Support

ScrollCop: App Blocker for iOS · Last updated 7 September 2026

The short version: Most questions are answered below. If yours isn't, email info@thebighead.ca and a human will reply.

Setting up blocking

ScrollCop says "timer only". Why?

Blocking needs Screen Time access. On Home, tap the "Set up in a minute" card and allow Screen Time, or go to iOS Settings → Screen Time → Apps with Screen Time Access and turn ScrollCop on. If nothing is chosen to block yet, tap the app chips on Home.

An app I blocked still opens.

Check three things: Screen Time is allowed (above); the app is actually in your list (Home → tap the app faces → the chip is filled); and a block is running (the countdown card on Home). Apps blocked "by name" use the app's bundle identifier; if you added one by hand, a typo means nothing gets blocked. Apps chosen through Apple's picker are the most reliable.

Can I block websites?

Yes. On the "Whole categories & websites" row, Apple's picker has a Websites section. Blocked sites are shielded in Safari and other browsers that respect Screen Time.

Why can't I search for an app in Apple's picker?

Apple's picker lists the apps installed on your phone by category. It is Apple's screen, not ScrollCop's, and ScrollCop never sees what you chose. From ScrollCop 2.3 it opens from "Choose from your phone", under the big app tiles. If an app is missing, block it by name instead.

Who can end a block early

What do the three choices mean?

From ScrollCop 2.3, starting a block asks "Who can end it early?"

Me. End it whenever you want.
Nobody. Not even you. It opens when time's up. There is no emergency unlock.
A friend. ScrollCop texts them a one-time 6-digit PIN, in Messages or any app through Share. Only that PIN ends the block early. Nothing to set up first, and they need no app. The block starts once the PIN is sent.

Your phone keeps only a hash of the PIN, so not even ScrollCop can show it again. After five wrong guesses, each new try has to wait longer. If you can't reach your friend, the emergency unlock ends the block after the wait you picked: an hour, four hours or a day.

How do schedules work?

From ScrollCop 2.3, each schedule blocks its own apps, every day, automatically, even with ScrollCop closed: YouTube and Reddit during study time, everything at bedtime. Start from Bedtime, Mornings, Work hours, Study time, Dinner or Slow weekends, or make your own. Pick the days in one tap: Every day, Weekdays or Weekends.

Can a schedule be locked?

Yes. Turn on "Locked while it's on" and, during its hours, nobody can switch the schedule off, change it or delete it.

The friend key

How does it work?

The friend key is the stronger version of "A friend": codes only their phone can make. More → Keys asks one thing: who should hold your key? Then pick how:

They're with me. Your phones scan each other. No typing, no messages.
Send them a link. Works in any app. They send their key back from ScrollCop, or from their browser if they don't have it.
Let them set a passcode. Hand them your phone and they type a passcode only they know. It works once. When they've used it, set a new one next time you're together.

Setup ends with "Test it now", so you know it works before you need it. From then on, choosing "A friend" when you start a block uses the key instead of a PIN.

How do I get my friend's code?

On the locked block, tap "Ask Sam to unlock". Then text them, scan the code on their screen, or type it. With a link or scan key, each code is twelve characters, made on their phone, and works once. Yours can only check codes, never make them.

My friend can't reach me and I need the apps now.

Open the running block and tap "Emergency unlock". The block ends after the waiting period you picked (an hour, four hours or a day). You can cancel the wait at any time. This is deliberate: an unlock you can get in one tap isn't a lock.

My friend doesn't have an iPhone, or doesn't want the app.

That's fine. The invite opens a page in any browser. It makes their key, lets them send it back to you, and from then on shows the next code whenever you ask. The key is kept in that browser, so tell them to bookmark the page and use the same browser each time.

Where does my friend see the code?

On their Home screen in ScrollCop, the moment they accept the invite, with Send it and Show QR buttons. If they used the browser instead, on the page the link opened. If you hold someone else's key, it's on your Home screen too.

Can I change or remove the friend?

More → Keys. While a locked block is running, removing the key needs their code first.

Insights and clean days

"Clean days", "time away", and app-by-app numbers come from Screen Time on your phone and count only apps chosen through Apple's picker. They start on the day after you allow Screen Time and choose apps. "Time blocked" counts every minute a block ran, whether or not Screen Time is on.

Privacy and data

There is no account and no server; see the privacy policy. Settings → Data lets you export everything as JSON or delete it all.

Something is broken

Email info@thebighead.ca with your iPhone model, iOS version, and what you tapped. Screenshots help. We don't have logs from your phone, because nothing leaves it.