How to Block BeReal on iPhone
A Screen Time App Limit on BeReal blocks the icon, but the daily notification is the real trigger — muting it matters more than the limit itself.
Blocking BeReal on iPhone means setting a Screen Time App Limit under the Social category, but the limit alone misses the actual trigger: BeReal's entire product is a single unpredictable notification each day with a short window to respond, and an App Limit does nothing to that notification. If the goal is fewer interruptions rather than just a locked icon, muting the notification matters as much as the block itself.
How do you set a Screen Time limit on BeReal?
- Open Settings → Screen Time → App Limits.
- Tap Add Limit, then choose Social (BeReal falls under this category) or search for BeReal directly and select just that app.
- Set a time — many people set it to the lowest option, since there's little reason to spend more than a couple of minutes in BeReal at all.
- Choose the days it applies.
- Tap Add.
Because BeReal's whole interaction is triggered by a notification rather than by opening the app on your own, also go to Settings → Notifications → BeReal and turn off Allow Notifications, or at least disable banners and sounds, if you want the daily prompt gone rather than just the app locked once you respond to it. Set a Screen Time passcode under Screen Time → Lock Screen Time Settings too, separate from your device passcode, so the App Limit itself can't be casually removed. Menu paths shift slightly across iOS versions but have held this shape for several releases.
Why does the BeReal limit stop working after a few days?
The App Limit screen offers an Ignore Limit button for one more minute, 15 more minutes, or the rest of the day, asking for the Screen Time passcode first if one is set. For most apps this is a general willpower failure. For BeReal it's sharper: the notification arrives at a random moment, gives roughly two minutes to post, and missing that window gets your post visibly flagged as late to your friends. That specific, time-boxed social cost is exactly what makes people override the block the moment the notification lands, rather than at some vaguer point later in the day.
Every App Limit also resets to zero at midnight regardless of use, which matters less here than for a feed app — BeReal doesn't reward extra minutes the way an endless scroll does, so the reset itself isn't really the leak. The notification timing is.
Does blocking the BeReal app also block bere.al or bereal.com?
Blocking the app icon has no effect on bere.al or bereal.com opened in Safari — go to Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → Content Restrictions → Web Content, choose Limit Adult Websites, and add both domains under "Never Allow." BeReal isn't built around a full browser experience the way a feed app like Instagram or Snapchat is, so this step matters less on its own than it does for those apps — but shared post links and any account or download pages still route through these domains, so it's worth the extra thirty seconds even if it's not where most of the temptation lives.
What makes BeReal specifically hard to stop opening?
BeReal isn't a feed with no bottom — it's the opposite. One unpredictable notification lands once a day, and you get about two minutes to respond before it's flagged as late. That's engineered interruption rather than open-ended scrolling: there's no algorithm keeping you inside the app for an extra ten minutes, just a hard deadline that arrives without warning and a visible social consequence for missing it. If the discomfort here is less about time spent and more about compulsively checking your phone across the day waiting for that one prompt, the guide on how to stop doomscrolling covers the related habit of reflexive checking, even though BeReal's pull isn't scrolling in the usual sense.
What's the most realistic way to actually block BeReal?
| Approach | What it does | Honest verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Time App Limit on BeReal | Blocks the app icon after the set time | Doesn't stop the notification itself, and the two-minute window pressure makes Ignore Limit especially tempting |
| Turning off BeReal notifications | Silences the daily prompt entirely | Removes the actual trigger, but you'll only see the day's BeReal if you open the app on your own |
| Downtime schedule | Blocks BeReal (and most apps) during set hours | Only useful if the prompt reliably lands inside that window; random timing makes this a partial fix |
| Deleting the app | Removes the icon and app entirely | Effective, but your account and history are unaffected and reinstalling takes seconds |
| Conditional unlock (e.g., Step N Scroll) | Keeps BeReal locked until a daily step goal, set via Apple Health, is met | Doesn't stop the notification from arriving, and doesn't suit people who want a fully free tool, can't walk much, or use Android — there's no Android version |
For blocking BeReal alongside other social apps you're managing at the same time — Instagram, for instance — the same App Limit and Content Restriction steps apply per app; the full list of app guides covers each one's specifics.
What can't a BeReal block fix?
No setting here stops BeReal from being what it is: a notification you can't schedule around, because you don't know when it's coming. You can always turn the App Limit off, delete the blocking app, or simply open BeReal directly without waiting for the prompt. Screen Time and notification controls raise friction and reduce interruptions; they don't remove your ability to override either one.
The evidence that blocking tools change long-term app-checking habits is thin and largely self-reported, and BeReal's format — one prompt, once a day — means the usual "endless scrolling" research doesn't map onto it well anyway. If the actual discomfort is the social pressure of a visible streak or a late label, that's a dynamic between you and your friends on the app, not something a phone setting resolves.
FAQ
Does blocking BeReal with a Screen Time App Limit also stop the daily notification?
No. App Limits only restrict the app icon once it's opened past your allotted time. The daily "Time to BeReal" push notification still arrives on schedule; you'd need to turn it off separately under Settings → Notifications → BeReal.
What happens if I miss the BeReal window because the app is blocked?
The same thing that happens if you miss it for any other reason: you can still post, but it's marked as a late BeReal, visible to your friends. A Screen Time block doesn't excuse a missed window or hide the late label — it just adds another reason you might miss it.
What happens when I tap "Ignore Limit" on BeReal?
iOS unlocks BeReal for one more minute, 15 more minutes, or the rest of the day, and asks for your Screen Time passcode first if one is set. Because the daily prompt has a short window, this is the button people reach for specifically to avoid a late post.
Does BeReal have a companion app I need to block separately?
No. Unlike Instagram, which splits into a separate Threads app, BeReal doesn't have a companion app tied to the same account. Blocking the one app covers the whole product.
Does deleting BeReal delete my streak or memories?
No. Your account, past BeReals, and friend connections are stored on BeReal's servers, not on your device, so reinstalling and logging back in restores them. A streak is based on consecutive days posted, though, so any day you don't post — whether because the app is deleted, blocked, or you simply forgot — breaks it regardless of the reason.
Can an app like Step N Scroll see that I've specifically blocked BeReal?
No. Apple's Family Controls framework gives third-party apps opaque tokens representing blocked apps, not the app's actual identity. Developers in this category cannot see that you're blocking BeReal specifically.
Sources
- Apple Support — "Set up Screen Time for yourself on iPhone"
- Apple Support — "Set content and privacy restrictions on iPhone"
- Apple Support — "Change notification settings on iPhone"
- Pew Research Center — "Teens, Social Media and Technology"
Step N Scroll is a habit and screen-time tool, not a medical device. Nothing here is medical advice.