Every other blocker fails because you can unblock yourself at 1am. Pawl shields the apps and sites you can't stop on your own with Apple's Screen Time — then puts unblocking behind a physical security key you've put out of reach, plus a cooling-off wait. Friction that actually holds.
Free to use · iPhone & iPad · You'll need a standard USB-C security key (FIDO2), sold separately.
You can turn it off the second you crave it. A passcode you set is a passcode you can remove. Willpower at 1am is exactly what's already failing.
Pawl replaces willpower with physical friction — the unblock depends on an object you deliberately put out of reach.
Three deliberate steps turn an impulsive choice into one you have to mean.
Choose what to block — sportsbook, casino, and crypto apps and sites; adult content; or any distracting app. Pawl shields them with Screen Time and shows a calm “Locked by Pawl” screen with no unlock button on it.
Unblocking requires a physical USB-C security key (FIDO2). Put it somewhere out of reach — a drawer at a friend's, a locked box, anywhere that isn't your pocket at midnight. No key in hand, no unblock.
Even with the key, unblocking starts a 15-minute wait before anything lifts. The urge passes, the block holds, and it re-locks on its own.
Pawl is gambling-first — sportsbooks, casino and crypto apps and sites — but the same lock works for adult content or any app you keep reaching for.
Your clean-day count holds even if you delete and reinstall the app — no fresh start for a moment of weakness.
One tap to breathe, pause, and reach out to someone you trust — never a shortcut to unblock.
See your patterns honestly so you can spot the triggers — not a scoreboard to feel bad about.
Add a trusted person who approves your unlock requests and is alerted if your protection drops — so you're not doing this alone.
Pawl is friction, not a cage. You could still delete the app or switch off Screen Time, and Pawl says so plainly instead of pretending otherwise. The point is to turn the impulsive choice into a deliberate one. For most people, a key placed out of reach is the difference that finally sticks.
Pawl blocks through Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls), which hands the app only anonymous tokens — it never sees which specific apps or sites you use.
Your streak stays on your device and in your own iCloud. No advertising, no tracking, nothing sold. Signing in and adding a sponsor are optional — and you can delete your account and its data from inside the app at any time.
Pawl — the ratchet tooth that stops the backslide. That's the whole idea.