This article lists possible problems you might experience using Freedom on your iPhone or iPad, and their solutions.
Apps or websites are not blocked
If apps, websites, or both are not getting blocked on iOS, please go through the following troubleshooting steps:
Ensure blocking tools are installed
Make sure you have installed the necessary blockers and have added app-blocking permissions including:
Screen Time app blocking permissions
Freedom Profile/VPN
Safari Content blocker
Instructions for installing all blocking tools can be found here: Installing Freedom on your iPhone or iPad
Tip: the Content Blocker is needed for blocking websites in Safari. To also block websites in non-Safari browsers, install the Freedom Profile (VPN).
Make sure you’ve added iOS apps to your blocklist
You can check this by tapping ‘Add iOS Apps to block’ on the Edit Blocklist screen. For more details, see How to Block Apps on iOS
Confirm the app/website is on your blocklist and an active session is running
Check active sessions:
Open the Today tab to view the sessions currently running.
Tap on an active session to view its details and see the blocklists applied.
Verify the app/website is in the blocklist:
Go to the Blocklists tab.
Ensure the app or website is included in the blocklist.
Review the number of apps and categories on your blocklist
Apple currently limits us to blocking up to 49 apps and categories at a time with Screen Time. Try removing some of the apps on your blocklist, and/or block full categories whenever possible. For example, select the entire “Social” category instead of selecting all of the individual apps within Social.
Make sure Freedom is active on your device
If opening the Freedom app on your device gets your session to start, this suggests the app was not active. Check out our document here for more info and tips for keeping Freedom active: Ensuring Freedom is active on iOS
Check “Always Allowed” apps
If apps aren't getting blocked with the Freedom green screen when they are supposed to, head to your iOS Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed and make sure the app(s) you want to block aren’t listed under Allowed Apps.
Check Screen Time limits
If you are using Freedom and Apple’s built-in Screen Time app limiting tools at the same time, ignoring your Screen Time limits will cause these apps not to be blocked by Freedom. You can check if you have Screen Time limits set up by going to your iOS Settings > Screen Time > App Limits.
Sessions don’t start or end at the scheduled time
If sessions start late and/or don't start until you open the Freedom app on your device, please see Ensuring Freedom is active on iOS for tips on how to keep Freedom active so that sessions start and end on time.
Apps are blocked unexpectedly
If an app is unable to load new content or connect to the Internet during your block session, you most likely have the Freedom Profile (VPN) installed and have included the app’s associated filter or domain on your blocklist (for example, the Meta filter will prevent Whatsapp from functioning correctly).
You can either remove the filter that is causing the issue, or use Freedom without the VPN Profile installed. For more details on the VPN and how it works, see The Freedom Profile (VPN) Explained.
If you see a grey screen that says "Restricted" when you try to open the app that shouldn't be blocked, this usually has two possible causes:
Another related app is being blocked (e.g. Messenger Kids will be "restricted" if the regular Messenger app is blocked)
A related domain is selected on the app selection screen (e.g. you have the facebook.com domain selected, so the Messenger app gets the 'Restricted' block screen). Removing the related app or domain should resolve the issue.
Screen Time permissions can't be enabled (Passcode Required)
For app blocking on iOS 16+, Freedom needs access to Screen Time. When setting up app blocking (see: How to block apps on iOS), you may find that nothing happens after you go to enable the permission. This happens when Face ID or Touch ID hasn't been enabled on your device. To fix this, go to your iOS Settings > Face ID (or Touch ID) & Passcode, and turn on these features. You will then be able to return to the Freedom app and enable the permissions.
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 iOS
Have any other questions about the iOS app? Check out our more comprehensive FAQ here: Freedom for iOS FAQ
Having trouble?
If you're having any difficulty, please feel free to contact us. We're happy to help!