Matcha blocks the apps that eat your day until you tap an NFC tag — an old key fob, a hotel card, a sticker, anything. No $50 gadget required.
Free to start · Works entirely on your device · No account needed
Brick and Bloom sell you a piece of plastic for $50+. Matcha works with any NFC tag your iPhone can already read.
If you can tap it to the back of your phone and your phone buzzes, it can lock you in. One tag, unlimited Modes.
Pick the apps and sites you want gone — socials, games, whatever's stealing your afternoon.
Scan any NFC tag to start a session. Your Mode locks instantly — no toggle to talk yourself out of.
The block stays until you tap the same tag again. No "5 more minutes," no snoozing from inside the app.
Let Matcha lock and unlock itself at set times every day — even if the app isn't open.
Starting and ending a lock both require the physical tag. No setting inside the app can shortcut it.
Auto-lock recurring blocks — mornings, work hours, bedtime — that fire on their own, tag or no tag.
Don't want a hard wall? Pause shows a short breathing screen before a gated app opens — enough friction to make you think twice.
See exactly how long you stayed locked in, and how much time you got back.
| Matcha | Brick | Bloom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to start | $50–70 | $50–70 |
| Hardware required | None — use any tag you own | Proprietary fob | Proprietary fob |
| Setup | Tap any NFC tag to link it | Wait for shipping | Wait for shipping |
| Runs on-device | Yes, via Apple Screen Time | Yes | Yes |
Brick and Bloom pricing shown for general comparison — check current pricing before publishing.
Any NFC tag or card your iPhone can read — an old hotel key, a transit card, a spare access fob, or a blank NFC sticker for a couple of dollars.
No. Most people already own something that works. If not, blank NFC stickers are cheap and work fine.
Unlink it from Settings and link a new one. You won't be locked out permanently.
Yes. Locking and unlocking runs entirely on-device through Apple's Screen Time APIs — no account, no server.
Matcha doesn't have a server that sees which apps you open or block. Everything stays on your phone.
A softer alternative to a hard block — a brief breathing screen before a gated app opens, instead of stopping it outright.
Grab any tag you've already got and lock in for the first time in two minutes.
Download on the App Store