Lock Instagram until you've spent time in a productive app

What counts in each app, in plain words.

You pick the app that earns in Apple's own picker, so there's no approved list. These are the ones people name most, and every app counts the same way, named or not.

Duolingo

The app people name most. Minutes on screen count; lessons, XP and the streak are invisible to Tonic, so a goal of ten or fifteen minutes stands in for "a real lesson". Babbel, Pimsleur and Busuu work the same way.

Keep TikTok locked until you've done your Duolingo →

Anki

Minutes with the deck open, not reviews or retention. Tonic cannot tell reviewing from browsing, so people set the minutes that match their daily load and bank the heavy days for the light ones.

Lock apps until your Anki reviews are done →

Chess.com

A game, a puzzle set or a lesson: minutes on screen count the same. Tonic cannot tell a rated game from puzzle rush, so the rule is simply time at the board before the feed.

Bible App by YouVersion

A reading plan or the verse of the day counts by the minute on screen. Listening with the screen locked does not count.

Kindle and Apple Books

Reading on the phone or iPad counts by the minute. A Kindle e-reader is a separate device and invisible to Tonic, and audiobooks play with the screen off.

Lock Instagram until you've read →

Pimsleur, and other audio-led lessons

Counts while the lesson is on screen. Lock the phone and only listen, and the minutes stop.

On iPad: GoodNotes, Procreate, morning pages

Tonic runs on iPad. Locks and app minutes work on an iPad on its own: twenty minutes in GoodNotes or a sketch in Procreate before YouTube opens, all on the iPad. With Share Across Devices on, those minutes count on the phone too.

Morning pages are a practice, not an app: three pages first thing, before the phone. Write them in GoodNotes and Tonic counts the minutes the app is open; write them on paper and mark them done yourself, and your apps stay locked until you do. It was the first thing Tonic was ever used for.

Steps and daylight need an iPhone or Apple Watch in the picture; an iPad on its own has nothing counting them. Apple Health data reaches the iPad through iCloud once you open the Health app there.

Connects with any app: from GitHub to a sign-language course

Tonic doesn't keep a list of approved apps. You pick the one that earns in Apple's own picker, and the minutes it is on screen count. People have named GitHub, a kanji trainer, a sign-language course, a bar-exam prep app, a metronome for music practice, AllTrails, the New York Times games, a Pomodoro timer, Apple Notes, a stoic journal, Claude and ChatGPT.

Nothing to log

You never open Tonic to unlock.

The count already exists: your phone tracks how long every app is on screen. Tonic reads it for the app you choose and opens the rest on its own. No setup beyond picking the apps.

Nothing to start, nothing to log. Minutes with the app on screen count on their own, from any app you pick.

Unlocks from the background. The notification lands at your goal, and the apps are open when you reach for them.

Any app you already use. Anki, GoodNotes, Chess.com, a bar-exam prep app. If it is an app, it can earn.

Works with the apps people name most, including

and any app you pick

Tonic

One-time setup: pick the app that earns, pick the apps it unlocks. An app cannot be on both lists.

Setups people use with a productive app.

Chess.com and Kindle count together
Twenty minutes between them, and the apps open.
An app or a workout, either one opens Instagram
Twenty minutes in GoodNotes, or a run that saves to Apple Health.
Tighten the rate: one minute of Reddit for every three in Anki
Or loosen it, up to three minutes for one.
Only at the library, TikTok waits for your Anki
Everywhere else it opens like normal, and you can earn from anywhere.
Library

"This app has helped me catch myself when I'm procrastinating or just blooping and redirected me to things I always say I want to do but get distracted from instead." App Store review, August 2026

Quick answers

Which apps count?

Any app on your iPhone or iPad. You pick the one that earns in Apple's own app picker, so Duolingo, Anki, Kindle, GoodNotes, a study app or an app nobody has heard of all work the same way: the minutes it is on screen count.

Does it know I finished a lesson, a review or a chapter?

No. Tonic counts minutes on screen, and Apple's design keeps the rest private: it cannot tell reviews from browsing in Anki or pages from menus in Kindle. Pick a minute goal that matches a real session.

Does time on my iPad count?

Yes. Tonic runs on iPad, and app minutes and locks work there on their own. With Screen Time's Share Across Devices on for your Apple ID, iOS pools app minutes across your devices, so twenty minutes in GoodNotes on the iPad can unlock the phone.

What if I use the app on my Mac or in a browser?

Tonic runs on iPhone and iPad and locks nothing on a Mac, so plan on your minutes coming from the phone or iPad. If most of your work happens at a desk, keep the goal small enough to hit on the phone.

Do I have to open Tonic when I'm done?

No. When your minutes are in you get one notification and the apps open whether Tonic was open or not. Very rarely iOS is late; opening Tonic or tapping that notification unlocks them right away.

What does it cost?

Free to start: lock two apps and earn from one productive app, for as long as you like. Tonic Unlimited lifts the limits on apps and ways to earn, for $29.99 a year or $9.99 a month, with the first 7 days free.

How earning works, step by step → · Why Tonic asks you to name your apps

Checked against the app on November 1, 2026.

Ways to earn

By habit

Help

How much

When and where

Help

Lock Instagram
until you've done
20 minutes of
Duolingo.