Curfew for iPhone / A practical guide
It's 2am. You want to sleep, but you keep opening the same feed. Start by closing it and putting the phone out of easy reach. For the next night, Curfew blocks the apps that keep you there at the time you choose, so you do not have to make the same decision after every video.
Maybe you already put your phone down twice. Maybe you need it beside you for an alarm or a call. You can keep those useful parts of your phone and still put a stopping time on the scrolling.
End the session you're in
Make the next few minutes simple. You do not need to reorganize your whole phone tonight.
- Close the feed now. Leave the app and lock the screen. If there is something you want to return to, save it once and leave; opening another item keeps the session going.
- Give the phone a place. Put it on a desk or shelf where checking it takes a deliberate reach or getting up. If it can charge outside the bedroom, use that option. If it needs to stay nearby, it can still be out of your hand.
- Choose one thing that ends. A few pages of a paper book, one familiar audio track with a sleep timer, or simply turning out the light. Pick it before opening another app to look for something to do.
The aim tonight is to finish this scrolling session. You can work out your recurring cutoff tomorrow, when you are choosing how you want the evening to go.
For a plan you can review over the following week, use our iPhone screen-time worksheet to choose one app, one change and a useful comparison.
Keep your phone nearby without keeping the feed open
If your phone needs to stay in the room, decide what you need from it and what keeps pulling you back.
| You need your phone for… | Prepare this before bedtime |
|---|---|
| An alarm | Set and check the alarm, then put the phone somewhere you cannot casually scroll on it. |
| Calls or essential messages | Keep the communication apps you need available. Check both app restrictions and notification settings. |
| Audio or reading | Keep the app you deliberately chose, open the item you want, and leave distracting feeds blocked. |
Check the actual setup before relying on it. An app being available and its notifications reaching you are different things. Apple's Focus settings control notifications; your app-blocking choices control access to distractions.
Make tomorrow's stopping time automatic
Think about the moment that turns “I'm going to bed” into another hour on your phone. Which app do you reopen? Is its website another way into the same feed? What time would you like that access to stop?
Choose those apps and websites in Curfew and set your bedtime. Curfew blocks them automatically every night, even when Curfew is closed. You can choose a cutoff between 8pm and 2am; access returns at 6am.
Once the block starts, you cannot move bedtime later or remove blocked apps inside Curfew until morning. The choice you made earlier stays in place when you reach for another video.
Use Chosen Apps to leave the apps you need available. Our iPhone bedtime-blocking guide covers setup, keeping essentials and checking both an app and its website. It also explains Apple's built-in options for iOS 26 and iOS 27.
If you keep dismissing the limit
A notification can tell you it is bedtime while the feed stays open. An opening pause can give you a moment to reconsider. A scheduled block makes the selected app unavailable during the chosen window. Decide which behavior you want at the moment you usually keep scrolling.
If you tried Apple's Downtime and could still open apps, check the blocking settings in our iOS 26 walkthrough. If you are choosing an app, compare Curfew and four other bedtime-blocking options by schedule, essentials and price.
When you want to sleep but keep scrolling
How do I stop scrolling at night when I am already tired?
Close the feed, put the phone somewhere you have to reach or get up for, and choose one next action with an ending, such as a few pages of a book. Before the next evening, use Curfew to schedule a block on the apps and websites you keep reopening.
Do I have to leave my phone outside the bedroom?
No. Keeping the phone nearby and keeping every feed available are separate choices. Leave the apps you need available, block the distractions, and put the phone out of easy reach. Check your alarm and essential communication before relying on the setup.
What if I put my phone down and pick it straight back up?
Decide which apps you want unavailable at bedtime and schedule the block before the evening. Curfew blocks your selected apps and websites automatically. During a block, you cannot push bedtime later or remove blocked apps inside Curfew until morning.
Can I keep music or a reading app while blocking social media?
Yes. With Curfew’s Chosen Apps option, select the distracting apps, categories and websites you want to block. Leave the apps you want to use available, then check both the blocked apps and the ones you kept before relying on the schedule.
What if the scrolling stops but I still cannot sleep?
An app block removes access to the selected distractions; it does not guarantee sleep. If you regularly have trouble sleeping, speak with a healthcare professional. The CDC recommends getting help for recurring sleep problems.
For recurring sleep difficulties, see the CDC's guidance on sleep and when to seek help.
Choose when the next feed ends
Get Curfew on your iPhone, choose what keeps you scrolling, and set tomorrow's cutoff before the evening gets away from you.