
A pause opens the apps for up to 5 minutes, then focusing carries on by itself; you can also turn pausing off. Ending more than a minute early costs that session's coins and 2 more, so there's a small reason to stay. Meanwhile your buddy sits at the desk with you and the countdown stays on your Lock Screen.
Which one to use
| Silences notifications | Stops you opening apps | Only while you study | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study Focus | Yes | No | If you turn it on |
| App Limits / Downtime | No | Yes, unless you ignore the limit | No, per day or on a schedule |
| Pobbo | No (use it with a Focus) | Yes, four levels | Yes |
They work well together: a Study Focus for the notifications, and a focus timer for the apps.
Small things that help
- Pick categories rather than single apps, so a new game doesn't slip through.
- Start gentle (Peek or Tug) and get firmer if you keep slipping.
- Keep one app you need open: music, a dictionary, your notes.
- Put the phone face down and out of reach anyway. Distance still works.
Questions
Can Pobbo see which apps I use?
No. You pick apps in Apple's picker, and the choice stays on your phone as tokens Pobbo can't read as names. Nothing about your app use leaves the phone.
Will I miss calls while apps are closed?
No. Calls always work, and so does Pobbo.
What if I really need an app mid-session?
Pause in Pobbo: the apps open for up to 5 minutes, then focusing carries on. With Peek you can go on 5 minutes at a time, and with Tug "just a minute" works 3 times a session.
Pobbo is in a free public beta on iPhone and iPad (iOS 26, with the TestFlight app), and coming to the App Store.
Join the TestFlight beta