For iPhone · Built on Apple Screen Time

Scroll on purpose.

Pauseway puts a quiet door in front of the apps you pick. Walk through for a measured Social Pass, or turn back. Your call, every time.

Free with optional Pauseway Pro. Requires iOS 26.5 or later.

Pick your accent —

How it works

One small pause between impulse and scroll.

No willpower contests, no fake timers. Pauseway uses the same Screen Time system iOS uses for its own limits, so the pause is real.

1

Pick your apps

Choose the apps that pull you in through Apple’s private Screen Time picker. Pauseway never learns which apps they are — it only holds Apple’s opaque tokens.

Pauseway welcome screen: Scroll on purpose
2

Meet the pause

Open one and an Apple system shield appears instead. Go back — that’s the win — or choose to continue.

The Pauseway shield over a paused app
3

Take a Social Pass

Unlock a 10, 20, or 30-minute pass. When you have used it up, the shield comes back on its own and Pauseway lets you know.

A 20-minute Social Pass has started

Measured honestly

Only real use counts.

A Social Pass is minutes spent inside the apps you paused, added up across all of them. Apple Screen Time does the counting. Close the app and the clock stops. Time anywhere else never counts.

  • Choose 10, 20, or 30 minutes on Home or in Settings.
  • When the total is reached, iOS shields the apps again automatically.
  • If you allow notifications, Pauseway tells you the pass is over, even when it is closed.

Free & Pro

Pro removes ads, not friction.

Both plans keep the pause. You choose what it costs to walk through.

Free

Watch an ad, get a pass.

Every Social Pass costs one short rewarded ad.

  • No account, no sign-in
  • A pass starts only when the ad provider confirms the reward
  • Skip or close the ad and your apps stay paused
  • Same 10, 20, or 30-minute passes
Pauseway Pro

No ads. Same pause.

Five quiet seconds instead of an ad.

  • No rewarded ads, ever
  • A full five-second pause before each Social Pass
  • Today-by-app view on the pause screen
  • Weekly or yearly subscription; cancel anytime in your Apple Account

Prices are shown in the app in your local currency before you subscribe. See the subscription terms.

Private by design

Your habits stay on your iPhone.

Opaque by Apple

App choices are tokens Apple creates. Pauseway can shield them but cannot read their names.

Counted on device

Turn-backs and passes are tallied locally. There is no Pauseway account and no analytics server.

Usage stays sealed

Per-app minutes are drawn inside Apple’s private report sandbox and never leave it.

Read the privacy policy

Questions

Good to know.

Is this a timer?

No. Timers keep running while you are elsewhere. A Social Pass only counts minutes you actually spend inside the apps you paused, measured by Apple Screen Time.

Can I get around the pause?

The shield is applied by iOS, not drawn by Pauseway, so it holds even when Pauseway is closed. You can always remove Pauseway’s Screen Time access or delete the app — Pauseway is a tool you choose, not a lock someone else holds.

Why doesn’t Continue reopen the app I was using?

Apple doesn’t let any app open another app from a private Screen Time token. After a pass starts, tap the back link in the top-left corner or use the App Switcher.

Does Pauseway see what I do in other apps?

No. Pauseway never learns which apps you chose, and the minutes shown per app are rendered by Apple inside a sandbox Pauseway cannot read from.

Is there a version for kids or families?

Not yet. Pauseway 1.0 is a self-control tool for adults who choose it for themselves.

More answers in Support →

Walk through, or turn back.

Either way, it was your choice. Pauseway is free on iPhone.

Download on the App Store