Brick alternative for Android: the physical unlock, without the $59 gadget

What Brick does, and why it works

Brick is a small magnetic NFC puck. You choose the apps to block in the Brick app, tap your phone on the Brick to lock them, and tap again to unlock. You can set up to 10 "modes" (for example Sleep, Work, Weekend), and one Brick works with any number of phones.

• Price: $59, with no subscription. A mount ($15) and a case ($39) are sold separately.
• Phones: Android 12 or newer, or iOS 17 or newer.
• Emergencies: you get 5 "Emergency Unbricks". To reset them you contact support, which says it answers within one business day.
• Lose it: you can still lock without the Brick, but unlocking needs the Brick or an Emergency Unbrick.
• Shipping: worldwide, from the US, UK, Australia, the Netherlands and Canada.
• Android limits: the Phone app and the home screen can't be blocked, and a Strict Mode stops you deleting the app or changing its settings.

The idea behind it is friction. Screen-time limits built into phones can be dismissed with one tap, and one tap is nothing when the urge hits. Getting up to find an object is a real decision. Research on smaller pauses backs this up: in a peer-reviewed study of 280 people, a 10-second pause before opening an app made people give up on 36% of their attempts (PNAS, 2023, co-written by the maker of the one sec app).

Why people look for a Brick alternative

• The price. $59 is a lot for something that does one thing, especially outside the US once you add shipping.
• One more thing to carry, or lose. If the Brick stays home, you can't unlock at work. If you take it with you, it's always in your pocket.
• No remote unlock. Testers for NBC Select noted you can't unlock when you're away from the Brick.
• You want it free. The same idea works with an NFC sticker, a printed QR code, or an object you already own.

Brick alternatives compared

If you still want a gadget

Bloom is the closest thing to Brick: a $39 stainless-steel NFC card for iPhone and Android, with schedules, break timers and "emergency exits", and the app included without a subscription. Autonomous Key is the budget option at $9, but it only started shipping in August 2026 and TechCrunch found the NFC scan sometimes needed several tries. ScreenZen Halo flips the idea: apps stay blocked while you're near the pebble (say, in the bedroom), and you get them back by leaving the room. It ships to the US only. Avoid gadgets that also require a subscription unless you've tried the app first: Unpluq's tag only works with a paid plan.

If you want it free

Two free Android apps unlock with a tag you own. TapBlok is open source and accepts an NFC sticker or a printed QR code, so you can tape the code to your fridge. It is installed from GitHub rather than Google Play, which is fine but less convenient. Lock – NFC App Blocker is free with no in-app purchases, supports up to 5 tags and uses Android's accessibility service. It needs Android 14 and an NFC chip, and it's still small (about a thousand downloads).

The no-gadget option: make a spot at home the key

This is what we built Night Bandit to do. Instead of a puck or a card, the key is something that already lives in your home and never moves: the kettle, a bookshelf, a poster in the hall.

1. Pick what to guard. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit: any app, and websites in your browser. Set a daily scroll budget and a bedtime.
2. Show Night Bandit your spot. Scan it from a few angles. The photos stay on your phone.
3. When time's up, choose. Put the phone down and earn XP, or walk to your spot and scan it. Each walk buys less time than the last: 10 minutes, then 5, then 3, then 2.

A few details matter for a Brick-style lock:

• You can't leave the key at a friend's place. It's your kettle.
• Never a trap. Calls, texts, your alarm and Settings are never blocked. If the camera can't recognise your spot within 90 seconds, you get in anyway: you still did the walk.
• A slow off switch. Unblocking an app or shortening the curfew waits 24 hours and asks you to confirm again, much like Brick's Strict Mode.
• Honest limits. Like every Android blocker (Brick included), it works by covering a blocked app as soon as it opens, not by deleting anything. It needs a camera and a little light (the torch turns on by itself in the dark). And it's in closed beta on Android right now.

Which one should you pick?

• You want a beautiful object, and your household mixes iPhone and Android: Brick or Bloom.
• You want free and don't mind tinkering: TapBlok with a printed QR code on the fridge.
• Your problem is the bedroom, and you live in the US: ScreenZen Halo.
• You want no hardware, a proper bedtime lock and a bit of fun (streaks, and a raccoon who takes your phone): Night Bandit.