Guides
Plain answers on screen time, steps and phone habits. Every number links to its source.
Screen time
Cutting phone time without white-knuckling it.
Screen timeHow to Reduce Screen Time on iPhone: A 14-Day PlanFind your real Screen Time number, set up Apple's built-in tools on iOS 27 or iOS 26, then follow a day-by-day plan that makes the new limits stick.
Screen timeHow to Stop Doomscrolling: 9 Fixes That Actually WorkNine ways to stop doomscrolling, ranked by the research behind each one, with the iPhone settings to use and the catch that comes with every fix.
Screen timeWalk to Unlock Apps: How Step-Gated App Blockers WorkWhat walk-to-unlock apps are, the two designs (daily goal vs steps for minutes), why they work, how they run on iPhone, and their honest limits.
iPhone how-tos
Step-by-step guides for limiting specific apps on iPhone.
iPhone how-tosCan You Block YouTube Shorts on iPhone? What Actually WorksNo iPhone setting removes just the Shorts tab. Here's what does work: YouTube's Shorts feed limit, fewer Shorts on Home, and locking or limiting all of YouTube.
iPhone how-tosHow to Block TikTok on iPhone (and Make It Stick)How to block TikTok on iPhone: TikTok's own limits and teen defaults, Screen Time steps for iOS 27 and 26, deleting vs blocking, and closing the web back door.
iPhone how-tosHow to Limit Instagram on iPhone (3 Ways That Work)Three ways to limit Instagram on iPhone: Instagram's own daily limit, a Screen Time limit that also shuts the Safari back door, and a lock you walk off.
iPhone how-tosHow to Stop Tapping 'Ignore Limit' on iPhone Screen TimeWhy iPhone Screen Time limits are so easy to ignore, the settings Apple documents that make them stricter, and what to do when a passcode isn't enough.
Steps & walking
How many steps you need, and how to get them.
Steps & walkingHow Many Steps a Day Do You Really Need?What the biggest step studies found: where the benefits start, where they level off by age, what 7,000 steps looks like, and how to set your own goal.
Steps & walkingHow to Get More Steps a Day: 21 Ideas That Don't Need a Gym21 practical ways to add steps at home, at work, on the commute and on your phone, with rough step counts for each and the research on what makes them stick.
Steps & walkingWhere Did 10,000 Steps Come From? The Real StoryThe 10,000-step goal started as a 1960s Japanese pedometer name. Here's that story, what step research says now, and whether 10,000 is still worth aiming for.
Habits
The research on rules that actually stick.
Comparisons
StepGate next to the other apps, honestly. See all comparisons.