Hours and days

Lock Instagram
during
work hours.

Tonic locks Instagram, TikTok or any app you pick on the days and hours you set, like 9 to 5 on weekdays or 10 PM to 6 AM every night. Outside those hours the apps open with no lock screen at all.

InstagramWeekdays 9 to 5
30 min a day · a pause on every open 12 used · 18 left
YouTube10pm to 6am · off
15 min a night Back 10 PM

Schedule

MTWTFSS
9 AM5 PM

One window per rule, on the days you pick.

Amber is when the rule runs. The rest of the day the apps open normally, and minutes used then don't count against a time limit. Set any start and end, to the minute.

Weekdays, 9 AM to 5 PM

12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM

Every night, 10 PM to 6 AM

12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM

Mornings, 5 AM to 9 AM

12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM

What happens inside the hours is up to you.

When the clock changes things.

When the hours start

If you're in the app, the lock comes back within seconds. You may see iOS's grey Restricted box instead of Tonic's lock.

When the hours end

The lock lifts the same way, and no notification fires at either edge.

Outside the hours

There's no lock screen. In Tonic, the rule's card dims and says when it's back, like "Back 9 AM".

Hours and a place

Weekdays 9 to 5, and only at work.

Both can sit on one rule, and it locks only when both are true. Earning keeps no hours at all: reading at 8 counts toward a rule that starts at 9.

Schedule

MTWTFSS
9 AM5 PM

Location

Work
Home

How place rules work →

Quick answers

Can I block Instagram during work hours and after 9 PM?

Not both on one app today. A rule has one window and an app can only be in one rule, so you pick one: 9 to 5, or 9 PM to 6 AM. Set a long window if you want both covered, such as 9 AM to 6 AM, which also locks the early evening.

Can it lock the app completely during those hours?

Close to it. An earn rule set to Make it impossible stays shut until you've earned it. A limit can go as low as one minute a day, then Cut me off keeps it shut.

Does it work overnight?

Yes. Set a start later than the end, like 10 PM to 6 AM, and the window runs through midnight.

What if I'm in the app when the hours start?

The lock comes back within seconds. Because you're mid-use, you may see iOS's grey Restricted box instead of Tonic's lock.

Can't Apple's Screen Time do this?

For a plain schedule, yes: Screen Time locks apps by the clock, and on iOS 27 a schedule can hold several windows. Apple's pages don't show a cap on opens, a rule tied to a place, or anything you can earn back.

What does it cost?

Free to start: schedules are included in full, with two locked apps across everything you set up. Tonic Unlimited lifts the limits on apps and ways to earn, for $39.99 a year or $9.99 a month, with the first 7 days free.

Why an app locks again → · Taking a break from a rule

Checked against the app on November 1, 2026.

Start with one app and your work hours.

Get Tonic free
Free to start · schedules included · no account needed · iPhone and iPad, iOS 17.4 or later

Tonic is an independent companion and isn't affiliated with Apple, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, Slack or Day One.

More limits: only at a place · opens per day · how Tonic works