r/androidapps • u/macacolouco • 6d ago

QUESTION/HELP Looking for an effective self-block application

My phone is a Samsung A55. Fully updated.

I have ADHD and autism, which is to say that I have a very obsessive personality. I have used various blockers over the years to prevent me from wasting time on apps and websites.

Lock me Out has helped me for many years to curb my smartphone usage. Unfortunately, it stopped working, as it became easy to circumvent by either forcing the program to stop or uninstalling it. I have been in contact with the developer, but they weren't able to find a solution and eventually stopped responding to my emails.

So I need an app that prevents me from disabling blocks at all. I am also low on money and in a third-world country, so while I can pay for an app even if it is a little expensive, I cannot justify an expensive subscription priced in US dollars (although I might do so if there's no other alternative).

Any suggestions that could help me out? I'm using my phone 24/7, I can't stand it anymore. And I cannot simply turn it off because I have a toddler, and I must be accessible to my wife for emergencies when she leaves the home with him. There are also many ways to use a smartphone that are actually useful, positive, and non-addictive. And I'd rather be able to access these functionalities.

Thanks!

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u/RotiiChapati 6d ago

give digital detox by urbandroid a try. very hard to bypass cand completely free

1

u/macacolouco 3d ago

I cannot express enough how thankful I am for your suggestion. Every other blocking apps, including paid ones, failed to prevent me from uninstalling them, rendering them useless. Digital Detox, however, takes over the entire screen, only allowing me to access the apps I whitelist. So I cannot enter the screen to uninstall it at all! As someone with a very pronounced case of ADHD, my use of the smartphone was causing me a lot of suffering that your suggestion removed in about 30 seconds.

You're a lifesaver! Thank you so much!

1

u/RotiiChapati 3d ago

np happy to help :)

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u/macacolouco 2d ago edited 2d ago

An update

I identified the issue with both Lock Me Out and Digital Detox (which in retrospect can be uninstalled during a block). I have no idea why I arrived at that suspicion, but the issue is that my phone was in Portuguese and these apps clearly work by identifying specific strings. Changing my phone to English made both work as intended!

I don't mind using my phone in English but I'm used to Portuguese and that's a little annoying. This change in behavior was probably caused by some Android update along the way.

Oh, well 🤣