A One Sec alternative that turns the pause into progress
Like One Sec, Glosso stands between you and the apps that pull you in. But instead of a breath, the gate is a quick 1-minute vocab session. You learn a language while you take back your time.
- Free for all your apps, not just one
- Learn a language instead of just waiting
- Enforced by Apple's Screen Time API
Free · No ads · Uses Apple Screen Time API
9 languages available
Why people look for a One Sec alternative
One Sec is a clever idea. When you tap Instagram, TikTok, or another app you've chosen, it inserts a mindful pause: it asks you to take a breath and wait a moment before the app opens, so you have a beat to reconsider whether you actually want to scroll. For a lot of people that small moment of friction genuinely helps them open distracting apps less often.
But two things tend to send people looking for an alternative. The first is that the breathing pause can quietly become a reflex. After a few weeks your thumb learns the rhythm, you tap straight through the wait, and the app opens anyway. The friction is still there, but the meaning behind it has worn off.
The second is the pricing model. One Sec is freemium: it's free to protect a single app, and covering more apps or unlocking extras moves you onto its paid tiers. If you want the same gentle gate on Instagram and TikTok and YouTube and the rest, you generally end up paying. People searching for a free alternative to One Sec usually want every app protected without a subscription.
Glosso: the same gate, but you walk away smarter
Glosso keeps the part of One Sec that works, the deliberate gate between you and the scroll, and changes what happens inside it. Instead of waiting out a breath, you complete a short vocabulary session in the language you're learning, as little as one minute. That's friction with a payoff: it's hard to tap straight through, and you finish having actually learned a few words.
And it's free for all your apps. Block Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, Facebook, and more, with no subscription and no single-app limit. Glosso is built on Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls APIs, so the block is enforced at the iOS system level rather than as a soft reminder you can wave away.
A gate that means something
Where One Sec asks you to breathe, Glosso asks you to learn. A 1-minute vocab session is meaningful friction that's hard to tap through on autopilot, and you finish with something to show for it.
Free for every app
No single-app limit and no paid tiers. Protect Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and the rest from day one, completely free, with no ads and no subscription.
Nine languages, all included
Learn English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese, or Korean. Switch between them anytime, with every language unlocked for free.
System-level blocking
Built on Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls APIs, so the block is enforced by iOS itself and is genuinely hard to bypass, not just a banner you can dismiss.
How Glosso works
Pick the apps that pull you in
Choose the apps you keep reaching for, like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or Reddit. Glosso puts a gate in front of each one using Apple's Screen Time API.
Hit the gate, do a quick session
When you open a blocked app, Glosso meets you with a short vocab session in your chosen language. One minute is enough to clear the gate.
Earn your scroll
Finish the session and the app unlocks for a while. You get your scroll, and a few more words than you had a minute ago.
“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 One Sec
Both apps put a deliberate gate between you and the apps that eat your time. The difference is what that gate costs you and what you get out of it. Here's how they line up.
| Glosso | One Sec | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, all apps | Freemium, free for one app |
| Learn a language while blocked | ✓ | ✗ |
| Apps covered for free | All of them | A single app |
| What the gate asks of you | 1-minute vocab session | Mindful pause / breath |
| iOS Screen Time enforcement | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reward when you clear the gate | Words learned + access | Access |
FAQ
Is Glosso really free?
Yes. Glosso is completely free, with no ads, no subscription, no trial, and no paywall. Every app you want to block and every one of the nine languages is included at no cost.
Is Glosso a good alternative to One Sec?
If you like the idea of a gate before distracting apps but the breathing pause has stopped working for you, or you don't want to pay to protect more than one app, Glosso is a strong fit. It's free for all your apps and gives the gate a real payoff.
What's the difference between Glosso and One Sec?
One Sec inserts a mindful pause and asks you to breathe before an app opens, and it's freemium beyond a single app. Glosso replaces the breath with a 1-minute vocab session, is free for every app, and means you walk away having learned something.
Does Glosso block the same apps?
Yes. You can block Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, Facebook, and other distracting apps. Because Glosso uses Apple's Screen Time API, the block is enforced at the iOS system level.
Do I need to learn a language to use it?
The vocab session is the gate, so yes, you'll do a short session to unlock a blocked app. But it's as little as one minute, you choose from nine languages, and it doubles as a reason the friction actually sticks instead of becoming a reflex.
Is Glosso available on Android?
Not yet. Glosso is iOS only, for iPhone, because it's built on Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls APIs to enforce blocking at the system level.
Make the pause count
Keep the gate that helps you scroll less, but trade the breath for a minute that teaches you something. Free for all your apps, on iPhone.
Download freeFree · No ads · Uses Apple Screen Time API