Why I built this
Two months ago I read the blog post “iPhone dumbphone” by Stepan Parunashvili about turning an iPhone into a dumbphone with Apple Configurator. I tried it. The setup was fine; the effort is a part of why it holds. But that setup had some serious problems.
The App Store was off, so nothing updated. I couldn't log in to my bank app. The web was an allow list, so I could not even scan a QR menu at a restaurant. The configuration part is done via Apple Configurator manually by clicking buttons. I realized using Apple Configurator isn't even necessary. So I built a guide that keeps the App Store on, blocks the apps even if they're installed, blocks their URLs, and leaves the rest of the phone alone.
I met a lot of people lately. Per my observations, most of people's problems come down to not being able to do hard things. When I check their screen time I mostly saw 6 hours and more.
People do anything to escape the hard work. And having an infinite amusement machine on their fingertips makes this a thousand times easier.
I think I finally fixed this for myself and I wanted to turn my expertise into a non-profit social awareness project.
That is the whole reason this site exists. If more people try blocking these distracting apps, we could learn more, experiment more and share more.
I used the time I got from Instagram reels to build this website as the ultimate example.
We should get better at protecting ourselves and our next generations from a system built to farm attention.
It is not only the hours. It is what the hours do. You stop doing hard things. You stop getting better at anything. The muscle goes soft and you become a cog. I wanted a way out that does not depend on willpower, because mine runs out by afternoon like everyone else's.
Most people will close this tab. That is fine. This is for the ones who will be glad they found it, the way I was glad I found that blog post.
Mert Duzgun, Antalya, September 2026