Blink Blink on iPhone and iPad

iPhone downloads aren't available yet. The iPhone and iPad version is written but hasn't been tested on a device. This page explains how it will work, for iOS 17 or later.

Sideloading, when it's available

Sideloading means installing an app file (an .ipa) signed with your own Apple ID. Two tools do this from a Mac or Windows PC:

• On the phone, turn on Developer Mode (Settings › Privacy & Security › Developer Mode) and restart when asked.
• The first time, trust your Apple ID under Settings › General › VPN & Device Management.
• On Windows, AltStore asks for iTunes and iCloud from Apple's website, not the Microsoft Store versions (AltStore: How to Install (Windows)).
• A free Apple ID allows 3 active sideloaded apps at a time, and AltStore itself is one of them (AltStore: Activating Apps).
• A paid Apple Developer account makes the signature last a year instead of 7 days.

Set up the Shortcuts automations

iOS has no whole-phone mode. Shortcuts can only react when an app opens or closes, so Blink Blink counts time only in the apps you set up. First pick them in Settings › Tracked apps (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Reddit, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads, Safari or Other). The same steps are in the app under Shortcut setup guide.

Blink Blink uses two Shortcuts automations for each app you track. One checks for a break when the app opens. The other logs when you leave it. Setup takes about two minutes per app. In the steps, {app} is the app you're setting up.

When the app opens

1. Open the Shortcuts app. Open Shortcuts and tap Automation at the bottom. Tap + in the top corner, or New Automation if this is your first one.
2. Choose {app}. Scroll down and tap App. Tap Choose, select {app}, then tap Done.
3. Pick "Is Opened". Check Is Opened and leave Is Closed unchecked.
4. Run Immediately. Select Run Immediately and turn off Notify When Run. Then tap Next.
5. Start from blank. Tap New Blank Automation.
6. Add "Check Eye Break". Tap Add Action, search for Check Eye Break and tap it. Tap App in the action and pick {app}.
7. Add an If. Search for If and add it below. Its input should be the Check Eye Break result. Set the condition to "is" and the value to True.
8. Add "Start Eye Break" inside the If. Search for Start Eye Break and place it between If and Otherwise. Tap App and pick {app}. Leave Otherwise empty, then tap Done.

When the app closes

1. Add a second automation. Tap + again, tap App and select {app}. This time check Is Closed only. Select Run Immediately, turn off Notify When Run and tap Next.
2. Add "Log App Closed". Tap New Blank Automation, add Log App Closed and pick {app}. Tap Done. This tells Blink Blink how long you stayed and cancels its reminder when you leave.

Finish

1. Allow reminders. If you stay in {app} past your break interval, Blink Blink sends a time-sensitive notification. Allow notifications for Blink Blink and keep Time Sensitive Notifications on.
2. Try it. Open {app}. Nothing appears at first: Blink Blink counts your time and steps in when a break is due. After the break, tap Done to go back to {app}. Repeat these steps for each app you track.

For Safari and Other, Blink Blink can't reopen the app for you: after a break you'll see "Swipe back to continue."

These steps match the app's own Shortcut setup guide, written for iOS 17 to 26.

What's different on iOS

• Only the apps you set up count. Time in other apps, or on the Home Screen, doesn't.
• Friction is always Gentle for now: skip any time, snooze 5 minutes as often as you like.
• There's no heads-up pill and no Longer rest. The hourly rest arrives as a prompt.
• No quiet detection: iOS doesn't tell apps about calls or fullscreen video.

When the app stops opening

With a free Apple ID, a sideloaded app's signature lasts 7 days. After that it won't open until you refresh it in AltStore or reinstall it with Sideloadly. Refreshing in AltStore keeps your settings. See Troubleshooting.