Frequently asked questions

Screentide is an Android screen time app that helps you build stronger boundaries around distracting apps and websites.

You create rules that decide what apps and websites to restrict, when they apply, which conditions trigger them, and how strongly Screentide should step in.

Screentide is currently Android only. Development has focused on Android first because its enforcement features integrate deeply with the operating system. iOS support is on the roadmap, but there is currently no iOS or desktop version.

No. Screentide works without an account or sign-up. Install it, create your first rule, and you are ready to go.

No. Screentide has no ads, on the free plan or with Gold.

Digital Wellbeing's app timers and Focus mode are a good start, but they take a couple of taps to switch off, and they only pause or block apps.

Screentide adds gentler options such as slowing feeds or covering them with a colored tint, more ways to start a rule automatically, and Unlock Challenges that make your limits harder to switch off in a weak moment.

Every app has a different strength. ScreenZen and one sec are great for a pause before you open an app, AppBlock for strict schedules, and StayFree for detailed usage stats. Screentide's strengths are gentler options like slowing feeds, rules that follow your calendar, and free NFC, QR, location and Wi-Fi triggers.

No. Screentide is built for people managing their own screen time, so there is no remote dashboard for parents. If you want someone else to hold the keys to your settings, an accountability partner can keep a PIN or Authenticator Code for you.

A rule can apply different levels of friction depending on how strongly you want to discourage an app or website. Choose a tinted overlay, slower loading, or a mindful pause, or set a firmer boundary by blocking access entirely.

Yes. Screentide can target individual apps as well as websites viewed in supported Android browsers. Website rules can match specific sites or keywords appearing anywhere in the URL, giving you more control over what gets included.

Yes. Ready-made adult and gambling lists can be added to any rule, alongside your own sites and keywords.

Yes. Slow limits how fast the chosen apps can load, so videos and image-heavy feeds stutter while text and messages still come through. It is a good fit for apps like Instagram, where you want the DMs but not the endless feed.

Slow can also be progressive, starting at normal speed and slowing down the longer you use the app each day.

No. Slow uses Android's VPN feature on your device only, and your traffic isn't routed through any Screentide server. Android allows one VPN at a time, so Slow can't run while another VPN app is connected.

Not yet. Blocking Shorts and Reels on their own is planned. Until then, Slow works well: short videos crawl, while the rest of the app, including messages, still works.

Only if you want to. Blocks are strict by default. You can optionally add Daily Pardons, a small daily allowance of timed unlocks, so a genuine need doesn't mean giving up on the whole rule.

Yes. Aside from always-on rules, Screentide supports complex weekly schedules, one-off time windows, date ranges, and reusable timers. Schedules can work alongside triggers, so a rule can be limited to certain times while still waiting for another condition before taking action.

Screentide supports triggers based on usage time, app opens, Wi-Fi networks, locations, charging state, and switches controlled by NFC tags or QR codes.

With Screentide Gold, you can combine multiple triggers to build more specific rules.

Yes. Calendar Sync runs a rule during a single event you choose, or during every event that matches words like "meeting" or "shift". Rules follow events when they move, and new matching events are picked up automatically. See Screen Time Limits That Follow Your Calendar.

Yes. A location trigger runs a rule while you are at a place you choose, and a Wi-Fi trigger runs it while you are connected to a network, such as your office Wi-Fi.

Yes. Screentide turns any NFC sticker, or a QR code you print at home, into a physical key for your apps. Tap or scan it to start blocking, and put the one that stops blocking somewhere you have to walk to.

It works much like devices such as Brick, but the app is free and a pack of NFC stickers costs a few dollars. See Screentide vs Brick and Turn an NFC Sticker Into a Physical App Blocker.

Brick is a $59 NFC device that works on iPhone and Android. Screentide is a free Android app that turns cheap NFC stickers or printed QR codes into the same kind of physical key, and adds schedules, gentler interventions and more.

Brick is simpler and strict out of the box. Read the full Screentide vs Brick comparison.

Common NFC stickers and cards, such as NTAG213 or NTAG215, work well. Screentide can write to a blank tag, so it works in the background even when Screentide is closed.

You can also use a tag you already own without changing it, such as a card, but Screentide needs to be open when you scan it.

Yes. Use QR codes instead. Screentide creates a unique code that you save, print and stick somewhere, then scan with your phone's camera. See Turn a Printed QR Code Into a Physical App Blocker.

The free plan includes one Switch with up to 20 controls, so one Switch can have tags or codes on your nightstand, desk, front door and more. Each control can turn the Switch on, off, or toggle it. Screentide Gold adds more Switches.

No. Each tag or code Screentide creates contains its own unique key for your Switch, so a code made on another phone, or a guess, can't change it.

Yes! Enforcement Protection adds stronger boundaries when you need them. Edit Restrictions can require one or more Unlock Challenges before protected settings can be changed, while Tamper Prevention (Gold) makes common ways of disabling Screentide or its enforcement more difficult.

From gentle to strict: a cooldown timer, a battery charge state (such as only while charging), a device restart, a PIN, or an Authenticator Code. See Make Your Screen Time Limits Harder to Turn Off.

Yes. A partner can set a PIN, or scan a QR code into any authenticator app on their own phone, so only their code unlocks your settings. They don't need Screentide installed.

Your detailed app and website usage data is stored locally on your device. Screentide does not upload your usage history to a Screentide account or server. Limited product telemetry may be collected to improve the app, and you can disable it.

Screentide integrates closely with Android so it can detect activity and enforce rules at the right time. Permissions are requested for the features that need them: core functionality relies on access such as Accessibility, while location rules, NFC controls, and stronger Enforcement Protection request additional access only when required.

Yes. You can create up to 3 fully-featured rules for free, each containing an unlimited number of apps and websites. We think most people will not need Gold to benefit from Screentide.

Gold removes the free limits and adds extras: unlimited rules, several interventions and triggers per rule, more Switches, locations, Wi-Fi networks and linked calendars, custom categories, custom block messages, backup and restore, monthly and yearly stats, and Tamper Prevention.

Your choice. Gold is available as a low-cost subscription, or as a one-time purchase.