The AppBlock alternative that teaches you a language
AppBlock blocks distracting apps with schedules and a strict mode. Glosso does the blocking too, on Apple Screen Time, but instead of just locking you out it puts you through a one-minute language session before you scroll.
- 100% free, no subscription
- Block Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and more
- Learn 9 languages while you're blocked
Free · No ads · Uses Apple Screen Time API
9 languages available
Why people look for an AppBlock alternative
AppBlock is a well-known app and website blocker. Its strength is scheduling: you decide which apps to lock, set time windows or routines, and a strict mode makes the block hard to undo when you're feeling weak. It's a solid, focused tool, and historically it has been strongest on Android, where it can hook deep into the system.
That Android heritage is exactly why some iPhone owners go shopping for an alternative. On iOS, app blocking works very differently because Apple controls what third-party apps are allowed to touch. People want something that feels built natively for the iPhone rather than ported over, and that uses Apple's own Screen Time machinery so the block actually sticks.
There's also a deeper frustration with the whole category. A timer or a strict lock keeps you out of TikTok, but the second the window ends you're right back where you started, no better off. The block buys you a pause; it never gives you anything in return. That's the gap most people are really trying to close when they look for apps like AppBlock.
Glosso: block the scroll, gain a language
Glosso is a free iPhone app built directly on Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls API. You pick the apps that eat your day, and Glosso locks them at the system level. The difference is what happens next: to open a blocked app you finish a short vocabulary session, as little as one minute, in the language you're learning. The block isn't dead time anymore. It's a tiny lesson, and the same minute that used to start a doomscroll now teaches you a handful of words.
So every craving becomes a rep. You still get into your apps when you genuinely want them, but you pay in progress instead of willpower, and over weeks those one-minute sessions stack into real vocabulary.
Built natively on iOS Screen Time
Glosso uses Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls API, so the block is enforced by the system itself. There's no fragile workaround and no second app to babysit, just the native iPhone mechanism doing the heavy lifting.
Learn instead of just locking out
AppBlock pauses you. Glosso pauses you and hands you a one-minute lesson in return. Each unlock is a quick vocabulary session, so the time you'd have lost scrolling turns into words you actually keep.
Free, with no ads or subscription
Glosso is completely free. No trial, no premium tier, no ads. All 9 languages are included from day one, so you're never nudged toward a paid plan to keep your blocks working.
9 languages, switch anytime
English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese and Korean are all built in. Start with one, switch on a whim, or dabble in several. Your screen-time habit quietly funds whichever you pick.
How Glosso works
Choose what to block
Pick the apps that swallow your time, like Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat or Facebook. Glosso locks them through Apple Screen Time.
Earn your scroll
When you reach for a blocked app, Glosso opens a short vocabulary session first. One minute of practice is enough to unlock and get on with your day.
Watch the words add up
Every unlock is another rep. The cravings that used to cost you an hour now quietly build a vocabulary, session after session.
“Honestly, it's genius. It cuts me off cold in my scroll to make me work on my Spanish. Best app to stop wasting time!”
“Finally a useful app. I'd been looking for ages for a blocker that's both useful and fun. It's great!”
“The vocabulary toll… a bit annoying at first but honestly it works, a minute here, a minute there, and I'm learning my Spanish vocab, it's nice.”
Glosso vs AppBlock
Both apps block distracting apps so you stop scrolling on autopilot. The real split is what you walk away with and how the block is enforced on iPhone. Here's an honest, side-by-side look.
| Glosso | AppBlock | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no ads | Free with paid plans |
| Learn a language while blocked | ✓ | ✗ |
| Built on iOS Screen Time API | ✓ | Available on iOS |
| What you get for the block | A 1-minute language lesson | A pause or block |
| Platform focus | iPhone, native | Cross-platform, strong on Android |
| Languages included | 9, all free | Not a language app |
FAQ
Is Glosso really free?
Yes, completely. There's no subscription, no trial and no paywall, and there are no ads. All 9 languages are included from the start, so nothing about the blocking or the learning is locked behind a payment.
Is Glosso a good alternative to AppBlock?
If you're on iPhone and want blocking that's built natively on Apple Screen Time, yes. Glosso blocks the same kinds of distracting apps, but instead of only pausing you it turns each unlock into a quick language lesson, so the time spent away from the app gives you something back.
What's the difference between Glosso and AppBlock?
AppBlock focuses on schedules and a strict mode and has historically been strongest on Android. Glosso is a free, iOS-native app that enforces blocks through Apple's Screen Time API and asks for a one-minute vocabulary session before each unlock, so blocking doubles as learning.
Does Glosso block the same apps?
Yes. You can block the usual time-sinks like Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat and Facebook. Because Glosso uses Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls API, the block is enforced at the system level and is hard to bypass.
Do I need to learn a language to use it?
That's the whole idea. To unlock a blocked app you complete a short session in the language you're learning. The sessions are tiny, often a single minute, so it never feels like homework, just a quick toll before you scroll.
Is Glosso available on Android?
Not yet. Glosso is iPhone only, because it's built directly on Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls API. If you're an Android user, AppBlock's roots on that platform may suit you better for now.
Block less, learn more
Swap the empty pause for a one-minute lesson. Glosso is free, built on iOS Screen Time, and turns every scroll you resist into words you keep.
Download freeFree · No ads · Uses Apple Screen Time API