# Swim Away: Reduce Screen Time — Offline hours grow your ocean > Pixel-art toolkit for reducing phone usage with gamified challenges and focus tools. (iPhone/iPad app by PMARC LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swim-away-reduce-screen-time/id6761780929 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [PMARC LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891429832) - Category: Productivity, Utilities - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.90/5 from 8 App Store ratings · 6 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.0 · 31 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-04-14 - Data updated: 2026-09-04 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swim-away-reduce-screen-time/id6761780929/reviews.md ## What is Swim Away? Swim Away is a calm, pixel-art toolkit for spending less time on your phone. One app, multiple tools, all built to help you put it down. OCEAN: The original. For every 45 minutes you stay off your phone, you earn a new fish, starting from small creatures like starfish and working your way up to the legendary Star Guppy. Merge matching fish to discover new species across 11 tiers, and customize your ocean with decorations, corals, and color themes using stars earned in game. Join shared oceans with friends, compete on leaderboards, and see everyone's best fish together. BLOCK APPS: Tap a small NFC Mascot Card on the back of your iPhone to lock or unlock your distracting apps. Pick which apps to block in each Mode, customize the Mode's color and icon, and track how much time you saved. FOCUS: A Pomodoro-style focus timer that blocks your apps during each focus phase. Pick a length, schedule a session for later, and watch a calm ocean scene while you work. ARCADE: Six pixel-art mini-games that pay you in stars. Memory, Whack-a-Fish, Connect 4, Tic-Tac-Toe, 2048, and Fish Slide. LEARN: A scrollable feed of ocean facts and quick quizzes. Answer correctly to bank screen time you can spend on your blocked apps. Five themed topics, hundreds of cards. STUDIO: A pixel art editor for designing your own mascot. Paint pixel by pixel on a 24×24 grid and save up to 12 designs, set one as your profile picture across every tool, or order a real NFC Mascot Card printed with your art. With Apple Screen Time integration, home and lock screen widgets, monthly archives, and a relaxing pixel-art style throughout, your ocean keeps evolving the more you disconnect. ## Key features - Gamified screen time challenges - NFC-based app blocking - Pomodoro-style focus timer - Pixel-art mini-games - Ocean-themed educational content - Pixel art editor for custom mascots ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | 5000 Stars | $12.99 | one-time | | 100 Stars | $0.99 | one-time | | 600 Stars | $4.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (6 of 6) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swim-away-reduce-screen-time/id6761780929/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Effective *2026-05-24* Good app, the blocking feature is effective and I like the timer. NFC card is a smart addition so I will purchase one in the future when I save up enough money ### 5/5 — Cute, haven’t had problems so far *2026-05-04* I like the cute fish, I just feel the decorations are a tad expensive. Other than that I haven’t found a problem with it yet! **Developer response:** Thank you for your kind review. We understand that the decorations may be expensive, but on average it takes 1-2 weeks for corals, 2-3 weeks for items, and around 2 months for larger items. Our goal is for users to use phones less so we hope those months can go by faster without your phone. Follow this hint for a free gift: find the secret game controller buttons in the shop and click each one twice starting from the top! ### 5/5 — Swim Away changed by phone habits *2026-04-26* I've tried every blocker app (Opal, Jomo, ScreenZen, Brick) and they all eventually lose their effectiveness because I know the off switch is a few taps away or that I have to spend so much money to use their products. When I saw Swim Away sold a physical NFC card that you can have to tap to unlock your apps without even opening the app, I knew I needed to have it. Leaving the card at home or in my car before going to bed erased daily hours and minutes of scrolling. I've gotten my screen time down from 8 hours a day to around 2-3 just after a few weeks of using it. I also love the app itself and its decorations. The pixel art fish, merging mechanics, and shared oceans are amazing features to track and share my progress. I genuinely feel excited and proud to unlock new fish. I would recommend this app to anyone looking to reduce screen time!! **Developer response:** Thank you for your wonderful review. We hope you enjoy your Mascot NFC cards! ### 5/5 — A Really Good App! *2026-04-24* I’ve been using the app and found that my screen time has been reduced due to my motivation of wanting to collect the different fish species. I love the art and it is a wonderful incorporation of motivation and healthier lifestyles! **Developer response:** Thank you for your reply! We are glad that Swim Away is working and that your screen time is lowering as a result. Be sure to check out all of our new tools to help further your progress! We are also glad to hear that you are enjoying the artwork as well. Hopefully you can achieve 20 days offline each month and earn the guppies! ### 5/5 — Sam *2026-04-21* I’ve been using this app for a bit now, and honestly it’s been pretty helpful for saving time in my day-to-day routine. The interface is simple and easy to navigate, which makes it quick to pick up without needing to spend time figuring things out. That alone makes a big difference because most productivity apps feel overcomplicated. **Developer response:** Thank you for your review. We try not to complicate our features and are glad you are noticing. Be sure to check out the website and get a Mascot NFC card! This will allow you to block/unblock apps with a physical component that you can hide, all without even opening the app at all! ### 5/5 — Best app I’ve used *2026-04-19* I love the fishies and seeing them swimming around makes me very happy **Developer response:** Thank you for your review! We will be updating artwork every so often so stay tuned for more skins/decorations. ## Frequently asked questions about Swim Away ### What is Swim Away? Swim Away is a productivity toolkit designed to help users reduce their screen time. It offers various features like gamified challenges, app blocking, and focus timers, all presented with a relaxing pixel-art style. ### How does Swim Away help reduce screen time? It uses a combination of methods, including earning in-game rewards for offline time, blocking distracting apps during focus sessions, and providing educational content about oceans. The goal is to make disconnecting from the phone rewarding and engaging. ### Can I use Swim Away offline? The app's core purpose is to encourage offline hours, and many of its features, such as earning fish in the OCEAN tool, are designed to function or be rewarded by being offline. Specific features like shared oceans or leaderboards may require an internet connection. ### What devices does Swim Away support? Swim Away is currently supported on iPhone. It integrates with Apple Screen Time and offers home and lock screen widgets for iPhone users. ### Does Swim Away have ads? No, Swim Away does not contain advertisements. The app is free to download and use, with optional in-app purchases available. ### How often is Swim Away updated? The latest version, 2.1.4, was released on June 5, 2026. This indicates a relatively active development cycle, with updates likely occurring to introduce new content or improve features. ### What are the in-app purchases in Swim Away? In-app purchases in Swim Away primarily involve cosmetic items such as decorations, corals, and color themes for the ocean. These purchases use stars earned in-game, allowing for customization without directly impacting core functionality. ### What is the age rating for Swim Away? Swim Away has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users, including children and adults looking to manage their screen time. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.1.10 — 2026-09-02 Swim Away Version 2.1.10 fixes various UI bugs in the ocean and arcade modes. ### 2.1.9 — 2026-09-01 Swim Away Version 2.1.9 introduces a new monthly theme and fixes various bugs. ### 2.1.8 — 2026-08-17 Swim Away Version 2.1.8 fixes bugs in the arcade and learn tabs. ### 2.1.7 — 2026-08-13 Swim Away Version 2.1.7 fixes bugs in the monthly theme. ### 2.1.6 — 2026-08-01 Swim Away Version 2.1.6 introduces a new monthly theme and fixes bugs in the monthly archive tab. ## More apps by PMARC LLC - [PMARC](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pmarc/id6778552773) All apps by PMARC LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1891429832 --- *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 2026-09-04.*