Earn your screen time.
Matic blocks your distracting apps and websites until you finish the habits that matter. Swim, run, read — then unlock. It's temptation bundling, shipped as an app.
How it works
Three steps to earn your screen time.
Block your apps and websites
Pick the apps and websites you lose time to. Matic keeps them blocked, every day.
Do a habit to earn time
Hit your step count, finish a workout, arrive at the gym, tap an NFC tag — habits verify through Apple Health, your location, a tag, or a tap in the app. Every habit you finish earns you minutes.
Unlock and enjoy
Spend your minutes to open your apps. Each unlock caps at 60 minutes, so a quick break stays a quick break.
Why it works
Four things make it stick.
The features that set Matic apart aren't gimmicks — each one is backed by research on how habits actually form.
You earn your apps back
Most habit apps give you a checkmark. Matic gives you something you actually want — time on the apps you'd reach for anyway. Do a habit, get minutes.
Rewards work best when they come right away and they're something you genuinely want. Woolley & Fishbach, 2017
Tap a tag where it happens
Stick a small tag on the fridge, by the door, on your gym bag. A tap logs the habit — and over time, the spot itself starts to remind you.
Habits form by repeating them in the same place, until the place becomes the trigger. Wood & Rünger, 2016
Your apps stay blocked
The apps and websites you pick are locked by default — not a reminder you can swipe away, a real block. The only way in is to earn it.
Apps that just show you stats barely help. A block that's hard to get around is what works. Biedermann et al., 2021
A lock you can't quietly undo
Strict Mode guards your setup. Changing what's blocked takes the key you chose — a PIN, an NFC tag, or a 30-minute wait. You decide once, in a clear moment, instead of re-deciding every time you're tempted.
Locking in a choice ahead of time — a commitment device — beats relying on in-the-moment willpower. Ariely & Wertenbroch, 2002
FAQ
Questions, answered.
How is this different from a screen-time blocker?
Blockers just say no. Matic gives you a way to earn yes — your distracting apps unlock when you've done the habits you said mattered. It turns the lock into motivation instead of a wall you resent.
How is it different from a habit tracker?
Most trackers reward you with a checkmark. Matic rewards you with something you actually want right now: screen time. That immediate, real payoff is what makes the habit stick.
What counts as finishing a habit?
Whatever proof you pick. A habit can verify through Apple Health (steps, workouts, sleep, mindful minutes and more), by arriving at a place you chose, by tapping its NFC tag, or with a simple tap in the app.
Do I need NFC tags?
No. Tags are optional — they make logging a one-tap, anchored-to-a-place ritual. You can complete any habit straight from the app.
Can't I just turn the block off?
Not quietly. Strict Mode protects your setup with the key you choose — a 4-digit PIN, an NFC tag, or a 30-minute delay on every change. An impulse has to wait; a real decision doesn't mind waiting.
What about emergencies?
You always have emergency unlocks: 5 in any 30-day window, 15 minutes each, no habit required. Enough for a real emergency, not enough to become a loophole.
How does the app blocking work?
Matic uses Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls) on your device. Your app selection and blocking stay on your iPhone — Matic never sees which specific apps you block.
Is Matic free?
Matic is on the App Store for iPhone. Pricing details live on the App Store listing.