AskWhy
DE EN
Join the waitlistWaitlist

AskWhy The app blocker that asks why first.

Join the waitlist Try the demo

02 / 08 · What for

More time for what matters to you.

You open TikTok or Instagram for a moment, and an hour is gone. AskWhy is an app blocker for iPhone that steps in at exactly that point: before a blocked app opens, an AI asks what you need it for.

  • You decide on purpose

    Every opening starts with a question. That shows you whether you need the app right now or are opening it out of habit.

  • What matters stays possible

    Answering a message or looking something up still works, for a few minutes.

  • More time for other things

    Time that would disappear into the feed stays for studying, work, friends or sleep.

03 / 08 · Ask

Try it: ask for time

Pick a reason or write your own, and see how the AI answers.

  • Reply to a friend
  • Just a quick scroll
  • A customer is waiting
  • I’m bored

Scripted demo: no AI runs on this page, and nothing you type leaves your browser.

Demo

Blocked

Tell the AI what you need the time for.

Social app

The demo needs JavaScript.

Social app

Demo rules: 5 min per unlock, 3 unlocks a day.

04 / 08 · Three steps

How it works

  1. Choose your apps

    Pick the apps that distract you. They stay locked, and taking one off the list requires a waiting period.

  2. Give your reason

    To open an app, you tell the AI your reason and how long you need. If the reason is not enough, it asks again or declines.

  3. Get your time

    A good reason gets you a short window. After that, the app locks again automatically.

05 / 08 · Rules

You set the rules.

You choose how strict it is. In “AI decides” the AI weighs your reason and picks the minutes. With accepted reasons, only reasons you listed beforehand count. Either way your limits hold: they live in the app’s code, not in a prompt, so no argument gets the AI past them.

  • You set the limits: minutes per unlock, unlocks per day, a pause after several refusals.
  • Asking again never raises a limit.
  • The AI can refuse or give less time. It can never give more than your limits allow.
  • Loosening a rule never applies at once: it waits at least 10 hours. Tightening applies immediately.
  • Emergency calls and Emergency SOS are never blocked.

Who does what

  1. Yougive a reason
  2. AIasks, understands, weighs your reason
  3. Rulescheck your limits and have the last word
  4. iPhoneopens the app for minutes, then locks it again

06 / 08 · Pricing

Choose your AI.

Blocking and schedules are free. To open a blocked app, you need one of the three AI options. Without one, blocked apps stay blocked. The AI on your iPhone is free at launch; you can try the other two options free for 14 days.

Planned launch prices, including VAT. They can still change until the app is in the App Store.

AskWhy is new, so the AI on your iPhone is free at launch; if you download AskWhy during that time, you keep it. Later this option may cost something for new users. Free trial of the other two options planned for launch: the trial of the Claude option ends by itself after 14 days; the monthly subscription costs €6.99 per month after 14 days unless you cancel before.

07 / 08 · Limits

What AskWhy can’t do

Better you know before you install it.

  1. It isn’t a wall

    AskWhy works through Apple’s Screen Time. You can take that permission away again in the iPhone’s settings whenever you want. Then nothing is blocked any more, and the app tells you so plainly.

  2. Strict Mode makes it harder

    So that you don’t simply delete AskWhy, there is Strict Mode: it blocks deleting apps. For it to hold, it needs a Screen Time passcode that someone else types in, so you don’t know it. Don’t worry, it isn’t lost: AskWhy keeps a copy on your iPhone and shows it to you after a wait of at least 10 hours (24 hours by default). Two honest notes: iOS can only block deleting for the whole iPhone, so it applies to every app. And the mode makes giving up harder, not impossible.

  3. The AI makes mistakes

    It can refuse a good reason or accept a weak one. Your limits hold either way.

  4. A tool, not a treatment

    AskWhy is a productivity app. It is not a medical product and does not diagnose or treat anything.

  5. What you need

    An iPhone with iOS 26 or later. The on-device AI only runs on iPhones that support Apple Intelligence. For adults (18+).

Frequently asked questions

What is AskWhy?

AskWhy is an app blocker for iPhone. Before a blocked app opens, an AI asks what you need it for. A good reason gets you a few minutes, then the app is locked again.

How do I block TikTok or Instagram on iPhone?

You pick the apps that distract you in AskWhy, for example TikTok or Instagram. They stay locked, and AskWhy works through Apple’s Screen Time to do it. To open one, you tell the AI your reason and how long you need.

How much does AskWhy cost?

Blocking and schedules are free, and the AI on your iPhone is free at launch. AskWhy Connect costs €39.99 as a one-time purchase for 12 months and AskWhy Cloud €6.99 per month; a free 14-day trial of both is planned for launch. Prices are planned, include VAT and can still change until the app is in the App Store.

Do I need an AI account?

That depends on the option. The AI on your iPhone needs no account but only runs on iPhones that support Apple Intelligence. AskWhy Connect uses your own Claude account; AskWhy Cloud needs no AI account of your own.

Can the block be bypassed?

Yes, AskWhy isn’t a wall. You can take the Screen Time permission away again in the iPhone’s settings whenever you want; then nothing is blocked any more, and the app tells you so plainly. Strict Mode makes giving up harder, but not impossible.

Is AskWhy on the App Store yet?

AskWhy isn’t on the App Store yet. If you join the waitlist, you get exactly one e-mail when the app is available. It needs an iPhone with iOS 26 or later and is for adults (18+).

08 / 08 · Locked again

Be there when it launches

AskWhy isn’t on the App Store yet. Leave your e-mail address and we’ll write to you once, when it is.

The waitlist opens soon. This form isn’t active yet: nothing is sent or stored.

Read the privacy notice

* AskWhy is a service of ETARI GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany.

You’ll get a confirmation e-mail first. Only once you click the link in it are you on the list (double opt-in).

For iPhone with iOS 26 or later. For adults (18+).