App Blocker: StayBrief
Dzmitry Dziachenka Productivity iPhoneiPadiPod touch
App Blocker: StayBrief is a free Productivity app for iPhone and iPad by Dzmitry Dziachenka. Requires iOS 18.0. Updated August 31, 2026.
- Price
- Free
- on the App Store
- Size
- 10 MB
- Age 4+
- Updated
- Aug 31
- 2026 · v1.1
Screenshots
About App Blocker: StayBrief
StayBrief puts a shield in front of one app you open without meaning to. Tap that app and the shield appears instead of it. Press its button and open StayBrief, and it asks what you are going in for and how long you need. Name both and press Start. The full selected duration begins then. Open the protected app and use it until you are done or the duration ends. When your time is up, it is protected again. Nothing is chosen for you and nothing starts by itself. There is no session until you pick a reason and a duration. HOW A SESSION WORKS - Tap a protected app. The shield appears in front of it. - Press the shield's button, then open StayBrief. - Pick one mission: Reply, Post, Find, or Break. - Pick how long you need: 3, 5, or 10 minutes. - Press Start. The full selected duration begins. - Open the protected app. Your Lock Screen shows the mission and the duration you picked. - A warning is scheduled for one minute before the session ends. - When the duration is up, the app is protected again and the session is written down. A duration is one continuous session. It keeps running after you leave the protected app, while the phone is locked, and when StayBrief is not open. Three minutes ends three minutes after Start. Finished in forty seconds? Tap "I'm done" and the shield returns straight away. The session is recorded as what it was. FREE, FOREVER - One protected app - The four built-in missions - Sessions of 3, 5, or 10 minutes - The warning before your duration is up - Your session on the Lock Screen - Ending a session early, any time - The last seven days of your history There is no time limit, no session quota, no advertising, and no account. WITH PRO - Protect more than one app - 15-minute and custom durations - Missions you write yourself - Your full history and weekly insights Pro is one yearly subscription. It renews each year until you cancel, you can cancel any time in the App Store, and the price is shown before you subscribe. Everything in the free list above stays free. PRIVATE BY DESIGN There is no account, no sign-in, and no server. Nothing about your apps, your missions, or your sessions leaves your iPhone. StayBrief contains no analytics and no advertising code, and it works with no connection at all — the only things that need one are subscribing and restoring a subscription. Your history stays until you remove it. Deleting it is one row in Settings, and deleting the app takes everything with it. Protection is yours. Turning all of it off is one row in Settings and two taps, at any time. WHAT YOU NEED iPhone, iOS 18 or later. StayBrief asks for Screen Time access on this iPhone. It uses it to shield the apps you pick and restore protection when a session ends. It cannot read your messages, posts, searches, passwords, photos, or anything inside another app. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
What’s new
Version 1.1 · Updated August 31, 2026
StayBrief 1.1 makes sessions calmer and more predictable. - Each session now runs continuously from Start to a fixed end time, even after you leave the protected app. - History is grouped into collapsible years, months, and weeks. - Optional Automatic opening asks iOS or Shortcuts to open your chosen destination after Start. The timer starts and keeps running whether or not the handoff succeeds. - The Lock Screen keeps the selected duration static, with one warning scheduled near the end. - Copy and accessibility are refined across all supported languages.
App privacy
The developer, Dzmitry Dziachenka, reported these privacy practices to Apple.
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Alternatives to App Blocker: StayBrief
Looking for apps like App Blocker: StayBrief? Here are 6 similar apps on the App Store. The highest rated is Foremost: Lock Apps & Focus (5.0/5), and all 6 are free to download.
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ClipBridge Sync
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Mosslock: App Blocker & Focus
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Kissa: Cozy Focus Timer
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Sapiens: Screen Time Control
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Foremost: Lock Apps & Focus
5.0
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Clumpet: Strict Focus Island
| App | Rating | Price | Last updated | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| App Blocker: StayBrief | – | Free | August 31, 2026 | |
| ClipBridge Sync | – | Free | Aug 5, 2026 | Compare |
| Mosslock: App Blocker & Focus | – | Free | Oct 20, 2026 | Compare |
| Kissa: Cozy Focus Timer | – | Free | Oct 12, 2026 | Compare |
| Sapiens: Screen Time Control | – | Free | Jul 20, 2026 | Compare |
| Foremost: Lock Apps & Focus | 5.0 / 5 (1) | Free | Aug 28, 2026 | Compare |
| Clumpet: Strict Focus Island | – | Free | Jun 12, 2026 | Compare |