Screen time apps you use with friends
Updated November 5, 2026
Apps that bring friends into cutting screen time work in three ways. Some let friends see your screen time (Opal). Some make you ask friends before you get more time (Snitch, Friend Controls). Others put a friend's encouragement where you would otherwise give in (Sisa, which shows a friend's message on the block screen). Clearspace has a friends feature on its paid plan. iPhone's Screen Time can also involve a friend if they set the passcode.
Willpower alone is a weak tool against apps designed by thousands of engineers to keep you scrolling. Other people help: a commitment someone else knows about is harder to quietly drop than a private one. A growing number of apps are built around that idea.
They differ in one important way: what your friends see and do. Some show friends your usage. Some make friends approve extra time. Some keep your usage private and use friends only for encouragement. Pick the one that matches what you're comfortable sharing.
At a glance
| App | What friends do | Do friends see your usage? | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sisa | Write you a message that appears on the block screen. Optionally, give you more time when you ask | Not your apps or minutes. Optionally, how many days this week you kept your limit, and your requests for more time | Free plan, optional Pro |
| Opal | See your daily screen time total | Yes, the daily total | Free plan, optional Pro |
| Snitch | See when you unlock an app and approve requests for more time | They see unlocks | Check the App Store |
| Friend Controls | Vote on your requests for extra time | They see requests | Check the App Store |
| Clearspace | Keep each other accountable as teammates | Partly | Free plan, friends feature in Premium |
| iPhone Screen Time | Hold the passcode so you can't ignore your limits | Only if they look at your phone | Free |
Features are what each app listed in November 2026 and may have changed since. Check the App Store for current prices in your country.
Sisa: a friend's message where you'd give in
Sisa blocks the apps you choose on a schedule. When you open a blocked app anyway, the block screen shows a short message a friend wrote for you instead of the feed. You use it with a small circle of two or three friends, and you write messages for them too.
- Which apps you use and for how long stays on your phone. In a private circle you can choose to share your week: on how many days you kept your limit, and whether you've reached it today. You can turn it off per circle.
- Optionally, you can ask a friend for more time instead of giving yourself a bypass. Your friend gets the request and decides.
- Turning a schedule off takes a five-second countdown, and an active schedule can't be edited.
- Free: one schedule with up to three apps, soft lock with one 15-minute bypass a day, three circles. Pro adds unlimited schedules, websites and categories, and hard lock with no bypass.
Good for: people who want support without being watched.
Opal: share your daily total
Opal is a full screen-time app with blocking sessions and a focus score. It lets you add friends and see each other's daily screen time. Both of you need to have opened the app recently for the numbers to show.
Good for: friendly competition, if you're comfortable sharing totals.
Snitch: your group sees when you give in
Snitch puts you in an accountability group. Unlocking a blocked app is visible to the group, and asking for more time sends the request to them.
Good for: people who respond to being seen.
Friend Controls: friends approve extra time
With Friend Controls, your friends vote on whether you get extra time when you ask for it. It's the closest to handing someone else the decision.
Good for: people who know they'll always say yes to themselves.
Clearspace: accountability with teammates
Clearspace adds a pause before distracting apps and can ask for an exercise before you get time back. Its Premium plan includes a feature for keeping each other accountable with friends.
Good for: people who already like Clearspace's pause-and-earn approach.
iPhone Screen Time: the free version
Ask a friend or partner to set your Screen Time passcode and turn on Block at End of Limit. You then can't ignore your own limits without asking them. It costs nothing, but it's all-or-nothing, and asking someone to type a passcode every time gets awkward. See how to block TikTok on iPhone for the steps.
How to choose
- You want privacy: Sisa or the Screen Time passcode. Friends help without seeing which apps you use or for how long.
- You want to compare numbers: Opal.
- You want someone else to say no: Friend Controls, Snitch, or Sisa with asking a friend for more time turned on.
- You're on a budget: Screen Time is free, and Sisa's free plan covers one schedule with three apps.
Frequently asked questions
Does doing a screen time challenge with friends actually work?
Many people find it easier to stick with a commitment when someone else knows about it. Results vary, and no app can promise them. It helps most when friends are doing it with you rather than just watching you.
Can my friends see which apps I use?
It depends on the app. Opal shares your daily total and Snitch shows unlocks. Sisa never shows friends which apps you use or for how long. In a private circle you can choose to share how many days this week you stayed within your limit, and you can turn that off per circle. If you turn on asking a friend for more time, that friend also sees your requests.
Do my friends need an iPhone too?
For Sisa, no: it's on iPhone and Android, and circles can mix both. For other apps, check whether they're available on your friends' phones before you start.
What's a screen time accountability partner?
Someone who agrees to help you stick to your phone limits, by checking in, holding a passcode, approving extra time or sending encouragement. The apps above make that easier to do day to day.