Hourlock

A free, open-source app blocker for Android.
No Google services, no subscription, no account, no ads, no trackers, and no permissions at all (not even internet).

Made by RKF with help from Claude (Anthropic).

Hourlock lets you block apps, give them a daily time limit, or get nagged when you overdo it. It was made on GrapheneOS and works on any Android 10+ phone, with or without Google services. The whole app is about 60 KB.

Modes

Every app you add gets one of four modes:

Mode	What happens
Not restricted	Only counts today's minutes
Warn me	Never blocks. After the daily threshold (default 30 min) a popup appears, and another one stacks on top every 2 minutes you stay
Daily time limit	Free use until the limit (default 30 min), then blocked
Always blocked	Blocked all the time

On first start, Instagram, TikTok and Discord are added (if installed) as "Not restricted". Add any other app with + Add app.

Unlocking is deliberately annoying

• Opening a blocked app sends you home and shows a notice with only a Close button. There is no unlock button there.
• To unlock, you have to open Hourlock yourself, tap Unlock on the app and wait out its timer (15 s by default, 5 s to 1 h per app). Leaving the screen restarts the timer.
• An unlock gives 5 minutes (adjustable) of in-app time. The minutes only count down while the app is on screen. Leftovers expire at midnight.
• From the 3rd unlock of a day, the app turns red.

Changing rules

Stricter changes (stricter mode, fewer minutes, longer wait) apply instantly. Looser changes need a 3-minute countdown that restarts if you leave the screen. That covers a less strict mode, more minutes, a shorter wait, or removing an app. All counters reset at midnight.

Install

1. Download the latest Hourlock-x.y.apk from Releases on your phone and open it. Allow "Install unknown apps" for your browser or file manager when asked.
2. Open Hourlock, tap Accessibility, then Hourlock, and try the switch. On Android 13 and newer it says "Restricted setting", because the app didn't come from an app store.
3. Back in Hourlock, tap App info, then ⋮ (top right), then Allow restricted settings, and confirm.
4. Tap Accessibility again, then Hourlock, and turn it on. Android warns that it can see your screen; Hourlock only checks which app is open.
5. Tap each app and pick its mode.

Check that your APK is genuine

Every official Hourlock APK is signed with this certificate (SHA-256):

7D:90:96:F4:72:5B:73:D1:3D:FB:BC:FE:92:1D:5D:46:C9:0A:BC:67:06:F1:19:2C:5F:48:8C:07:18:D7:CA:49

Check it with an app like AppVerifier, or with apksigner verify --print-certs Hourlock-x.y.apk. If it doesn't match, don't install it.

Notes for some phones

• Battery savers. Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO (HyperOS/MIUI), Huawei, OnePlus and some Samsung phones may switch the service off to save battery. If blocking stops working, set Hourlock's battery usage to Unrestricted / No restrictions, and on Xiaomi also enable Autostart.
• Profiles. Hourlock only sees apps in the profile it's installed in. For apps in a work profile, a GrapheneOS profile or Private Space, install Hourlock in that profile too.
• Menu names differ a bit between brands, but "Allow restricted settings" is always in the ⋮ menu of the app's App info page.
• Android 9 and older aren't supported.

Privacy

Hourlock uses Android's accessibility service only to see which app has a window on screen (its package name). It never reads, stores or sends text or anything else from other apps. It declares no permissions, has no internet access, and keeps everything in its own private storage on your phone.

Honest limits

• Android always lets you turn an accessibility service off or uninstall an app. Without root or device-owner setup, no app can prevent that. Hourlock is a strong speed bump, not a jail.
• Websites in the browser (instagram.com etc.) aren't blocked.
• Apps in picture-in-picture mode are ignored, because going home can't close them.
• This is a young project. The rules logic is covered by 95 automated tests, but please report anything odd on your phone in Issues.

Build it yourself

No Gradle and no Google libraries: just a JDK (17+) and three pieces of the Android SDK (platforms;android-33 and build-tools;36.0.0).

ANDROID_JAR=$ANDROID_HOME/platforms/android-33/android.jar \
BUILD_TOOLS=$ANDROID_HOME/build-tools/36.0.0 \
./build.sh

build.sh runs the tests, then compiles, packages, aligns and signs build/Hourlock.apk. Without the project key it signs with a throwaway local key, which works fine but can't update an install of an official release.

Every push is tested and built by GitHub Actions. Releases are signed on the maintainer's own computer and uploaded by hand, so the signing key never touches GitHub.

Code tour

File	What it does
src/app/unscroll/Engine.java	All the rules, in plain Java with tests
src/app/unscroll/BlockerService.java	Watches which app is open, books time, blocks, warns
src/app/unscroll/BlockActivity.java	The Close-only notice and the unlock screen
src/app/unscroll/MainActivity.java	App list, editing, the 3-minute wait, adding apps
src/app/unscroll/WarnOverlay.java	The stacking Warn popups
src/app/unscroll/Store.java	Saves rules and today's counters
test/app/unscroll/EngineTest.java	The tests

The app ID is app.unscroll, after the project's working title, so the early installs keep updating.

License

Copyright (C) 2026 RKF (RealKHFan). Written with help from Claude.

Hourlock is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. See LICENSE.