We are sorry for the hassle and will make sure you are taken care of. If you have ongoing issues, we'll even offer you a free subscription.

If you would like hands on support, click here troubleshoot directly with one of our founders.

Self-guided troubleshooting

In 99% of cases, the steps below will solve the issue.

1) Try reloading

Tap "Help" on any screen in Roots
Tap the "reload" icon in the help modal
This should fix most issues immediately

If you are having to reload constantly please contact us!

2) Remove iOS limits or downtimes

If you have other limits or downtimes please remove them
This applies to iOS Screen Time, or other apps
Tap the "reload" icon in the help modal

3) Check your settings

Turn off "share across devices" in your iOS settings
Remove screen time permissions from other apps
Update to the latest version of Roots
Update to the latest iOS version

4) Force quit apps running in background:

Swipe up and hold, and then close as many apps as possible
This will make the blocking run more smoothly
A lot of issues are related to memory issues on the Apple side

5) Do you have overlapping downtimes?

Overlapping downtimes should not cause an issue. However, we have seen a pattern related to this. If you have issues, please try the following:

Edit downtimes 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

6) Some 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)

Right now there is not a good workaround due to Apple limitations. We suggest removing the websites from your blocking to avoid this issue.

7) 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

8) Restart your phone

Restart your phone
Click here if you don't know how to do that

9) 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

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

Still having issues?

Get personal help from one of our founders here

We know this can be frustrating. We'll be happy to help and will even reward you for your time. In many cases issues are from Apple’s Screen Time not syncing properly and we have to find creative workarounds!