Choose apps by what happens during the task
Apple Focus filters notifications; Screen Time controls when or how long apps can be used. These are separate decisions: quieter alerts do not prevent opening an app. Aheno adds its own selected-app session protection and rule workflows. Choose the boundary for the interruption you want to change.
An app can be useful in one situation and distracting in another. Identify what repeatedly pulls you away from the current task. Keep necessary references, messages or travel tools available rather than selecting the whole phone by default.
Start with a small list. A narrow rule is easier to test, and you can tell whether it protects the work without introducing new problems.
Decide which boundary you need
Match the protection to the situation before configuring it.
You can start with Apple’s built-in Screen Time while Aheno is coming soon. The routes below distinguish the iOS 26 and iOS 27 manuals checked on 26 October 2026; labels and requirements depend on your version.
iOS 26: open Settings → Screen Time → App Limits → Add Limit. Expand a category to select individual apps, choose Next and set a daily allowance. Use Downtime for a scheduled period. Check Always Allowed and whether your limit blocks access or only shows a reminder.
iOS 27: open Settings → Screen Time → Time Allowances to adjust category budgets. For fixed hours, open Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule and use Add Schedule; edit a Time Window and its allowed categories. Keep essential apps and contacts in Always Allowed. Apple requires version 27 or later on all Apple devices used with these features.
- For one work or study session, use Focus protection.
- For a recurring hour, create a fixed Schedule in Protections.
- For repeated use across the day, create a Daily limit.
- Review required apps and temporary access before choosing stronger rule settings.
| What interrupts you | First option to test | Check before relying on it |
|---|---|---|
| Alerts arrive while the work app is useful | Apple Focus notification choices | Allow essential people and signals; silencing is not the same as blocking access |
| You open an entertainment app during one task | Aheno Focus session protection | Leave references and necessary communication outside the selection |
| The same app interrupts a predictable hour | A fixed Aheno Schedule | Confirm the selected days, active hours and temporary access |
| Use accumulates across several visits | An app-use limit in Screen Time or Aheno | Check the selection, daily threshold and whether the limit blocks or only reminds |
Create and check the rule
Aheno is coming soon to the App Store. The steps below describe its own rule workflow, separately from Apple’s built-in settings; Screen Time authorisation is required to apply protection.
- Open Protections → New rule and choose Schedule or Daily limit.
- Use Apple’s picker to select the applications or websites.
- Set the days and hours, or the daily threshold, and review rule strength.
- Hold Save rule. Test during an active window and check that necessary tools remain accessible.
Protect writing while keeping references open
If a social app interrupts a draft, select it for a Focus session and leave your reference browser outside the selection. Start a manageable writing block. If the same interruption occurs every weekday at the same time, consider a schedule after testing the simpler setup.
Know the limits and recovery path
Basic blocking, schedules and daily limits are Free. Pro adds sealed rules, Hard Mode and allow-only rules. Stronger protection is a deliberate commitment, not an unbreakable promise: iOS permissions can still be changed.
Ending a timer does not cancel every independent rule. Hard Mode’s separate Emergency Pass waits 60 seconds, asks for a typed phrase and grants 15 minutes. If ordinary protection fails, check permission, selected apps and the active time window before assuming you need a stronger rule.
Apple’s Screen Time API explanation distinguishes individual authorisation from parental controls: an individual can revoke the app’s access. That platform boundary is why a stronger Aheno rule is not advertised as impossible to bypass. Check access and rule scope before escalating a failed setup.
Refine the selection after the first use
If you need a protected app for the task, revise the selection or schedule. If an unselected app becomes the interruption, review the boundary. Keep the rule understandable and useful.