23:40
“Just one more video.”
Then it’s 01:12 and you’re wide awake. About half of young people who doomscroll lose more than an hour of sleep on those nights (Hopelab, 2026).
App blocker for Android
Stop doomscrolling. The key is your kettle.
Night Bandit gives you a daily scroll budget. When it’s spent, and every night at bedtime, your feed apps lock. To get back in, you have to get up, walk to your kettle and scan it. Most of the time, you won’t bother.
- Free to start
- Unlock by walking
- No gadget to buy
12
Hey! It’s curfew. Instagram can wait until morning.
Instagram is blocked
The walk unlocks for 10 minutes. 2 streak-safe unlocks left.
Urge beaten!
+10 XP
Look at you. Now go to sleep.
Walk to the kettle
Point the camera at it, like in the photo.
Fine. It’s open. I’m watching the clock.
Instagram re-locks in
10:00
Next walk buys 5 minutes.
Sound familiar?
Your thumb opens Instagram before you decide to.
It isn’t a willpower problem. Feeds are built to never end, and every limit your phone offers can be dismissed with one tap.
07:02
Alarm off, feed on.
You reach for the phone before your glasses. Twenty minutes later you’re late, and you can’t name one thing you saw.
16:15
“Ignore limit.” Tap.
Screen time limits and bedtime modes all have an off switch one tap away. When the urge hits, one tap is nothing.
So I took the off switch. It’s in the kitchen now, next to the kettle.
How it works
Three steps. One walk.
Five minutes to set up. After that, Nox does the guarding.
Pick what Nox guards
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit: any app, and any website in your browser. Then pick a daily scroll budget and a bedtime.
Show Nox a spot at home
Something that never moves and isn’t in your bedroom: the kettle, a bookshelf, a plant. Scan it from a few angles. The photos never leave your phone.
When time’s up, choose
Put the phone down and win XP. Or walk to your spot and scan it to unlock. Either way, you decided, not your thumb.
Each walk buys less time
Your unlocks shrink through the day: 10 minutes, then 5, then 3, then 2. Tomorrow it starts over.
10min
1st walk
5min
2nd walk
3min
3rd walk
2min
After that
Why walking works
By the time you reach the kettle, the urge is gone.
Night Bandit doesn’t ask you to resist anything. It only asks one question: is Instagram worth getting out of bed for?
Friction, not willpower
An urge to check your phone is short. A switch you can flip from bed doesn’t outlast it. A walk down the hall does.
Small pauses already work
In a peer-reviewed study, a 10-second pause before opening an app made people give up on 36% of their attempts (PNAS, 2023). A walk to the kitchen is a lot longer than ten seconds.
Never a trap
Calls, texts, your alarm and Settings are never blocked. If Nox can’t recognise your spot within 90 seconds, you get in anyway. You still did the walk.
How far away is your off switch?
- Screen time limit1 tap
- Bedtime mode1 tap
- Deleting the app30 s to reinstall
- NFC gadgets (Brick, Bloom)$39 to $59
- Night BanditA walk to the kettle
Meet Nox
A raccoon took your phone. Nox has feelings about it.
Nox guards your nights, sulks when you slip and throws a party when you don’t. Tap a mood.
Hi! I’m Nox. I take phones at bedtime and give them back in the morning.
Game on
Every day you keep is a win.
Streaks, XP, levels and badges, like your favourite language app. Except the prize is your evening back.
12 days
Streak
A day counts when you walked to unlock twice or less. Zero walks is a perfect day.
2 hearts
Hearts
Two streak-safe unlocks a day. Spend them wisely.
+10 XP
XP and levels
Every time you tap “I’ll put it down”. Kept days earn more.
Level 7
6 badges
Badges
Wildfire, Iron will, Zen master, Night walker, Sage and Hideouts, each with tiers.
No gadget needed
The physical unlock, without the gadget.
NFC blockers like Brick and Bloom proved it: a lock you have to get up for beats one you can tap away. They charge $39 to $59 for the gadget. Night Bandit uses something you already own.
Your stuff is the key
A kettle, a shelf, a poster. If it never moves, it works.
Nothing to buy
No gadget and no shipping. The app is free to start.
Nothing to forget
You can’t leave your kettle at a friend’s place.
Ready in five minutes
Scan your spot once. That’s the setup.
Compared
Why not just…
| Night Bandit | Built-in screen time | Other blocker apps | NFC gadgets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Getting back in | A walk to your spot and a scan | Tap “Ignore” or switch it off | Usually a tap, or a strict mode | Tap the gadget |
| Price | Free to start. Plus €19.99 a year | Free | Often $30 to $100 a year | $39 to $59, plus shipping |
| Extra thing to buy | None. Your kettle is the key | None | None | Yes |
| Bedtime and daily budget | Both | Both | Usually | Sessions you start |
| Fun | Streaks, XP and Nox | No | Sometimes | No |
Prices checked in September 2026 on the makers’ own sites.
Made for
Anyone whose thumb has a mind of its own.
Bed scrollers
In bed at 23:00, asleep at 01:00? That’s revenge bedtime procrastination. Nox takes the phone at bedtime so the night stays yours.
Students
Exam season and TikTok don’t mix. A daily budget keeps the feed small and your evenings free.
Autopilot checkers
Found Instagram open without remembering opening it? Common with ADHD, and common full stop. The walk puts a real decision in the way.
Parents
“Put your phone down” lands better when yours is already in the kitchen.
Pricing
Start free. Go Plus when you want more.
The blocker is never behind a paywall. Plus adds more spots, unlimited websites and your full history. These are the prices we plan for launch.
Free
€0
- Bedtime curfew and a daily scroll budget
- Block as many apps as you like
- Walk to unlock, with one spot
- Block up to 3 websites
- Streaks, XP, badges and every Nox mood
- Screen time for the last 7 days
Plus
€19.99 a year
or €2.99 a month, or €39.99 for life
- Everything in Free
- Several spots and places, drawn at random
- Unlimited websites
- Different schedules for weekdays and weekends
- Your full screen-time history, with export
- A wardrobe of outfits for Nox
Nox never sells streak repairs, hearts or extra unlocks. Slipping costs you a walk, not money.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
How does Night Bandit block apps?
When a blocked app opens during the curfew, or after your scroll budget is spent, Night Bandit covers it with its block screen straight away. Websites are blocked in your browser through Android’s accessibility service, which you switch on yourself during setup.
What if I really need my phone at night?
Calls, texts, your alarm clock and Settings are never blocked. Nox only guards the apps and websites you pick, and a walk always gets you in.
Can’t I just switch it off?
It’s your phone, so yes, just not on impulse. Unblocking an app or a website, shortening the curfew or raising your scroll budget waits 24 hours, and then you have to confirm it within 4 hours. Uninstalling always works. Nox would just rather you walked.
What if it’s dark, or the scan doesn’t work?
The torch turns on by itself in the dark. If Nox can’t recognise your spot within 90 seconds, you get in anyway. The walk was the point.
Which spot should I pick?
Something that never moves, looks the same day and night, and isn’t in your bedroom: a kettle, a coffee machine, a bookshelf, a poster. You can add more spots later.
Does it only work at night?
No. The daily scroll budget works all day: once your free minutes are spent, the apps lock until tomorrow unless you walk. The bedtime curfew then locks the night completely.
Which phones does it work on?
Android 10 and newer, including Samsung, Pixel and Xiaomi. Some phones put apps to sleep to save battery; setup shows you the one switch to flip so Nox keeps guarding overnight.
Is there an iPhone version?
Not yet. Night Bandit is Android first. Join the beta list and we’ll tell you if that changes.
Is it really free?
Yes. Blocking, the bedtime curfew, the scroll budget, walking to unlock and the whole game are free, with no time limit. Plus is optional: €2.99 a month, or €19.99 a year with a 7-day free trial, or €39.99 for life.
Is it available in French?
Yes. The app and this site are in English and French.
Tonight, let Nox take the phone.
Night Bandit is in closed beta on Android. Google asks for 12 testers over 14 days before an app can launch, so your spot really counts.
We’ll only email you about the beta and the launch.
You’re on the list. Two steps to get the app:
- Join the tester group with the Google account you use on Google Play.
- Install from Google Play. We post the test link in the group as soon as it opens, and you opt in from there.
Free during the beta. Android 10 and newer. On iPhone? Night Bandit comes to iPhone later.