This app interrupts usage of the target app by setting up an automation (in the native Shortcuts app) that triggers when the target app is launched.[1] This means you can skip the app entirely and try to set up your own poor man's version. I fiddled around a bit and it's possible to set up an automation that automatically exits back to the home screen after some pause, or displays a notification to try to nudge you out of the app. This is not as good as the app but it is free. Also, without the Safari extension, I don't think websites can be blocked.

My own strategy is to simply use pi-hole to block time-wasting websites entirely. It's kind of a sledgehammer, but it works for me.

1: https://tutorials.one-sec.app/setup-ios

Same. Installed for ~ 1 year, deleted after my muscle memory adapted. It was an inconvenience for some of the apps that I would actually need access to some of the time, but then again, it is a less obvious inconvenience when excessive amounts of time were spent in apps I showed up to do one thing in... All that to say. I think these tools are great, and ideally they assist us in shaping our behaviors to match our intent. A little more system 2 than system 1 thinking.

I used it on Android for a bit. I liked how the screen animation naturally made me take a deep breath, and I liked seeing how many times I've opened an app so far in the day. Unfortunately the free tier is quite limited - you can only enable it for one app, and you can't customize the duration of the blocking animation.

I usually just delete the app if it's dominating my time on the phone or drawing me to it.

Apps like this are a godsend. Putting away all the social media aside (where 95% of the content is fake/useless anyway), in reality there should really be no use for mobile phones besides using it for calls/music and some important things when you can't get to your laptop/desktop.

I've realized recently that it takes at least 3 times more work and time to do things on a smartphone than to do the same things on a laptop. This holds true for messaging apps where we are so limited by the typing speed and error-prone nature of composing messages on a smartphone, and the lack of good multitasking options like on a desktop interface. I have more time in my life now, more than ever, after I started to avoid using my phone for things wherever I can.

I dislike the amount of access to your entire OSN screen you have to give to these apps. is there an offline or open source or OS based solution?

Looks interesting. Any tips for using it effectively? What's it been most helpful with?