App Showcase: AppBlock

What it does

AppBlock is a digital wellbeing and productivity tool for iOS. It's designed to help users regain control over their screen time by setting up customized blocking schedules for distracting apps and websites. The app provides detailed insights into phone usage and offers powerful features like 'Strict Mode' to prevent users from easily bypassing their own rules.

Where it shines

AppBlock stands out in its thoughtful approach to behavior change. During onboarding, it creates a powerful 'reality check' by having users estimate their screen time and then revealing their actual usage data (01:33). This immediately personalizes the problem. The app's 'Strict Mode' includes an emergency unblock flow (08:41) that uses a series of pointed questions to create cognitive friction, making users reconsider before breaking their commitment. Finally, the 'Mindful Edits' feature (05:14), which enforces a 10-second pause before changing a schedule, is a clever way to curb impulsive actions.

UX highlights

• Quick Block: The main screen features a prominent 'Quick Block' section with one-tap access to start a session, set a timer, or begin a Pomodoro timer, making it easy to start focusing without complex setup.
• Schedule Templates: The app provides pre-configured templates for common goals like 'Focus' or 'App Limit' (06:52), lowering the barrier to entry for creating effective schedules.
• Flexible Conditions: Schedules can be configured based on time, location, usage limits, or even the number of times an app is opened (06:07), offering a high degree of customization.
• Clear Visualizations: From the onboarding report to the main insights dashboard (09:09), the app uses clean bar charts and line graphs to make usage data easy to understand.
• Contextual Options: When editing a schedule, the options are logically grouped into 'Condition', 'Blocking', and 'Extra options', which makes a complex feature set feel manageable (02:54).
• In-App Help: The settings area contains a comprehensive help section with categorized FAQs (11:01), addressing potential user issues directly within the app.

Monetization & growth

Monetization is introduced at the end of a long, value-driven onboarding flow. At 02:03, the app presents a soft paywall for its premium subscription, locking core functionality behind it. The offer is a 7-day free trial for a single yearly plan, which simplifies the user's decision. The paywall itself is well-designed, featuring a visual timeline of the trial period to build trust and clearly state when the user will be charged. The app also includes a referral program, offering a 30% discount to friends (11:42), which serves as a growth lever.

Who it’s for

AppBlock is for anyone who feels they spend too much time on their phone and needs help building better digital habits. This includes students trying to focus on schoolwork, professionals aiming to reduce distractions during the workday, and individuals simply looking to be more present in their daily lives. The 'Strict Mode' feature makes it particularly useful for those who struggle with self-discipline and need a stronger system of accountability.

Notes & opportunities

The app's onboarding is very long, which could lead to user drop-off before they see the core value. While the 'reality check' moment is powerful, getting there requires sign-up and multiple quiz steps. The 'Mindful Edits' pause is a great idea, but a 10-second unskippable delay (05:14) might feel frustrating for users who have a legitimate reason to change a schedule. Providing a quicker (but still deliberate) override could improve the experience without sacrificing the core principle.