brb vs Apple Screen Time
Screen Time is built into every iPhone. brb uses that same blocking system with a different unlock rule: steps, not a passcode you already know.
Direct answer
Choose Screen Time when a reminder or a parent-held passcode is enough. Choose brb when you keep tapping Ignore Limit or typing your own Screen Time passcode, and you want walking to be the ordinary way back into the apps.
Side by side
| Feature | brb | Apple Screen Time |
|---|---|---|
| Built into iPhone | Separate app | Yes, in Settings |
| Blocks chosen apps | Yes, via Screen Time | Yes, App Limits and Downtime |
| Default when limit hits | Stay locked until steps | Often Ignore Limit unless Block at End of Limit is on |
| Harder enforcement | Strict Mode (no ignore button) | Block at End of Limit + Screen Time passcode |
| Ordinary unlock | Hit the daily step goal | Wait for the schedule, or enter the passcode |
| Emergency access | 5 minutes, once per day | Passcode / Ignore Limit, depending on settings |
| Steps / HealthKit | Required for unlock | Not used to unlock apps |
brb is a better fit if
- — You dismiss App Limits yourself.
- — You want apps locked until a daily step goal is met.
- — You want Strict Mode with no ignore button, plus a once-a-day Emergency Unlock.
Apple Screen Time is a better fit if
- — You only need a soft nudge, or a parent holds the Screen Time passcode.
- — You want Downtime, communication limits, and system reports without another app.
- — You are fine with Block at End of Limit and a passcode you will not clear for yourself.
What Apple Screen Time is good at
Apple Screen Time is the system control for App Limits, Downtime, and reports. With a Screen Time passcode and Block at End of Limit turned on, Ignore Limit for Today goes away and the shield asks for the passcode after One More Minute.
That design works when the person who set the passcode is not the person who wants the app. Parents can hold the code. A soft limit without the block toggle is only a reminder.
Where Screen Time fails for self-control
If you set the passcode yourself, you still know it when Instagram calls. Block at End of Limit removes the casual Ignore Limit button. It does not remove the temptation to type a code you invented.
brb still blocks with Apple's Screen Time controls. The unlock rule is different. Chosen apps stay locked until Apple Health says you hit the step goal. Strict Mode closes the casual exit. Emergency Unlock is five minutes, once a day, from the Block Apps page.
Can you use both?
Usually you should not stack App Limits or Downtime on the same apps brb is locking. Overlapping rules can prevent brb from locking cleanly. Prefer one system for those apps. The docs cover how to clear conflicts.
Questions
Is brb a replacement for Screen Time?
brb uses Screen Time to block and unblock apps. You still need to grant Screen Time permission. You do not need a separate App Limit for the same apps.
Does Block at End of Limit make Screen Time enough?
It helps when someone else holds the passcode. If you hold it, you can still clear the shield. That is when a step lock is the better rule for many people.
What if I need a locked app urgently in brb?
Emergency Unlock opens locked apps for five minutes, once per day, and resets at midnight.
Walk first tomorrow morning
Download brb free and let your first unlock of the day be steps — not your phone.
Download on the App Store