Guide · Android
How to get Brick-style friction on Android without the hardware
The short answer
A Brick makes you tap your phone on a device that sits somewhere else. You can get similar friction on Android in software: lock apps behind a QR code (Free) or NFC tag (Pro) you place out of reach.
(opens in a new tab)Free plan · no account needed · no ads
What makes physical-friction blocking work
Every hardware focus device sells one idea, and it isn’t the electronics. The thing that unlocks your phone is somewhere else, so unlocking costs a walk.
The urge to check a feed is quick. A walk to another room and back is slow. Put the walk between the urge and the app, and you get a moment to decide. That is the whole mechanism, and it has nothing to do with what the key is made of.
Once you see that, the question stops being “which device” and becomes “where do I put the key”.
How to recreate it in software
Pick one key. Each card says whether it waits for your minimum lock time.
A QR code you place
FreePrint the app’s reusable unlock code, or enrol any QR code you already own, and put it in another room. The walk is as long as you decide to make it. Generate a new code and every old printout stops working.
Waits for your minimum lock time? Yes
An NFC tag you tap
ProThe closest match to tapping a device. Enrol an NFC sticker, put it somewhere out of the way, and tap it to unlock. No camera needed, so it works in the dark. Your phone needs NFC.
Waits for your minimum lock time? Not for the first unlock
Your charger
ProChoose the charger as your key. Your apps stay locked until you plug in and tap Unlock, which ends the lock. Leave the charger in another room.
Waits for your minimum lock time? No. Plug in, then tap Unlock
For a QR lock you start with Lock now, you also set a minimum lock time (the app calls it the cooldown). It counts from the moment you lock, and scanning won’t open anything until it’s over. That covers a case the walk doesn’t: being next to the key and reaching for it out of habit.
NFC and charging keys work differently. A charging unlock (Pro) never waits. An NFC tag (Pro) skips the wait for the first unlock; the walk to the tag is the friction.
What you give up, and what you gain
The trade is narrow, and it goes both ways.
An app can be switched off
Any blocker that runs on your phone can be switched off by the phone’s owner. MassBlocker adds strict mode and uninstall protection (Pro) to slow that down.
Nothing to lose
A printed code can be reprinted, and a new tag can be enrolled. Losing the key is an inconvenience, not a purchase.
Schedules that start on their own
FreeSet the hours once, such as 11 pm to 7 am, and your blocked apps lock automatically. Nothing on the lock screen ends a schedule window early.
A pause for the apps you keep
FreeGentle Nudge shows a calm pause and a count of today’s opens before an app you haven’t banned. “Open anyway” still lets you in.
The honest limit
Strict mode is a strong deterrent, not an unbreakable jail — on stock Android a determined user can disable the service.
Setup walkthrough
Step 1: Install MassBlocker and give it the Accessibility permission.
That is what lets it see which app is in the foreground.Step 2: Choose the apps you lose time to.
Two or three, not twenty.Step 3: Pick your key.
Start with a QR code (Free): it needs nothing but a printer or a second screen. With Pro, use an NFC tag or your charger instead.Step 4: Put it somewhere inconvenient.
This is the step that does the work.Step 5: Choose a minimum lock time and tap Lock now.
On Free, pick a preset up to an hour. With Pro, any length from 1 to 600 minutes.Step 6: Optional: make it firmer. Pro
Turn on strict mode, give the PIN to someone else, and turn on uninstall protection. In strict mode, the app's own QR code and its 3-word code are switched off. Your PIN, or a QR you enrolled yourself, still works. So does an NFC tag or charger key. Strict mode is a strong deterrent, not an unbreakable jail — on stock Android a determined user can disable the service.
Android · Free on Google Play
MassBlocker, the app in this guide
MassBlocker is the software version of that walk: a QR code you place (Free), or an NFC tag or your charger (Pro), plus a minimum lock time for QR locks.
(opens in a new tab)No ads.
Try Pro free for 7 days — no card. Sign in to start.
See everything MassBlocker doesKeep reading
Related guides
FAQ
Questions
Can an app replace a hardware blocker?
For the part that does the work, having to walk somewhere to unlock, yes: the friction comes from where you put the key, not from what it's made of. Any blocker that runs on your phone can be switched off by the phone's owner. MassBlocker adds strict mode and uninstall protection (Pro) to slow that down. Strict mode is a strong deterrent, not an unbreakable jail — on stock Android a determined user can disable the service.
What if I lose the tag?
Set a PIN (Pro) before you rely on a tag, and give it to someone you trust: the PIN opens a lock straight away. A lock whose key is an NFC tag doesn't accept a QR code. Once you're back in, enrol a new tag.
Can I use both?
Yes. MassBlocker doesn't need any other device.
Do I need to buy anything?
No hardware. The QR unlock is free, and a printed sheet of paper is enough. An NFC tag (Pro) is optional, if you'd rather tap than scan.
Does this work on an iPhone?
No. MassBlocker is Android-only for now.