Can you block apps on Android? Well, anything is possible on Android. But, there could be some limitations. What do you want to block specifically? Do you want limited time access or block the entire app installation?
Because that bloatware or third-party apps with each update can be annoying, we understand that, but can you do anything in your App drawer or dashboard to change that?
Below is the guide that will explore all the options available for you. Whether it is setting app limits, disabling it from the app’s settings, or setting a schedule.
You will even get some password-protected options. So, let’s look at what we have in the guide:
Can You Block Apps On Android?
As long as it isn’t an essential app, you can block it. Even for essential apps, there are options for you to block them.
If you want complete control of your phone, you could get it rooted or jailbreak. If you do that, you will lose warranty protection on your phone.
It won’t be the brand’s phone but your customizable phone. So, do that at your own risk.
If you don’t want to do that, yes, there are ways for you to block apps. And we will learn more about these methods below.
Reasons To Block Apps On Android
There are countless reasons. Let’s try to align the interests and see if any of these matches you:
- You’re tired of the bloatware. These apps get installed automatically or when you update the phone.
- The apps are getting installed and updated without your permission. And this is using the data that you want to conserve.
- You think specific apps take a good chunk of your daily routine. And this makes you unproductive.
- You want to limit or restrict app usage and access while working or when you’re in the company of others.
Some apps are outright annoying. And there are also some apps that you can’t uninstall. But there are solutions for them too. And yes, you can block them. How’s that?
Read on it ahead to learn more:
How To Block Apps On Android Devices?
- Use Google Family Link
- Use Parental Control Apps
- Disable Google Play Store Updates
- Block App Notifications On Your Smartphone
- Use The Disable Feature
- Using The Digital Wellbeing Feature
- Use A Third-Party Tool Like App Blocker
- Create A New User Profile On Your Device
1. Use Google Family Link
Google Family Link is an official parental control app. Parents can easily control the content on their child’s phones by using this. But, you will need two devices for it. So, what you do is:
- Install the Google Family Link App on both devices.
- Use one Device as a Parent device and another as a Child device.
- The child device should be where you want to restrict or block apps.
- Log in to both devices with your Google Account.
- Set one as Child Device and another as Parent Device.
- It will ask you to provide the child’s account. After that, you will get on-screen instructions on how to link it to the app.
- Now you can use the built-in controls of Google Family Link to control apps on another phone easily.
- For instance, you can allow or disable any specific app from being used.
- This solution primarily works for children, and employees, if they have company-provided devices.
This is a great step if you have a device you want to control.
2. Use Parental Control Apps
There are many official parental control apps available in the market that you can use. Please make sure they are credible when using any of these third-party tools.
If you don’t want to use the Parental Control Apps or Google Family link, there’s another way:
- Tap to launch the Google Play Store on a device.
- Click on your Profile Icon to open the Menu. It could also be just the Menu option for older androids.
- Select Settings from the list, and you will find a section called ‘Family.’
- There, you have the Parental Controls option. It might be off. So go ahead and switch it on.
- You will have to set up a pin and select the Age groups you want to restrict.
- Upon restriction, the apps will need a Pin for anyone to download or update.
You can remove the restrictions by using a similar approach. Remember that each app for the age group will require a pin. This will only work for the Play Store. This step won’t work if the user uses a different app store.
3. Disable Google Play Store Updates
Now, this step isn’t for you to block apps. It is to ensure that you can block the updates. If you’re tired of apps draining all your data, especially on a limited connection, you might want to try this:
- Once again, visit the Google Play Store.
- Find the Menu by clicking on your profile picture.
- Then go to Settings, and instead of Family, select the Network preferences.
- You will have an App Download Preference, Auto-Update App, and Auto-Play Videos.
- You can select Auto-Update and Disable the feature. You can also change other settings to save data.
Once again, remember that this will restrict app updates. It won’t block the apps. So, this is a good idea if you don’t always want to update the apps automatically. Not even in the Wi-Fi connection.
4. Block App Notifications On Your Smartphone
Are you looking for a way to block notifications for your app and not the entire app? There is a way for you to do that. Sometimes, all we need is to get rid of the annoying notifications instead of the entire app.
- Find the app that you want to disable the notifications for.
- Long press on it and then select the App Info option.
- You will see the Notifications option right there. Tap on it.
- Next, you can go ahead and customize the notifications. Do you want to disable them all? There’s a toggle switch for you.
- If you can’t find Notifications in the App Info, open your phone’s Settings.
- Find the Notification settings and see if you can restrict or mute certain apps. This is for older versions of Androids.
Using focus mode or Do Not Disturb mode would be better for productivity. Consider these options if you don’t want notifications or disturbance for a set amount of time. Otherwise, go with disabling the notifications.
5. Use The Disable Feature
One of the best features in Android is the Disable feature. It will block the app from being active, updating, and everything else. The only drawback is that the app is still installed on your phone. Thus, it will consume storage space.
But, it can’t do anything, and you won’t see it in your system until you stop disabling it. So, how to do it?
- Like before, go to the Phone’s Settings and find the Apps option. If you can’t find it, then long-press on the app you want to disable and go to App Info.
- Scroll down to the bottom, and you will see a Disable option. Tap on it.
- This will disable the App from doing anything. It is like blocking or blacklisting the app. You can find and enable it if you plan to use it again.
This feature is great for the Apps that come built-in, and you can’t get rid of them. You can use it for apps like Facebook and others. It will be fine if the system doesn’t receive any impact.
6. Using The Digital Wellbeing Feature
Digital Wellbeing is a great initiative on Android phones. You will find it on most branded phones like Samsung, Huawei, Google Pixel, iPhone, and more.
What does it do?
- You can check app usage and screen time.
- You can set data usage limits on apps.
- You can set a timer on app usage for each day to have limited access.
The Digital Wellbeing app ensures that you have a healthy relationship with tech. It can even block the app notifications automatically and more.
This is for you if you don’t want to spend excessive time on apps.
- Go to the Settings of your Phone.
- Use the Search Bar
- Type Digital Wellbeing.
- See if your phone has it.
- If it does, activate it, and you can set or control almost any app.
- If your phone doesn’t have built-in Digital Wellbeing, the official app is available on PlayStore. There are many counterparts too.
7. Use A Third-Party Tool Like App Blocker
There are many third-party options available as App Locker, App Blocker, etc.
As mentioned above, there are Google Family Link and Digital Wellbeing. You can download and install them.
First, check your phone’s built-in options and apps. Some phones and models come with customization.
For instance, some phones have an App inventory with their dedicated blocked app list. So, you could give it a try.
But remember, only use trusted, certified, or authenticated third-party apps. Otherwise, you could expose yourself to danger.
8. Create A New User Profile On Your Device
The profile is one of the greatest features ever introduced to the Android ecosystem.
There are ways for you to create more than one user profile for each Android Phone. People can easily customize it. This idea was first seen on Google Chrome.
What it does is that whenever you select a new profile, everything changes. The theme, settings, preference, etc.
So, you can go ahead and create more than one profile. You can also choose which is Admin or main profile, and what are guests or secondary.
When you create profiles other than primary, you can restrict or block apps on those profiles. You can completely control what you would like to do on that.
- First, open the Settings of your Phone.
- Then go to System and find the Multiple Users option.
- There, you will see the Add Guest or Add User option.
- Once you add them, you can customize what the profiles can do.
Many phones also come with Kids Mode. You could activate it to restrict usage on your phone.
Conclusion – Block Apps On Android
Now you know everything about blocking apps on Android phones. So, next time you want to block apps on Android, you know what to do.
Yes, most of these options will work on the iPhone too. The iPhone also has its Apple Ecosystem, which can offer better controls. But that is an entirely different setup.
You can use these steps for your tablets, family devices, and Android TV. So go ahead and have control over your apps.