Blocking doesn't seem to be working

In this article, you’ll find all the useful information you need about blocking issues: apps not being blocked, apps being blocked when they shouldn’t be, Restricted messages, broken limits, and more. We recommend taking your time and carefully following the instructions.

First, we’re sincerely sorry you’re experiencing blocking issues. Please know that our team is doing everything we can to make sure Jomo works properly. 99% of issues users experience are covered here and can be fixed by following the instructions below. Please read and follow the different steps. Contacting us directly will not fix the bug faster.

The Basics

Before continuing, please try these standard methods:

1. Restart Blocking:

1. Open Jomo.
2. Go to Rules, then tap ?.
3. Tap Reset blocking.
4. Wait a few seconds, then check again.

2. Check the Content Being Blocked:

1. Open Jomo.
2. Go to Rules, then open your rule.
3. Make sure the selected apps are the right ones.

Important: for Locks, make sure the blocked app is the one being displayed. If not, please pair the apps correctly. Note that the app associated with a Lock cannot be changed once the Lock has been created.

3. Check That Jomo Is the App Blocking:

1. Open Jomo.
2. Go to Rules, then check that your rule is correctly marked as Blocking or Upcoming (or Ongoing for Limits), depending on the case.
3. Open your blocked app.
4. Make sure Jomo’s app icon appears on the screen and that the blocking rule name is correct.

Here is a Jomo blocking screen. If your screen does not match this, please check that you don’t have any other screen time apps installed on your iPhone. If you do, please contact their customer support for assistance.

4. Remove Other Screen Time Apps:

To avoid conflicts, we strongly recommend keeping only one screen time app installed. If you have several, please keep only Jomo.

5. Remove Screen Time Restrictions:

To avoid conflicts, we strongly recommend not setting any Time Limits or Downtime in Apple Screen Time, which is available in the iPhone Settings app. If you have any, please delete them.

6. Reconnect Jomo to Screen Time:

1. Open this link from your iPhone or iPad.
2. When Jomo shows the permission prompt, tap Continue (Allow).
3. Go to Rules, then tap ?.
4. Tap Reset blocking.

7. Close Apps Running in the Background:

To avoid too much processor activity on your iPhone in addition to blocking, please fully close apps instead of leaving them running in the background.

8. Turn Off Low Power Mode:

1. Go to Settings, then Battery.
2. Turn off Low Power Mode.

9. Force Restart Your iPhone:

A force restart clears the device cache. It does not affect your data or performance.

1. Quickly press Volume Up.
2. Quickly press Volume Down.
3. Press and hold the Side button.
4. When the Apple logo appears, release it.

Want to learn more? Check out Apple’s full article.

10. Update iOS and Jomo

Please make sure your iPhone is up to date, ideally iOS 18 or later, and that Jomo is up to date, minimum version 2.0.0.

To check this information:

1. Open Jomo, then go to Profile ▸ ….
2. At the very bottom, you’ll see your app version.

What Should I Do If an App Refuses to Block?

Please follow steps 6 and 9 before continuing.

Reselect the Content to Block:

1. Open Jomo.
2. Go to Rules.
3. Tap your rule.
4. Tap the Block section.
5. Deselect, then reselect your apps.
6. Confirm by tapping ✓.
7. Check whether the apps are now blocked.

If this doesn’t work, try the following method.

Deselect the Apps from Always Allowed:

1. Go to the iPhone Settings app.
2. Go to Screen Time, then Always Allowed.
3. Add the apps that should be blocked.
4. Fully close Settings.
5. Reopen Settings ▸ Screen Time ▸ Always Allowed.
6. Remove the apps that should be blocked.
7. Fully close Settings.
8. Check whether the apps are now blocked.

Check That Fewer Than 49 Websites or Apps Are Selected:

For technical reasons, Screen Time does not allow more than 49 websites and 49 apps to be selected at the same time. If several rules are running at the same time and block more than 49 items in total, only 49 items will be blocked.

If you are close to the limit:

1. Reduce the number of items being blocked.
2. Prefer selecting categories directly.

What Should I Do If Apps Are Blocked When They Shouldn’t Be?

The affected apps are often Messenger, WhatsApp, Gmail, and similar apps. This is usually caused by a conflict in the selected content to block.

Please follow step 2 before continuing.

Avoid Selecting Web Domains Linked to Services:

1. Open Jomo.
2. Go to Rules.
3. Tap your rule.
4. Tap the Block section.
5. If you’re using Only, deselect domains such as m.facebook.com, facebook.com, or messenger.com.
6. If you’re using All Except, select the domains above or domains related to the incorrectly blocked app.
7. Confirm by tapping ✓.

If you want to block websites linked to these services, please check out our full dedicated article on website blocking.

How Can I Make Apps Allowed Through “All Except” Accessible?

On iOS 17.4, conflicts may happen between screen time apps, especially if you use the All except block list.

Force Unblocking:

1. Open Jomo.
2. Go to Rules, then tap your rule.
3. In Block, select Only instead of All except.
4. Confirm by tapping ✓.
5. Remove all other screen time apps, even if you are not using them.

What Should I Do If Apps Stay Blocked After Uninstalling Jomo?

We’re sincerely sorry if your apps remain blocked even after deleting all your rules and removing the Jomo app. We understand your frustration and share it. This is caused by a very rare Apple Screen Time bug. Even though everything has been removed, Apple’s system continues to “think” that the content is blocked.

Please note that this bug is common to all screen time apps. Yes, all of them.

Check That Another Screen Time App Isn’t Blocking the Apps:

To confirm this is a bug, you need to see this screen on the apps that remain blocked.

As a reminder: Jomo screens show the app icon and mention the blocking rule. If that’s not the case, please check that no other screen time app is installed. If one is, please contact their own customer support for assistance.

Reinstall Jomo and Block the Apps Again:

1. Reinstall Jomo.
2. Complete the onboarding flow.
3. Make sure to allow the Screen Time permission.
4. Go to Rules, then tap Start blocking, then Block now.
5. Start a blocking rule with the apps that are still blocked.
6. Delete the blocking rule.

Temporarily Add the Apps to Always Allowed:

1. Open the iPhone Settings app.
2. Go to Screen Time, then Always Allowed.
3. In the list, add the apps that are still blocked.
4. Fully close Settings.
5. Reopen Settings.
6. Go back to Screen Time, then Always Allowed.
7. Remove the apps from the list.
8. Fully close Settings again.

You can repeat this several times if needed.

Contact Apple Support:

If the apps are truly still blocked, we recommend contacting Apple Support and reporting a Screen Time issue.

What Should I Do If None of This Works?

You can contact us by email at hello@jomo.so. In your email, please clearly describe and explain your bug, provide screenshots, and include the email address used for your Jomo account. Please use a valid email address that you check regularly, so our team can ask you for more details if needed and, most importantly, send you a response.

Updated on: 15/06/2026