This article provides troubleshooting solutions for common issues that may arise when using Freedom on your iPhone or iPad.
Apps or websites are not blocked
If apps or websites are not being blocked on your device, follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue:
1. Make sure Blocking Tools are installed
Check if you've installed and given permissions for the following tools:
Screen Time app blocking
Freedom Profile/VPN
Safari Content Blocker
For installation instructions, visit: Installing Freedom on your iPhone or iPad
Tip: The Safari Content Blocker is required for blocking websites in Safari. To block websites in non-Safari browsers, install the Freedom Profile (VPN).
2. Check for other VPNs
On iOS, only one VPN can be active at a time. If another VPN is active on your device, the Freedom Profile (VPN) won't work. As a result, website blocking will not work consistently—especially in browsers other than Safari.
Freedom can be used without the Freedom Profile (VPN) installed if needed. For more information, see How to use Freedom without installing the Freedom Profile (VPN). To use Freedom without its VPN, follow these steps:
Delete the Freedom Profile (VPN) from your device settings.
Manually block apps or non-Safari browsers, such as Chrome, that are causing issues.
For additional guidance, visit: Freedom Profile VPN Explained.
3. Add apps to your blocklist
Ensure that the apps you want to block are included in your blocklist:
Go to the Edit Blocklist screen and tap Add iOS Apps to Block.
For more details, refer to How to Block Apps on iOS
4. Check active sessions and blocklists
To ensure apps and websites are properly blocked, follow these steps:
Check Active Sessions:
Open the Today tab to view active sessions.
Tap on an active session to see the details and blocklists applied.
Verify Blocklist:
Go to the Blocklists tab.
Confirm the app or website is included in the blocklist.
ℹ️ If you have recently added a new device to your Freedom account, you must manually include it in your sessions for blocking to work on that device.
To do this, go to your Freedom dashboard, open the relevant session, and edit the session to add the new device. Blocks will not apply unless the device is part of the active session.
5. Review the Number of Apps in Your Blocklist(s)
Apple’s Screen Time limits the number of apps and categories that can be blocked during any given block session (up to 49). To stay within this limit:
Remove unnecessary apps from your blocklists. The total number of apps and categories needs to stay at 49 or fewer across all currently active blocklists combined.
Consider blocking entire categories (e.g., the "Social" category) instead of selecting individual apps.
6. Make sure Freedom is active
If opening the Freedom app manually starts your session, it suggests the app was not active. For tips on keeping Freedom active, visit: Ensuring Freedom is active on iOS
7. Check “Always Allowed” Apps
If apps aren't being blocked when they should be, check for any exceptions that might be in place
Go to iOS Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed.
Ensure that the apps you want to block are not listed under Allowed Apps.
8. Review Screen Time Limits
Using both Freedom and Apple’s Screen Time restrictions together can cause conflicts. If Screen Time limits are ignored, Freedom might not block apps as expected.
To check your Screen Time limits, go to iOS Settings > Screen Time > App Limits.
Sessions Don’t Start or End on Time
If your sessions start late or only begin after opening the Freedom app, follow the tips in Ensuring Freedom is active on iOS to ensure Freedom stays active and sessions begin and end on schedule.
Apps Are Blocked Unexpectedly
If an app cannot load content or connect to the internet during a block session, it could be due to the Freedom Profile (VPN) blocking a related filter or domain.
Solutions:
Remove the specific filter causing the issue.
Or, use Freedom without the VPN Profile installed.
For more information, see: The Freedom Profile (VPN) Explained.
If you are seeing a grey "Restricted" screen blocking the app, common causes are listed below.
Common "Restricted" Screen Causes:
Related App Blocked (e.g., Messenger Kids is blocked because Messenger is)
Related Domain Blocked (e.g., facebook.com affects Messenger)
To fix this, remove the related app or domain from the blocklist.
Screen Time Permissions (Passcode Required)
On iOS 16+, Freedom requires access to Screen Time for app blocking. If you cannot enable permissions, it's likely because Face ID or Touch ID is not set up.
Solution:
Go to iOS Settings > Face ID (or Touch ID) & Passcode.
Turn on Face ID or Touch ID.
Return to the Freedom app and enable the permissions.
App Selection Screen Crashes
Freedom relies on Apple’s Screen Time API to display the app selection screen. Unfortunately, this API has performance issues for some users. This is a known limitation of the API and affects other blocking apps that use it as well. We have reported the issue to Apple and are awaiting a fix.
Current Workarounds
Until the issue is resolved, we recommend the following steps to improve performance:
Select App Categories Instead of Individual Apps
Choosing entire app categories (e.g., “Social” or “Games”) generally works much more smoothly than selecting many individual apps.Use the Search Bar for Easier Selection
The search function at the top of the screen can help quickly locate and manage apps for blocking.
TIP: Copy and paste the name of the app you're looking to add or remove.Force Quit and Restart Freedom
If the screen becomes unresponsive, try force quitting the Freedom app (swipe up from the app switcher) and reopening it. Then try the selection again.Reinstall the App if Needed
Some users have resolved the issue by deleting the Freedom app and reinstalling it from the App Store.
We’ll continue monitoring the situation and provide updates as soon as Apple improves the API.
Additional Information
Need help installing Freedom on your iOS device? See: Installing Freedom on iOS
Need help uninstalling Freedom from your iOS device? See:
Uninstalling Freedom on iOSHave any other questions about the iOS app? Visit: Freedom for iOS FAQ
Having trouble?
If you're having any difficulty, please feel free to contact us. We're happy to help!