PicoThe idea in one line
Pico locks the apps you choose, and gives them back as you walk. One hundred steps earns one minute.
That's the whole mechanic. Everything else is detail.
Why a cost works better than a timer
Most screen time tools give you an allowance and an off switch. You set thirty minutes, you hit thirty minutes, and a screen appears with a button that says you can carry on anyway. You press it, because pressing it costs nothing.
Pico removes the off switch and replaces it with a price. Your apps aren't forbidden — they're just not free. If you want fifteen minutes on Instagram, that's fifteen hundred steps, and you can go and get them.
What changes isn't your willpower, it's the shape of the decision. "Should I be disciplined right now?" is a question you'll lose most days. "Is this worth a walk?" is a question with an honest answer either way, and when the answer is yes, you walked.
How it works, step by step
- Choose what gets locked. In Block, pick the apps and categories you want behind the wall. Essentials like Phone, Messages and Maps can stay out of it.
- Walk. Pico reads your step count from Apple Health. Anything Health records counts — your iPhone in a pocket, an Apple Watch, or another tracker that syncs.
- Earn Energy. Every 100 steps becomes 1 Energy. Energy is the currency.
- Spend it when you want in. Unlock everything you've blocked for 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes. When the time's up they lock again.
There's a daily cap of 100 Energy, so a single enormous walk doesn't buy a week of scrolling.
Difficulty changes the exchange rate
Three settings, chosen in onboarding and changeable later:
- Easy — a gentler rate, more screen time per step
- Medium — 100 steps for 1 minute
- Hard — your steps buy less
Difficulty also sets the rate for push-ups and sit-ups, so the whole economy moves together.
It uses Apple's own blocking
Pico blocks through Screen Time — the same system built into iOS — using Apple's Family Controls and Managed Settings frameworks. That matters for two reasons.
The block is real, not a reminder. And Pico can't see what you do: the apps you choose are stored as opaque tokens that even Pico can't read, and your usage numbers are drawn on screen by Apple's own code, never handed over.
What it won't do
Worth being straight about the limits:
- It isn't a parental control app. It's for blocking your own apps, by your own choice.
- It can't stop a determined bypass. Anyone can delete Pico. The point is friction and a fair price, not a cage.
- Exercise doesn't earn puzzle pieces. Only walking does — the worlds stay a reward for steps.
- It needs Apple Health and Screen Time access. Without those permissions the core loop can't run.
Privacy, concretely
Pico has no servers, no account and no analytics. There is nothing to leak because there is nowhere for anything to go.
- Steps are read from Apple Health on your iPhone and never sent anywhere.
- Your blocked apps stay inside Apple's Screen Time system as tokens Pico can't read.
- Progress is stored on your iPhone, and in your own iCloud if you leave backup on.
- Payments go through Apple. We never see your name, email or card.
The privacy policy has the full detail.
Common questions
How many steps do I need to unlock my apps?
On Medium, 100 steps buys 1 minute — so 15 minutes costs 1,500 steps. Easy gives you more per step and Hard gives you less.
Does Pico work without an Apple Watch?
Yes. It reads whatever Apple Health records, and an iPhone in your pocket counts steps perfectly well on its own.
Can I still get into an app in an emergency?
You choose what's blocked, so essentials like Phone, Messages and Maps can be left out entirely. You can also always spend Energy you've already earned.
What happens to Energy I don't spend?
It stays for the day and is capped at 100. Earning is per-day, so Energy doesn't bank up indefinitely.
Does Pico see which apps I use?
No. Apple's Screen Time system renders those numbers directly onto Pico's screens, and your blocked apps are stored as tokens Pico can't decode.
Where to go next
- Push-ups and sit-ups for screen time — when there's no time for a walk
- Worlds and puzzle pieces — what the daily goal earns
- How to block apps on iPhone — the free built-in alternative
