How do I keep apps shut while I focus?

Start a focus block in Unmiss and turn on Deep Focus. The apps you pick stay shut until the block ends. Open one and you'll see a screen that says it "stays shut until your focus block ends". When the time is up, the block ends by itself, quietly or with one notification.

How it works

1. Open Focus and set the length, from 5 minutes up to a whole day.
2. Tap "Focusing on" to pick a to-do or name what you're working on. You can also start from a to-do with "Focus on this".
3. Choose how it ends: quietly, with one notification, or four rings over ten minutes.
4. Turn on Deep Focus and pick the apps to keep shut. The first time, you'll be asked to allow Screen Time access.
5. Tap Start focus.

What it doesn't do

• There are no break cycles: a block is one stretch of time.
• Ending a block never ticks off its to-do. You tick it yourself.
• Deep Focus needs a block of 15 minutes or more, and it only shuts the apps you picked.

Questions

Can I end a block early?

Yes. Tap End focus and confirm. With Deep Focus on, you'll also confirm it's you.

Can I plan focus time for later?

Yes. Set a time under Schedule and Unmiss reminds you when it's due.

What happens if I open a blocked app?

You see Unmiss's screen with one button, OK, which closes it. There's no way through until the block ends.

Updated 16 October 2026