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Why are apps NOT blocked when they should be?

Why aren't apps blocked after reaching the set "Time Limit", at a scheduled "Time of Day", or after a phone upgrade?

Updated yesterday

We're here to help.

First off, we know this can be frustrating. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.


Steps to troubleshoot:

1) Reload blocking

Tap "Help (top of any screen) > Reload Blocking".

This should fix the issue in most cases. If you have to reload constantly please contact us: Tap the chat bubble below.

2) Remove any blocking you have set up outside of Roots

  • If you have any blocking active in iOS "Screen Time" or other screen time apps, it can cause issues and make blocking in Roots to not work properly

  • Remove any existing blocking you have outside of the Roots app

  • Remove screen time permissions from other screen time apps


3) Check if Apple is reporting usage correctly

  • Open your "iOS Settings > Screen Time"

  • See if the app usage report is accurate

  • In some cases Apple may over or under report screen time leading to blocking issues


4) Force quit the Roots app

  • Force close Roots and open it again to reset the connection

  • Click here if you don't know how to do that

5) Restart your phone

  • Restart your phone

  • Click here if you don't know how to do that


6) Reset "Screen Time" permissions

  • Go to "Settings > Screen Time"

  • Scroll down and find "Roots"

  • Remove access, then re-open the Roots app

  • Give access to screen time permissions when prompted

  • Note: Reconnecting may result in the loss of historical screen time data within the app.


7) Turn off "Low Power Mode"

Turn off "Low Power Mode" for better performance



8) Make a slight edit and re-save

  • Tap the edit icon on your app blocks

  • Make a slight edit to the time

  • Open the app selector, remove one, then save

  • Open the app selector, add it back, and save


9) One more thing to try:

If none of the suggested troubleshooting works, please try giving screen time permissions to a different app. In some cases the screen time API can get hung up on the Apple side, and doing this can force things to reset:

  • Keep Roots open but in the background

  • Download another screen time app, such as this one

  • Go through onboarding until you give screen time permissions

  • Once approved, re-open Roots

10) Update Roots app and iOS

  • Update to the latest version of Roots

  • Update to the latest iOS version


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If the problem persists:

Please send us:

  • A screenshot of your "Roots > Blocking" page

  • A quick note on which steps of this guide you’ve already tried

  • Please contact us by tapping the chat bubble below

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