# BookGate: App Blocker to Read — Less screen time. more books.

> Less screen time. more books. (iPhone/iPad app by Collin Arumai Harinath Mendons Jeyaseelan.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookgate-app-blocker-to-read/id6799063320 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Collin Arumai Harinath Mendons Jeyaseelan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1623374986)
- Category: Productivity, Books
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.0 · 11 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, European Spanish
- Released: 2026-09-09
- Data updated: 2026-09-17
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bookgate-app-blocker-to-read/id6799063320/reviews.md

## What is BookGate?

Turn screen time into reading time.

BookGate helps you stop reaching for distracting apps and actually open the book you keep meaning to read.

Set a reading time, choose the apps that distract you, and when it is time to read, BookGate helps you begin. Show your book to start your session, then the apps you selected stay blocked while you read.

A simple reading ritual that makes it easier to start, stay focused, and keep coming back to your book.

HOW BOOKGATE WORKS
• Set your reading time - Choose when you want to read and let BookGate bring the moment to you, on the nights you pick, at the hour you pick.
• Block distracting apps while you read - Choose whole categories or only the apps that tend to pull you away from your book.
• Show your book to start - A quick book check creates a small moment of commitment before your reading session begins.
• Read without the noise - Once your session starts, the apps you selected stay out of the way while you read. Sessions run from five minutes to an hour, and you can change tonight's length whenever you like.
• Record what you want to remember - When you finish, leave a short takeaway in your own voice and keep it with the book. Play them back a whole book at a time.
• See the habit you are actually building - Look back at your reading sessions, books and consistency over time without turning reading into a numbers game.

FIVE MINUTES IS ENOUGH TO START
BookGate starts you at five minutes, because five minutes is the one you will actually do tonight. Once that has been easy for a week, BookGate offers you ten, and you decide whether to take it. The habit grows at the pace you set.

BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO READ — BUT KEEP SCROLLING
BookGate is for the book sitting on your nightstand, the novel you bought months ago, and the reading habit you keep planning to start.
Instead of simply telling you to use your phone less, BookGate gives that time somewhere better to go.

Your phone becomes quieter.
Your book gets opened.
Reading actually happens.

MADE FOR THE BOOK IN YOUR HANDS
BookGate is built around paper. Photograph the cover to put a book on your shelf, show it to the camera to open a session, and keep your reading photos and voice takeaways with it as the book goes on.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
• Screen Time permission, granted once during setup, so BookGate can block the apps you choose while you read.
• The camera, to show your book at the start of a session. You can always start without it.
• The microphone, if you would like to record a takeaway. It is optional.

YOUR READING STAYS ON YOUR IPHONE
There is no account and no sign-up. Your books, reading photos, recordings and history are kept on your device.

SUBSCRIPTION
BookGate is an auto-renewable subscription. Eligible new subscribers can start with a 3-day free trial. Two plans are available, BookGate Yearly and BookGate Monthly, and the price of each is shown in your own currency in the app before you subscribe.
Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically at the same price unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it any time in Settings › Apple Account › Subscriptions. Any unused portion of the free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription.

BookGate Terms: https://bookgate.app/terms/
Privacy Policy: https://bookgate.app/privacy/

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $29.99 | per year |



## Version history (last 1 release)

### 1.0 — 2026-09-09

No release notes.

## More apps by Collin Arumai Harinath Mendons Jeyaseelan

- [Thrise - Heavy Sleeper Alarm](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thrise-heavy-sleeper-alarm/id6789894003)
- [PillSeal: Pill Reminder](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pillseal-pill-reminder/id6792260144)
- [Tandli: Visual Schedule](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tandli-visual-schedule/id6796813364)

All apps by Collin Arumai Harinath Mendons Jeyaseelan: https://appshunter.io/developer/1623374986

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-17.*