Apple keeps app names private, so when you pick apps in Apple's secure picker, Tonic only receives an anonymous icon, never the name. That is why it asks you to confirm which app each icon is. Doing so is optional, but it lets Tonic open the right app for you and use its name in messages.
Why Tonic can't see what you picked
When you choose apps in Tonic, you pick them through Apple's own secure picker. Apple does this on purpose: it hands Tonic an anonymous reference to each app, not its name. So even though you can clearly see Kindle or Instagram in the list, all Tonic receives is the icon. We can lock the app and earn against it, but we never learn what it is called.
That is why you might pick an app and then see Tonic ask, "Which app is this?" You did pick it. We just genuinely cannot read the name Apple is hiding.
What confirming an app gets you
Confirming an app is optional, and Tonic works fine without it. But telling us which app an icon is turns generic moments into personal ones:
- Tap to open the right app. Once an app is confirmed, Tonic can send you straight there, so you do not have to go hunting for it.
- Personalized messages. Instead of a generic prompt, the message that sends you on your way can use the app's name, like "Open Kindle."
How to set up app redirects
- Open App Redirects.Go to Settings, then tap App Redirects. (If a redirect just missed, a card may also appear at the top of your home screen to take you there.)
- Tap an app's icon.You will see your apps shown as icons, grouped by ritual. Tap the one you want Tonic to be able to open.
- Search and confirm the app.Type the app's name, like Kindle, and tap it in the results. You only confirm each app once.
Confirming is optional
You never have to confirm an app for Tonic to lock it or for you to earn it back. Until you do, messages use general wording instead of the app's name, and a tap will take you back into Tonic rather than straight to the app. Set up redirects whenever you like, or not at all.
Still stuck? Email [email protected].
Related: How does Tonic work? Earning your way into the apps you choose · How do I give Tonic permission to use Screen Time, and is my data private? · Tonic isn't locking my apps. What should I check?