Walk to unlock your apps. Earn your screen time.
Doomstep is an iPhone app that locks the apps you pick, like Instagram and TikTok, and your steps earn the minutes to open them: 100 steps buys a minute.
Keep your apps.
Change the habit.
Give the automatic scroll a small, useful pause.
Pick your distractions.
Choose the apps to lock, like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or X, in Apple’s own picker. Everything else stays yours to use.
Go about your day.
The coffee run. The dog walk. The long way home. Steps from your iPhone and Apple Watch earn minutes on their own.
Spend your steps.
Pick a 5, 15 or 30 minute break. Your apps open, then lock again when the break ends, even if Doomstep is closed.
Your walk is worth something.
100 steps earn 1 minute. See what a little movement could give you.
At the default 7,000-step goal. Steps past your goal earn double, up to 180 minutes a day. The welcome bonus isn’t included.
Better with a friend.
Walk together. Earn together.
Doomstep Together pairs you with one other person, like your boyfriend, girlfriend or a close friend. The steps you both walk earn minutes into one bank, and either of you can use them for a break. Your friend sees your steps and minutes, never your apps.
Guides for scrolling less.
How to break phone addiction without quitting your phone
How to break phone addiction and keep your phone: why feeds are hard to put down, and what helps, from friction and limits set in advance to a daily walk.
Screen Time limits on iPhone: why you tap Ignore Limit
Make Screen Time limits on iPhone part of a plan you can keep. Choose the right apps, reduce prompts to scroll, and earn deliberate breaks with Doomstep.
10,000 steps a day: where the number came from
The 10,000 steps a day goal began with a 1960s walking campaign in Japan and a 1965 pedometer. What later studies found, and where the benefits level off.
How to limit Instagram usage on iPhone
Limit Instagram usage on iPhone with a plan for messages, fewer feed prompts and deliberate app breaks. Compare Screen Time settings with Doomstep.
A few things to know.
How much does Doomstep cost?
$39.99 a year, $9.99 a month or $4.99 a week in the US. New subscribers get a 7-day free trial, and the app reminds you 2 days before it ends. After that, Doomstep needs a subscription.
Which apps can I lock?
Any you choose, like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or X. You pick them in Apple’s own Screen Time picker, and everything you don’t pick stays open. The picker asks you to leave essentials like Phone, Messages and Maps off the list.
What counts as a walk?
Any steps your iPhone or Apple Watch records, from the walk to the store to the long way home. They earn minutes on their own as they sync: 100 steps earns 1 minute. Steps typed into Apple Health or added by other apps don’t count.
Do I have to hit my whole goal?
No. Every 100 steps earns a minute as you go, and steps past your goal count double, up to 180 minutes a day. The first time a day reaches 500 steps, a one-time welcome bonus tops your balance up to 15 minutes.
Does it work without an Apple Watch?
Yes. Your iPhone counts your steps on its own. If you wear an Apple Watch, its steps count too.
Can Doomstep see inside my apps?
No. Doomstep can lock the apps you choose, but it can’t see which apps they are or what you do in them. It reads your step count and nothing else from Apple Health.
Can I turn it off?
Yes. Signing out unlocks your apps. Taking an app off the locked list takes a 10-minute wait, then a tap to confirm. You can also turn off Screen Time access in iPhone Settings at any time.
Is Doomstep on Android?
No. Doomstep is an iPhone app, for iOS 17.2 or later. There is no Android or iPad version.
One less automatic scroll.
One more reason to move.