# Habits First — Earn your apps back > Blocks distracting apps until daily habits are completed, reinforcing positive behaviors. (iPhone/iPad app by Eric Su.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/habits-first/id6791076258 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Eric Su](https://appshunter.io/developer/1763094575) - Category: Productivity, Health & Fitness - Price: Free - Rating: 4.90/5 from 63 App Store ratings · 40 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 18.0 · 16 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-08-20 - Data updated: 2026-09-08 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/habits-first/id6791076258/reviews.md ## What is Habits First? Do the thing, then scroll. Habits First is the most effective way to reduce your screen time - distracting apps stay blocked until your habits are done for the day. No accounts required and no subscriptions, forever. Willpower shouldn’t cost a monthly fee. HABITS SUPPORTED - Walk 10,000 steps, or any number you like - Work out 45 minutes - integrates with Apple Watch, WHOOP, Garmin, Oura, or any tracker - Meditate 10 minutes, from Calm, Headspace, Insight Timer, or any meditation app - Use an app you pick: read or use Duolingo for 20 minutes - Built in Pomodoro timer or manual habit check off - Review your Anki flashcards (Habits Pro) - Listen or read books on Audiobookshelf (Habits Pro) - Finish a game on Chess.com (Habits Pro) - Apple Shortcuts automations (Habits Pro) - More coming A block can ask for one habit, all of them, or any two of three. HOW IT WORKS Habits are automatically tracked via integrations such as with Apple Health. Apps you select are blocked until you finish your habits. When you're done, open the app to activate your unlock. WHY IT WORKS The idea is based off the Premack Principle - things you do often can help reinforce things that you do rarely. By habit stacking a difficult habit before an app you often use, you also hijack the addictive nature of distracting apps and turn that motivation towards your daily habits. WHEN IT APPLIES All day until your habits are done, on a schedule, only in certain places, or near a device you pick. Habits First helps you wake up into a calm phone screen, only unlocked after you finish your most important habits of the day. PRICING This app will never have a subscription fee. The core app is free forever: Apple Health goals, app timers, schedules, places, commitment locks, widgets, and as many blocks as you like. One small one-time purchase adds the extra integrations. More will be added in the future (feel free to request them SYNCING You can make an account if you would like to sync your habits and blocks across devices. This is not required. Created by @reysu on YouTube ## Key features - Blocks social media apps - Tracks custom habits (walks, workouts, reading) - Integrates with health trackers - Flexible blocking schedules and locations - Commitment locks for long-term goals - Optional one-time purchase for advanced features ## Recent user reviews (10 of 40) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/habits-first/id6791076258/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Awesome *2026-09-07* I bought the premium one time purchase which lets you have more features too very nice ### 5/5 — Only one that has a free tier that does something *2026-09-06* This app is peak ### 5/5 — Great design *2026-09-06* The app has everything. This is not a good app but an excellent app. ### 5/5 — Awesome *2026-09-06* Very happy with how simple this is. Happy to support the creator! ### 5/5 — Opal/Brick, etc. Killer *2026-09-06* 10/10 No Notes ### 5/5 — So good! *2026-09-05* Amazing app actually works really well and is super effective, one down side is when you turn on “prevent app deletion” it definitely works but it also blocks you from deleting every single app on your phone so basically I completely loss the ability to delete other apps aside from habits first and there’s no way for me to turn off deletions because it’s permanent please help me 😭 (As soon as this is resolved I’ll change my rating to 5 stars) **Developer response:** Hey there you can disable this by going into screen time settings then turning off content restrictions. Apologies as this is an iOS limitation and I should make that clearer in the future. I hope you reconsider your review ### 5/5 — Great app *2026-09-05* I gave it 4 stars earlier but the dev very quickly addressed everything **Developer response:** Hey there you can report a bug in the app at the bottom of the settings page. For your specific use case I think it makes more sense you create two blocks. You can create a block with no conditions except time which just keeps it blocked other than the specific date or time ranges you select ### 5/5 — Good but… *2026-09-05* Better than expected! I got the og yt video from the dev. Said it’d be free, ad free, all of the features would be free and it’d still be developed even without significant backing! All of it is true, except for the fact there is a $10 flat fee that lets you use Apple short cuts, lets it connect to other apps and alternative widgets. I haven’t paid for it and it works great! Highly recommend it! ### 5/5 — App deleting Bug *2026-09-05* I enabled the feature that you can’t delete the Habbits App, but now I can’t delete any of my other apps anymore. An issue on my iPad and IPhone! **Developer response:** You can turn this off by going to Settings > Screen time > Content restrictions, and turning it off. In the update now it's made clearer that it blocks deleting apps in general. ### 5/5 — Best content limiter app i’ve used *2026-09-04* Really tapped into something genius here with the “hijacking” of the addictive nature of apps towards personally meaningful goals. Apple health integration is a fantastic idea ## Frequently asked questions about Habits First ### How does Habits First work? Habits First blocks access to selected distracting apps until you complete your predefined daily habits, such as walking or reading. This leverages the Premack principle to encourage desired behaviors. ### What habits can Habits First track? It can track habits like walking a set number of steps, working out for a specific duration (integrating with Apple Watch, WHOOP, Garmin, Oura), meditating, using specific apps, reviewing flashcards, listening to audiobooks, or finishing games. Advanced tracking for flashcards, audiobooks, games, and shortcuts requires a one-time purchase. ### Is Habits First free to use? Yes, the core app is free forever and includes features like Apple Health goals, app timers, schedules, places, commitment locks, widgets, and unlimited blocks. An optional one-time purchase unlocks additional integrations. ### Can I set long-term commitments with Habits First? Yes, you can set commitment locks for a day, a week, or a year, preventing early access to blocked apps. There are five emergency unlocks available per day, which do not refill. ### Does Habits First have ads? No, Habits First does not contain advertisements. The app is ad-free, with the option for a one-time purchase to unlock premium features. ### What devices is Habits First available on? Habits First is available on iPhone and iPad devices. ### How often is Habits First updated? The app was last updated on August 21, 2026, with version 1.4. The developer actively adds features and is open to user requests. ### What is the age rating for Habits First? Habits First has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 2.2 — 2026-09-07 New features - You can now customize a unique username in the accounts page. - You can now block custom domains/websites in Safari. - Small animation improvement after you click start on the welcome page - Widget View Settings now lets you customize the other lockscreen and homescreen widget types - The 4-habit widget can hide its titles, and the grid takes the room: about five more days per row Fixes - Fixed bug where you would see the welcome screen again - Fix daily average calculated incorrectly - A suggestion brings your archived habit back, history and all, instead of making a second one - Fixed issue with changing the device clock or timezone - Sync behavior improved without waking every device on the account - A Shortcut that meets a goal opens the block right away - Fixed Lock Screen notification not readable on a light Lock Screen - Anki habit's late-night reviews land on Anki's day instead of showing on two days ### 2.1 — 2026-09-05 Sync across your devices Sign in and your devices share one Habits First: blocks, unlocks, habits, timers and settings stay in step. Lock on iPhone, unlock on iPad. Setup takes under 10 seconds with zero profile questions. Account is optional and you can still use all the features without it. Track more types of habits (highly requested feature) There are two new ways you can track habits - manually checking them off or by using the built in time tracker. Pomodoro mode lets you track study sessions, deep work sessions, and more. Also new - Home and lockscreen heatmap widgets (Habits Pro) - You can now select location, bluetooth device, and schedule in conjunction with habits. - In-app and widget themes are available in settings. - Shared family screen time is now supported in advanced settings - Passwords now reset optionally once a block is unlocked - App time goals can watch websites, not just apps - Onboarding flow and new block setup has been greatly simplified and improved. - More integration page has been refined and updated. - KOReader is now supported as a native integration. ### 1.6 — 2026-08-28 New Features - You can now select custom days that blocks are active. Useful if you only want blocks active during weekdays. - You can now select multiple apps for App-time goals, or even the entire category. - Github Commits join new Integrations! Simply enter a username for public commits, or paste a token to track your private repos. Improvements - Faster Apple Health background delivery for goal checking - Improved “lock it back” functionality - Bug fixes: Health access showing on when it’s off, Insights page blanking, full-number step goals and commas, faster refresh ### 1.4 — 2026-08-21 No release notes. --- *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 2026-09-08.*