How Unplug Me’s charger-based app blocking works

What do you set up first?

Install Unplug Me and follow its onboarding instructions, including the Screen Time permission needed for app blocking. Choose the everyday tools you want to keep available. Calls and texts remain accessible while distracting apps are blocked.

Think through what you need on an ordinary day: maps, your camera, music, or other practical tools. Check your choices before relying on the setup away from home.

What does the charger do?

Connecting your phone to its charger is the physical step that lets you unlock distracting apps. Start a timed session when you want to use them. Disconnecting the phone brings the boundary back; reaching the end of the timer also locks the apps again.

The charger makes access less automatic. Instead of opening a feed wherever you happen to be, you have an extra action to take first. You don’t need to buy a dedicated blocking device.

What could that look like in a day?

Leave your charger at a place where you want to check your apps. During the day, use your phone for the essentials you’ve kept available. When you want to catch up, plug in and choose a session. When you’re done, unplug and take your phone with you.

This is one way to use the app, not a requirement to keep your phone in a particular room. A charger you carry everywhere creates a different amount of friction than one you leave in a fixed place.

What if you need access away from a charger?

The published App Store description includes four emergency unlocks per week, with a one-minute wait when those are used up. Check your installed version for the current options. Emergency access means the charger boundary isn’t an absolute lockout.

Can you block apps even while plugged in?

Yes. The listing describes scheduled blocks that keep distracting apps blocked during selected hours, including when the phone is plugged in. Use these for periods when you don’t want charging to open a scrolling session.

What do you need, and what does it cost?

Unplug Me is designed for iPhone and requires iOS 18 or later. It is free to download, with in-app purchases. Check the App Store and in-app purchase screen for current pricing and what is included in each plan.

It uses Apple’s Screen Time API for blocking. That does not mean the app collects no data: review the App Store privacy disclosure and the privacy policy for details.

Who is this approach for?

It may suit you if you want to keep your smartphone and social apps while making access more intentional. It does not turn your iPhone into a different device, and it does not guarantee a particular screen-time result.

For more ideas, read about simplifying your iPhone or creating boundaries around doomscrolling.