Support

Loch puts a wall in front of the apps you open without meaning to. Getting past it takes a short wait, on purpose. Here is how it works and what to do when it doesn't.

How Loch works

• Pick your apps. Loch uses Apple's Screen Time picker, so the choices stay private — Loch is never told which apps they are.
• The wall goes up. Opening a blocked app shows Loch's shield instead.
• Getting in takes a wait. Five minutes costs a 15-second wait, ten minutes costs 30 seconds, twenty minutes costs a minute. The wait runs whether or not you watch it.
• The wall comes back when the time is up. A notification warns you a minute beforehand.

Common problems

Loch says it needs permission, or the picker won't open

Loch needs Screen Time access to block anything. Go to Settings › Screen Time and make sure it is turned on for this device, then reopen Loch. If your device is managed by a school or employer, or Screen Time is controlled by a family organiser, that can prevent Loch from getting access at all.

A blocked app still opens normally

Give it a moment — iOS applies new blocks in the background and can take a few seconds. If it persists, open Loch once (that re-checks and repairs the wall on every launch), then force-quit the app you blocked and open it again. Note that Loch cannot block Settings, Phone, or a handful of other system apps: iOS does not allow it.

The shield appears but the button does nothing

Tapping the shield hands you over to Loch to start the wait. If nothing happens, open Loch directly and start the unlock from there.

I unlocked an app and the wall came back too early

Each app is unlocked separately, with its own clock. Switching to a different blocked app starts a fresh unlock for that one; it does not extend the first.

I'm not getting the one-minute warning

Check Settings › Notifications › Loch and allow notifications. The warning is scheduled when the unlock starts, so unlocks begun before you allowed them won't have one.

I tipped, but I'm still seeing ads

Open the tip jar and tap Restore purchases. That looks for a tip made on any device signed in to the same Apple Account. If it finds nothing, make sure you're signed in with the Apple Account you tipped from.

I want to change my ad privacy answer

Open the tip jar and tap Ad privacy choices. That entry appears only in regions where the consent form applies. To change tracking permission, go to Settings › Privacy & Security › Tracking.

I want everything gone

Delete Loch. Every app selection, schedule, and unlock record lives only on your device and goes with it. You may also want to check Settings › Screen Time afterwards.

Refunds

Tips are purchases through Apple, so refunds are handled by Apple rather than by us, at reportaproblem.apple.com.