# Phantom Focus: Screen Time — App Blocker & Time Limits > App Blocker & Time Limits (iPhone/iPad app by Maksim Timeshin.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phantom-focus-screen-time/id6796399391 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Maksim Timeshin](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796399393) - Category: Productivity, Health & Fitness - Price: Free - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 18.0 · 10 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-08-08 - Data updated: 2026-10-25 ## What is Phantom Focus? 5 to 6 hours. That is the average time lost to phone screens every day — mostly on autopilot. Phantom Focus is the strict, privacy-first screen time blocker designed to break the doomscrolling loop for good. NO INSTANT OFF-SWITCH Most app blockers fail because turning them off takes one second. Phantom Focus fixes this: disabling protection or removing a guarded app triggers a mandatory 5-minute cooling-off, and raising your budget only takes effect tomorrow. The dopamine urge passes before the timer ends. The shield stays. ONE BUDGET, ZERO LOOPHOLES • Assign a single shared time budget across all distracting apps (Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube) • When your budget hits zero, the shield locks them all instantly • No per-app allowances to game or cheat FOCUS TIMER Lock the apps you choose — or all of them — for 15 minutes to 2 hours. Make it to the end and celebrate: every session adds to your lifetime focus hours and unlocks new milestones. SCHEDULES Block apps automatically at set times: Work hours, Bedtime, Morning, or your own window with its own app list. Once a window starts, it can't be switched off on a whim. EARN YOUR EXTRA MINUTES Need emergency access? Hold the challenge ring to break through — 10 seconds for the first unlock, 20 for the second, 30 after that. Breaking a focus session or a schedule always costs 30 seconds. Every minute spent becomes a conscious purchase, not a reflex. TRUTH-BASED STREAK Track your resilience with an honest streak counter. One slip a day is your emergency margin. A second breach — or quitting a focus session or schedule early — burns your streak back to day one. BUILT FOR ADHD & DEEP WORK Struggling with impulse control or phone addiction? Phantom Focus acts as an external prefrontal cortex, helping you stay in deep work, reduce anxiety, and regain focus. 100% PRIVATE & ON-DEVICE Powered entirely by Apple's Screen Time framework (Family Controls). Zero accounts, zero analytics, zero ads, and no network connections. Your browsing habits and app selections never leave your device. Stop losing hours to mindless scrolling. Download Phantom Focus and own your attention again. ## Is Phantom Focus safe? Not enough ratings yet to assess Phantom Focus. ## Is Phantom Focus legit? Phantom Focus: Screen Time has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Phantom Focus is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data. ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 1.4 — 2026-10-05 • App groups — build a set like Social or Games once and pick it in the Timer and in schedules. Edit the group and every schedule using it updates. • All apps except — lock everything but the few apps you actually need. • Smoother schedule editor and small fixes. ### 1.3 — 2026-10-01 • Cleaner Timer screen: one Start button and focus time shown as 1h 30m. • The Breaches card now tells you when today's streak has already burned. • Bug fixes and small improvements. ### 1.1 — 2026-09-30 What's new in 1.1 • Timer — lock the apps you choose (or all of them) for 15 minutes to 2 hours. Make it to the end and celebrate: every session adds to your lifetime focus hours. • Schedule — block apps automatically at set times. Start from Work, Bedtime or Morning, or build your own window with its own app list. • Smoother challenge — tapping “Start the Challenge” now keeps you on the block screen; just tap the notification that pops up. • Swipe or long-press to remove apps, a bigger tab bar, and plenty of small fixes. ### 1.0 — 2026-08-08 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Phantom Focus | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [ShareMe - All File Sharing](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shareme-all-file-sharing/id6590619173) | 3.0 (2) | Free | Productivity | | [Email Client - Boomerang Mail](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/email-client-boomerang-mail/id1236906322) | 4.6 (4,662) | Free | Productivity | | [Secure VPN: Fast net locations](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-vpn-fast-net-locations/id1569476289) | 3.3 (95) | Free | Productivity | | [Superhuman Mail](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/superhuman-mail/id1120837655) | 4.6 (3,724) | Free | Productivity | | [Forms for Google Forms.](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forms-for-google-forms/id1528832508) | 4.7 (5,501) | Free | Productivity | | [SmartCredit®](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartcredit/id783694780) | 3.4 (155) | Free | Productivity | --- *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 2026-10-25.*