Block&Read app icon: a golden book with a keyhole Block&Read
App blocker · Book reader · For iPhone and iPad

The app blocker that makes you read.

Reach for Instagram and a book opens instead. Read a few pages, and your apps unlock. No willpower required, just a page or two.

Download on theApp Store See how it works

Free to start · No accounts, no tracking · English & Español

Today screen in Block&Read: the books you are reading on a wooden shelf, with your progress
My shelf in Block&Read: your books standing on a wooden bookcase
Block&Read widgets on the Home Screen: the reading streak and a shelf of covers

How it works

Three steps. Zero willpower.

The habit you already have, reaching for your phone, becomes the trigger for the one you want.

Choosing Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp to block with Screen Time
1. Pick the apps that eat your day.
The Block&Read shield appears when you open a blocked app
2. Open one, and a book is in the way.
A page of Pride and Prejudice in the sepia reader
3. Read a few pages. Your apps unlock.

Inside the App

Block the apps. Read the books.

A blocker that only works if the reading is worth coming back to. So the reading got a bookcase.

Your library

Your books, on a real shelf.

Covers stand on wood, with warm light under every board. Pick walnut, oak, ebony or cherry, and sort your books into shelves of your own.

Choosing the wood of the bookcase: walnut, oak, ebony or cherry
Moving a book to a shelf of your own

The reader

Read it. Mark it. Keep it.

Highlight a line in one of eight colors, or any color you like, and write a note on it. Bookmark a page and come back to it, even after you change the text size. Light, sepia or dark; paged or scroll.

A page of Pride and Prejudice in the sepia reader, text at 150%
A highlighted passage with the eight-color palette and the Add Note button

Your books, and ours

Classics built in. Your own books too.

81 public-domain classics in English and Spanish, ready to read. Bring your own, your first one is free, and search 75,000+ more with Premium. One reading menu for every format, showing only what each one can do.

EPUBPDFComics (CBZ)
Free classics in Block&Read: Austen, Brontë and more, with search in English and Spanish

The habit

A streak you won't want to break.

Every day you read fills a square, and the streak grows. The daily reminder rings like an alarm, even on silent, and your latest covers wait on your Home Screen, one tap from the page.

The Habit tab: a month of reading days and the reading streak
Daily goal and a reminder set to ring like an alarm

iPad

A bigger shelf.

On iPad the shelves widen, Today fits twice the books, and the extra-large widget holds twelve covers.

Block&Read on iPad: the Today screen with a full carousel of books and reading progress

Pricing

Free to start. Yours to keep.

Most people only need to block one app. That part is free, and it stays free.

Free

Everything you need to start.

  • Block one app, forever
  • One book of your own
  • 81 classics in English and Spanish
  • Bookmarks, highlights and notes
  • Streaks, stats and reminders
  • Strict Mode

$0 no account needed

Premium

For when one app isn't the whole problem.

  • Block every app
  • Blocks itself on a schedule
  • All your own books: EPUB, PDF, comics
  • Search 75,000+ classics
  • Private iCloud backup
  • The Modern Mono theme
Yearly7 days free$24.99 / year
Monthly$4.99 / month
Lifetime$39.99 once · no renewal

Prices in US dollars. The App Store shows the price for your country.

Guides

Win your attention back.

Practical guides on screen time, focus and reading more, and how to put Block&Read to work on each one.

App Blocker

Why App Blockers Fail (and What Works Instead)

Blocking creates a void, and the void loses to boredom every time. Replacement beats restriction.

Read the guide Screen Time

How to Reduce Screen Time Without Deleting Your Apps

You don't need to quit your phone. You need to make the good thing easier than the bad thing.

Read the guide Reading

How to Read More Books With the Time You Already Have

You read for hours every day, just not books. How to redirect the scroll into chapters.

Read the guide Distraction

How to Stop Doomscrolling (Without Throwing Your Phone Away)

The scroll is a slot machine. Here's how to swap the payout for pages.

Read the guide EPUB Reader

A Free EPUB Reader for iPhone That Blocks Your Apps

Import your own books, read distraction-free, and let your library guard your attention.

Read the guide Study

How to Study Without Your Phone Pulling You Away

Blocking during study sessions, and turning course reading into the key that unlocks your breaks.

Read the guide

View all 11 guides

FAQ

Questions, answered.

What is Block&Read?
An app for iPhone and iPad that combines an app blocker with a reader for EPUB, PDF and comics. You choose the apps that eat your time, and when you try to open one, a book appears instead. Read a few pages to your daily goal and your apps unlock. Learn more
How does read-to-unlock work?
Tap a blocked app and Block&Read intercepts it, opening your current book at your exact page. Hit your daily reading goal, a page or two is enough, and every blocked app unlocks for the day. Learn more
Which apps can I block?
Any app on your iPhone: social media, video, games. Free blocks one app, forever. Premium blocks every app and adds schedules, so the block turns itself on without you. Learn more
What is Strict Mode?
The no-easy-way-out switch. Other blockers let you wait out a timer or tap "ignore". With Strict Mode, the only way to your apps is through the pages. Learn more
Can I read my own books?
Yes: EPUB, PDF and comics in CBZ. Your first book of your own is free, forever. Premium lets you bring as many as you like and search 75,000+ public-domain classics. Learn more
Can I highlight and take notes?
Yes. Select a passage to highlight it in one of eight colors, or any color you pick, and attach a note. Bookmarks save a page and bring you back to it, even after you change the text size.
What books are included for free?
81 public-domain classics in English and Spanish (Austen, Brontë, Dickens, Cervantes and more) ready to read at no cost. Premium adds search across 75,000+ classics. Learn more
Does it work on iPad?
Yes. The shelves, the reader and the widgets are laid out for the larger screen, with up to twelve books in the extra-large widget.
Does Block&Read track my data?
No. No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. Everything stays on your device or in your own private iCloud.
How much does Block&Read cost?
Free covers one blocked app, one book of your own, the classics shelf, streaks and reminders. Premium is USD 4.99 a month, USD 24.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or USD 39.99 once. Prices vary by country; the App Store shows yours. See pricing
Is there a one-time purchase?
Yes. Lifetime gives you everything in Premium for a single payment: no subscription and nothing to renew.
Can Block&Read reduce my screen time?
That's the point, but instead of just cutting you off, it swaps scrolling minutes for reading pages. The reach-for-the-phone habit stays; it just delivers chapters now. Learn more
Does it work for studying?
Yes. Block your distracting apps during study sessions, and load your course reading as PDFs or EPUBs so the blocker itself becomes the study tool. Highlights and notes stay with the text. Learn more
Is Block&Read available in Spanish?
Yes. The app speaks Spanish, and the classics shelf comes in English and Spanish, with a dedicated Spanish library: Don Quijote, La Celestina, Lazarillo de Tormes and more. Learn more
Earn the scroll.

Your apps aren't going anywhere. Neither are the books. The only question is which one opens first.

Download on theApp Store

iPhone and iPad · Free to start · No ads, no accounts, no tracking