A little help
finding your rhythm.

01 / THE BASICS

How to use Pausi

1. Connect Screen Time. Open Pausi and follow the setup prompts to grant access. This lets Pausi monitor the apps you choose and start breaks.
2. Choose your apps. Open Settings → App Limits in Pausi, or tap Manage setups from Home. Create or edit a setup and use Targets to select apps or categories.
3. Set your boundaries. Choose the usage limit and break duration. If you use a schedule, check its days and times. Turn on Enabled and save your setup.
4. Use your phone normally. When your configured limit is reached during an active monitoring period, Pausi shields the selected apps for a break.
5. Review your progress. Home shows your recent breaks. Open Statistics to explore the reports available with your plan.

A daily total limit applies across the apps and categories selected in that setup, rather than separately to each app.

02 / PERMISSIONS

Give Pausi Screen Time access

1. Open Pausi and continue through the Screen Time permission step.
2. Approve Apple’s permission request and authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode when asked.
3. Return to Pausi to finish setting up your app limits.

How to check access

In Pausi → Settings → Protection, check Status. It should show Approved or Approved with data access.

You can also open your device’s Settings → Screen Time and look for Apps with Screen Time Access. Check that Pausi is enabled. Depending on your system version, a Screen Time Restrictions switch may also appear in Pausi’s settings.

If access is missing or denied

Reopen Pausi and complete the access request shown in the app. If Pausi appears in the device’s Screen Time access list, check its switch there, then return to the app and check the status again. If it still won’t authorize, restart your device and retry.

For a child’s device, ask the parent or guardian to complete any required approval. Don’t change family restrictions to bypass a permission problem. Menu names can vary by iOS or iPadOS version.

03 / REMINDERS

Turn on notifications

1. In Pausi, open Settings → Notifications and enable Pre-break warning, Daily limit alerts, or both.
2. If Apple asks for notification permission, tap Allow.
3. If permission was previously denied, open your device’s Settings → Notifications → Pausi and turn on Allow Notifications. You can also look under Settings → Apps → Pausi → Notifications.
4. Choose where you want alerts to appear, such as the Lock Screen or banners. In Pausi, the Open Settings button appears when alerts are enabled in the app but blocked by iOS.

Still not seeing alerts?

Check whether Focus or Do Not Disturb is silencing Pausi. Check Scheduled Summary if alerts arrive later than expected. For daily limit alerts, confirm the alert percentages you want are enabled in Pausi.

Changes to daily limit alerts start in the next monitoring window. Turning them off takes effect immediately. Notification permission and Screen Time access are separate: check both.

Apple’s notification settings guide ↗

04 / QUICK FIXES

Breaks or app limits aren’t working

1. Check Screen Time access using the steps above.
2. Check the setup. Make sure it is enabled, includes the intended apps or categories, and has been saved.
3. Check the schedule. Confirm today and the current time are inside the monitoring period, if a schedule is enabled.
4. Check the kind of limit. A usage-based break depends on time spent in selected apps. A daily total limit counts their combined usage. Waiting without using a selected app is not the same as reaching its usage limit.
5. Reopen Pausi. Check Home for the current status. In Child Mode, if monitoring was stopped, use Settings → Monitoring → Start Monitoring.
6. Restart and update. Restart your iPhone or iPad, reopen Pausi, and check for Pausi and iOS/iPadOS updates.

An app is still blocked after a break

Check whether another Pausi setup, daily limit, or scheduled plan also covers that app. Check Apple’s own Screen Time limits and any other app blockers you use. If you cannot identify the restriction, contact us with the text shown on the blocked screen.

05 / YOUR PROGRESS

Statistics look empty or delayed

Confirm Screen Time access is approved, check the selected reporting period, and give the report time to load. If you have just set up Pausi, use your selected apps and complete a break before expecting break history. Some reports depend on your plan.

If the report still looks wrong, note which period is affected and contact us. Include what you expected to see and what the app shows.