We're here to help.
First off, we know this can be frustrating. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and will make sure you're well taken care of. If you have ongoing issues, we'll even offer you a free subscription.
If you need to unblock in an emergency, click here.
If you would like hands on support, click here to troubleshoot directly with one of our founders.
Steps to troubleshoot:
1) Reload
Tap "Help (top of screen) > Reload Blocking"
If you are having to reload constantly please contact us: "Roots > Profile > Account Settings (top of the screen) > Help Center (under Help & Support) > Scroll down to Contact Us".
2) Turn off "Share Across Devices" on ALL iOS devices
Open your "iOS Settings > Screen Time"
Turn off "Share Across Devices"
In some cases, we have seen this needs to be turned off on all devices. Due to limitations with Apple Screen Time this is required for using Roots. Learn how to turn off "Share Across Devices" here.
3) 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 the Roots "Time Limits" and "Time of Day" blocks to not work properly
Remove any existing blocking you have outside of the Roots app
Remove screen time permissions from other screen time apps
4) Some popular websites can cause related apps to be blocked
Apps from the same company may also be blocked when you choose a website that is related to the company who owns the app. This is a bug from Apple.
Facebook.com can block WhatsApp, Messenger, or other Meta apps
Amazon.com can block Audible
In rare cases Facebook app can block other Meta apps (ex: Meta View)
Here is one thing to try:
Go to "iOS Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed"
Then, add the app you want to access as "Always Allowed"
Save, and see if that allows you to access the app
5) Check if apps are being blocked in multiple places
Go to "Roots > Blocking"
Tap on each block you’ve created — for example, "Time Limit", "Time of Day", or "All Day (Limited Unblocks)" — to check if the apps are being blocked in multiple places. If so, you’ll need to unblock them from each individual block
Next, go to "Roots > Challenge" — you’ll also need to unblock the apps from here if they’re listed
6) 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
7) Update Roots app and iOS
Update to the latest version of Roots
Update to the latest iOS version
8) Force quit apps running in background
A lot of issues are related to memory issues on the Apple side. Swipe up and hold, and then close as many apps as possible. This will make the blocking run more smoothly.
9) 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
10) Restart your phone
Restart your phone
Click here if you don't know how to do that
11) 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 "Screen Time" access may lead to the loss of historical screen time data within the app.
12) Check if you have overlapping "Time of Day" block
Overlapping app blocks should not cause an issue. However, we have seen a pattern related to this. If you have issues, please try the following:
Edit blocks so they don't overlap, or stop and start at the same time
For example:
6:00am - 9:00am
9:01am - 5:00pm
Then, tap "Reload" from "Help" modal
13) Turn off "Low Power Mode"
Turn off "Low Power Mode" for better performance.
14) Try re-adding the apps
Try removing the apps from your blocking list and saving the changes. Then, re-select the apps and save again to refresh the settings.
15) Make a slight edit and re-save
Tap the edit icon on your "Time of Day" block
Make a slight edit to the time
Open the app selector, remove one, then save
Open the app selector, add it back, and save
16) 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
Have an emergency?
Option 1: Use "Emergency Unblock" mode
Open Roots, go to "Help"
Scroll all the way down to "Emergency Unblock"
Follow the instructions
Option 2: Use a "Pause"
If you are on a free trial or premium subscription
Go to "Roots > Blocking > Pauses" (top of the screen)
Then tap to use a "Pause"
This will unblock all apps
Option 3: Remove "Screen Time" permissions
Remove screen time permissions from Roots
Go to "iOS Settings > Screen Time > Apps with screen time access"
Then remove access from Roots
Note: Reconnecting "Screen Time" access may lead to the loss of historical screen time data within the app.
If you’re out of “Pauses” or “Emergency Unblocks”:
Reach out to us directly from the app: "Roots > Profile > Account Settings (top of the screen) > Help Center (under Help & Support) > Scroll down to Contact Us".
Please make sure to mention the email linked to your Roots account, and we’ll be happy to add some for you!
To find your Roots-associated email ID, go to: "Roots > Profile > Account Settings (top of the screen) > Tap on Your Name > Account Details > Email".
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Still not working?
Please send us:
A screenshot of your "Blocking" page
A quick note on which steps of this guide you’ve already tried
Need more help?
Get personal help from one of our founders here. We know this can be frustrating, and we appreciate your patience. We're happy to assist—and we’ll even reward you for your valuable time!