01 /Screen time control
Keep your apps blocked. Only unblock them with an NFC tag, QR code, barcode or location. Completely free, open source and private.
Unblock only with
8 of 8 apps blocked
02 /Why it matters
3h 46m
That's how long the average person spends online on their phone every day.[1] Most of it isn't a choice. It's a default.
Normal flips the default. Apps stay blocked until you decide otherwise.
Your screen time, over a lifetime
61days
on your phone every year
8.3years
of the rest of your life, by age 80
25%
of every waking hour
Cut it in half and you get back 4.2 years.
Assumes 16 waking hours a day. Calculated in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
03 /The research
The ideas behind Normal come straight from published studies on attention, friction and well-being.
10years
Two weeks without mobile internet improved sustained attention by about as much as 10 years of age-related decline. 91% of people improved in attention, mental health or well-being.[2]
467 people · PNAS Nexus, 2025
In NormalBlock distracting apps and turn your iPhone into a dumbphone.
Outof reach
People with their phones in another room scored higher on working memory and fluid intelligence than people with their phones face-down on the desk.[3]
~800 people · JACR, 2017
In NormalYour key creates a physical barrier between you and your apps.
57% fewer
Adding friction before opening distracting apps cut how often people actually opened them by 57% after six weeks.[4]
280 people · PNAS, 2023
In NormalNormal's friction is physical: no key, no unblock.
30min a day
Limiting social media to 30 minutes a day for three weeks significantly reduced loneliness and depression.[5]
143 students · JSCP, 2018
In NormalMax daily limits and timed unblocks keep it to the time you choose.
Sources
04 /Why Normal
Even people who volunteered to block their mobile internet struggled. Only about 1 in 4 kept the block on for 10 of 14 days.[2]
If turning it off is easy, you will. So Normal makes it hard on purpose.
Screen Time limits
Ignore Limit is one tap away.
Deleting apps
Reinstalling takes seconds.
Grayscale mode
One toggle and it's undone.
Normal
Your key creates a physical barrier: no key, no unblock. Prevent bypassing and there's no way around it.
05 /How it works
Most blockers ask if you're sure. Normal makes you get up.
Choose the apps and websites to block with Apple's Screen Time picker. Normal blocks them right away.
Scan any NFC tag, QR code or barcode, or drop a pin on a map. That key is now the only way to unblock.
Keep your key in your car, at the office or with a friend. However hard it is to reach your key is how hard it is to unblock.
06 /Features
Use any NFC tag, QR code or barcode as your key. AirTags, stickers, cards, even a snack wrapper.
Only unblock at the park, the office or the gym. Or never at home, with a block radius.
Socials, email, games. Unblock just the group you need and keep everything else locked.
Unblock for 15 minutes and Normal re-blocks on its own. No willpower required.
Hard daily caps that hold, even when everything else is unblocked. Out of time means out of time.
Block during work, evenings or weekends. Set it once and it runs every week.
Prevent app deletion and lock Screen Time settings so there's no way around it.
Block from Control Center, the Shortcuts app or an automation. Start an unblock from a Home Screen widget.
07 /Principles
No subscriptions, paywalls or in-app purchases. It shouldn't cost anything to use your phone less.
Every line is on GitHub under the MIT license. Read it, fork it, verify every claim on this page.
No accounts, analytics or tracking. Your keys, groups and schedules are stored only on your device.
No internet connection is needed to set up or enforce blocks. Everything runs locally.
Apple's Screen Time asks if you want to continue. Normal keeps apps blocked until you scan your key.
Three emergency unblocks for when you truly need one. Each use takes six months to come back.
08 /FAQ
Everything you need to know about setting up Normal and preventing bypassing.
Still stuck? info@normalengineering.org
Free · Open source · Private
That's half your daily screen time, or 4.2 years by age 80. People who blocked mobile internet for two weeks in a 2025 study cut about 2½ hours a day.[2] Download Normal and create a physical barrier.