The BlockerPut the lock in iOS, not only in an app. Ask someone you trust to set the Screen Time passcode. Then turn on Limit Adult Websites, remove other browsers, and block deleting and installing apps. Nothing makes a blocker impossible to turn off: whoever holds the passcode can change everything. But this setup turns a two-second impulse into a slow, deliberate choice.
Written by the developer of The Blocker. Facts checked 28 September 2026. Apple’s menu names can differ with your iOS version and language.
Why the lock has to live in iOS
Many blockers lock their own settings behind a PIN or Face ID. That helps, but it has a weak spot: a lock that lives only inside an app goes away when the app is deleted, and deleting an app takes seconds.
Screen Time sits above every app. Its passcode guards Apple’s web filter, and it can stop apps from being deleted or installed. So the real lock belongs there. An app’s own locks are extra layers on top.
Sit down together with the person you trust and do all five steps in one go. They will need to enter the passcode for steps 2 to 4.
Before you start: set up The Blocker
Do this first, while nothing is locked. New to the app? Get it on the App Store and follow the iPhone setup guide. Then check that The Blocker is on in every Safari profile you use: Settings › Apps › Safari › Extensions › The Blocker › Allow Extension In, then turn on each profile (Apple’s profiles guide). The Blocker’s own setup says to finish this before step 2, because after step 2 changing extensions means undoing the web filter first.
Step 1: Someone you trust sets the Screen Time passcode
- On iOS 27, open Settings › Screen Time › Manage Screen Time › Lock Screen Time Settings.
- Hand the phone over. Your trusted person enters a four-digit passcode. Don’t watch.
Next, iOS offers Screen Time Passcode Recovery. It lets you reset a forgotten passcode with an Apple Account. It is optional, but Apple recommends that you don’t skip it. If you have more than one Apple Account, the reset must use the same account entered at setup.
What this means: whoever can use that Apple Account can reset the passcode. If it is your own account, you can reset it yourself. Agree together whose account it is and how you will recover a forgotten passcode. Apple explains how to create the passcode and how to reset it.
Step 2: Turn on Limit Adult Websites
On iOS 26: Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions › App Store, Media, Web, & Games › Web Content › Limit Adult Websites. You turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions on the way. The filter now sits behind the passcode.
The Blocker’s own setup notes that Limit Adult Websites also keeps Safari extensions switched on, so The Blocker can’t be switched off in Safari’s settings. That is the app’s note, not an Apple page. Anyone with the Screen Time passcode can set Web Content back to Unrestricted and undo it.
Apple’s iOS 27 guide does not list these steps for your own iPhone, so the menus may look different there; check Apple’s guide. Apple’s content-filtering guide says the filter limits “many adult websites”, not all of them. More in free ways to block porn on iPhone.
Step 3: Remove other browsers
The Blocker works in Safari and in apps that open web pages in a Safari view. It does not cover Chrome, Firefox, Brave or other browsers. Apple does not publish which other browsers follow its filter either. The simple fix is to delete other browsers, so Safari is the browser you use.
Do this before step 4. Once deleting apps is restricted, you can’t remove them without the passcode.
Step 4: Stop app deletion and new installs
Apple gives the same steps for iOS 26 and iOS 27: open Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions › iTunes & App Store Purchases (Content & Privacy Restrictions must be on), then choose restrictions for installing or deleting apps. See Apple’s guide.
Now The Blocker can’t be deleted, and a new browser can’t be installed, without the passcode. Install any apps you need before this step.
Step 5: Inside The Blocker: Face ID lock and a delay
- Face ID lock (free, on by default). The app asks for Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode before it opens. It keeps out people who don’t know your device passcode. Anyone who knows that passcode, including you, can open it, so it is a pause, not a lock.
- Delay to unblock (Pro, off until you choose it). In the app’s Settings, choose Off, 10 seconds, 30 seconds or 60 seconds. It applies when you switch off a blocking category in the app, and gives you a moment to choose again. Removing a single site takes effect right away, and switching the extension off in Safari’s settings isn’t delayed either; step 2 is what guards that.
These are extra layers; the main lock is Screen Time. When you finish, tap Test it in The Blocker to check that Safari blocking is on.
What this can’t do
- The passcode holder can change everything. So can anyone who can use the recovery Apple Account.
- No list catches every page. Apple’s filter covers “many” adult websites, and The Blocker’s lists can’t promise to catch every page either.
- Other apps are outside Safari. The Blocker does not filter all content inside other apps.
- No reports. The Blocker doesn’t report to anyone and has no accountability partner. If you want a person to see reports, read The Blocker vs Covenant Eyes.
This setup makes turning things off slow and deliberate. It is not a promise that they can’t be turned off.
Agree on the rules together
The passcode works best as a shared plan, not a punishment. Before you start, talk through a few things:
- When will they enter the code? For example, to install an app you need for work, after a short chat.
- Recovery. Whose Apple Account is used, and what you’ll do if the passcode is forgotten.
- Timing. If they are away, agree to wait until you can meet, not a quick yes by text.
- No reports. The Blocker sends them nothing. They keep a four-digit code, not a record of your browsing.
Look at the plan again together after a few weeks and adjust what isn’t working.
Questions people ask
Can I make a porn blocker impossible to turn off?
No. Whoever holds the Screen Time passcode can change or remove every setting, and the passcode can be reset with the recovery Apple Account. What you can do is make turning it off slow and deliberate, so it is a choice and not an impulse.
What if my friend forgets the Screen Time passcode?
If Screen Time Passcode Recovery was set up, the passcode can be reset with the Apple Account entered at setup. If you have more than one Apple Account, it must be that same one. Agree before you start whose account it is. See Apple’s reset steps.
Does this work on iPad?
Yes. Screen Time is built into iPad too, and The Blocker works in Safari on iPad. Menu names can differ, so follow how to block porn on iPad.
Is it OK to ask a friend to hold the passcode?
Yes. Asking for help is a sensible step. You are asking them to keep a four-digit code, not to watch you, and The Blocker sends them no reports. Pick someone who will answer when you need an app installed, and agree on the rules first.