# Ivy Lock — Earn your screen time

> Earn your screen time (iPhone/iPad app by Blake Young.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ivy-lock/id6778597203 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Blake Young](https://appshunter.io/developer/1857948179)
- Category: Education, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 6 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-07-14
- Data updated: 2026-08-22
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ivy-lock/id6778597203/reviews.md

## What is Ivy Lock?

Ivy Lock turns the urge to doomscroll into real study progress. Pick the app that distracts you most — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit — and Ivy Lock intercepts every open with a calming breathing exercise and real standardized-test questions.

Answer them correctly to earn a timed pass. Then it re-locks automatically.

◆ SIMPLE PRICING, NO CATCHES
Your first app is free forever — with every single feature. Want to shield more than one app or website? That's Ivy Lock Pro: $4.99/month, or $29.99/year with a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan. Nothing else is paywalled.

◆ STUDY WHILE YOU SCROLL
Choose from USMLE Step 1 & 2, MCAT, GRE, SAT, and ACT question banks. Every distraction becomes a micro-study session.

◆ BREATHE FIRST, DECIDE SECOND
A guided breathing exercise gives you a mindful pause before you reach for that app. Most of the time, you'll realize you don't need it.

◆ PROVE IT IN THE REAL WORLD
Verified gates use your iPhone itself: photo proof, camera-counted push-ups, real steps, a walk outside, handwriting, a Watch mindful minute — all checked on-device.

◆ DESIGN YOUR OWN GATE
Set the proof YOU need: a photo of your textbook, a GPS check-in at the library, a QR checkpoint taped across the room, or a mantra you must type word-for-word.

◆ TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
Streaks, XP, per-topic mastery, accuracy, and weekly study charts keep you motivated. Watch your scores climb while your screen time drops.

Built by students, for students. No ads. No data collection. Your progress stays on your device.

Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

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



## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.3 — 2026-08-14

• 16 new exams. Ivy Lock now covers 31: NCLEX-RN, TEAS and the DAT for health students, the GMAT and the Bar exam (MBE), the PSAT and GED, and nine more AP subjects including Physics 1, Statistics, English Language, U.S. Government and Computer Science A.
• The test picker is now organised by category, so finding your exam takes one tap instead of a long scroll.
• More than twice the practice questions: 687 in total, up from 328. USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 both nearly doubled.
• The New Word gate grew from 30 words to 100.
• Ivy has a new look — a new app icon and a redesigned mascot throughout the app.
• The unlock screen now lays out your gate step by step, in the order the steps actually run, with an estimate of how long it will take.

Fixes
• The handwriting and photo gates could not read photos taken holding the phone upright, which made them impossible to pass.
• Brain Math could not be completed when 'correct to unlock' was set above 6.
• The screen confirming your unlocked time was misaligned.
• Buttons on the welcome screen could be slow to respond.
• Your day streak never reset after a missed day.
• A study session could show you the same question twice.
• Gates that need a permission you have turned off no longer dead-end - they offer a way forward instead.

### 1.2 — 2026-07-30

• Fixed unlock reliability — completing the study gate now always lifts app shields
• More reliable Screen Time authorization on cold launch
• Bug fixes and stability improvements

### 1.1 — 2026-07-23

• Fixed: completing your study gate now reliably unlocks your apps — a stale Screen Time state could previously leave shields up after you earned your time
• Tapping Study to Unlock during an active pass now re-lifts the shields immediately
• Reliability improvements to pass scheduling

### 1.0 — 2026-07-14

No release notes.

## More apps by Blake Young

- [Board Buddy USMLE](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/board-buddy-usmle/id6756011006)
- [Ivy Sprouts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ivy-sprouts/id6779100644)
- [Ivy Tutoring](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ivy-tutoring/id6780045324)
- [Ivy Prep: ACT Test Prep](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ivy-prep-act-test-prep/id6786935829)
- [AP Study: Ivy Prep](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ap-study-ivy-prep/id6787478174)

All apps by Blake Young: https://appshunter.io/developer/1857948179

---

*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 2026-08-22.*