# Sphinx: Screen Time Puzzles — Chess puzzle app blocker

> Chess puzzle app blocker (iPhone/iPad app by Kevin Nguyen.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sphinx-screen-time-puzzles/id6808034180 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Kevin Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896702809)
- Category: Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 10 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-09-15
- Data updated: 2026-10-06
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sphinx-screen-time-puzzles/id6808034180/reviews.md

## What is Sphinx?

Most app blockers ask you to have willpower. Sphinx asks you to have two minutes and a working brain.

Lock the apps that eat your evening. When you want back in, you don't tap "ignore" — you solve a chess puzzle.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Pick the apps you want locked, and choose how long the lock lasts.
2. Open one of them and you hit the Sphinx shield instead.
3. Solve a puzzle to buy back five minutes. Solve more for longer.

EACH UNLOCK COSTS MORE THAN THE LAST

The first unlock in a lock window costs one puzzle. The second costs two. The third costs three. After that, you wait until the window ends. The price is on screen before you commit, so a long session never feels free.

PUZZLES, NOT TIMERS

• 2,499 mate-in-one chess puzzles, every one verified solvable
• Number pattern puzzles if chess isn't your thing
• Everything is solved on device, so no connection is needed

NO ESCAPE HATCH

There is no "just this once" button, no snooze, no early exit. A lock window runs until it ends. Apps inside one can't even be removed from your list until it does.

PRIVATE BY DESIGN

Sphinx never learns which apps you locked. Your selection is handled entirely by Apple's Screen Time framework and stays on your device. No account, no sign-up, no tracking.

LIGHT AND DARK

Pick either, or follow your phone.

—

Sphinx uses Apple's Screen Time permission to lock and unlock the apps you choose. It cannot see your activity in those apps, and it cannot see which apps you selected.

Sphinx Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The yearly plan includes a 7-day free trial for new subscribers; unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the trial ends, the yearly subscription begins automatically. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it in Settings on your device.

Privacy Policy: https://kevinnguyen2321.github.io/sphinx-privacy/
Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sphinx Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Sphinx Pro | $4.99 | per month |



## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 1.2 — 2026-09-28

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 1.1 — 2026-09-18

Try Sphinx free for 7 days on the yearly plan.

Lock the apps that eat your evening and earn your way back in with chess puzzles — now with a week to find out whether it works for you before you pay.

### 1.0 — 2026-09-16

No release notes.

## Apps similar to Sphinx

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [ChessUnlock](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chessunlock/id6778961383) | — | Free | Productivity |
| [Brain Games: Screen Time Focus](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brain-games-screen-time-focus/id6776471284) | 4.0 (21) | Free | Productivity |
| [ChessLock: Screen Time Control](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chesslock-screen-time-control/id6744930081) | 4.8 (4) | Free | Productivity |
| [Zenvi - Earn Your Screen Time](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zenvi-earn-your-screen-time/id6745726383) | 4.2 (12) | Free | Productivity |
| [Timer - Minimal Timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/timer-minimal-timer/id1661418622) | 4.4 (442) | Free | Productivity |
| [Focus - Deep Work Timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/focus-deep-work-timer/id975017240) | 4.4 (1,838) | Free | Productivity |

## More apps by Kevin Nguyen

- [TourCast AI](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tourcast-ai/id6769940770)

All apps by Kevin Nguyen: https://appshunter.io/developer/1896702809

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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 2026-10-06.*