An app blocker and a website blocker restrict two different doors into the same distraction. Most people only close one, then wonder why the habit found a way back in through Safari.
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It's easy to assume blocking Instagram means Instagram is handled, and then find yourself on instagram.com in Safari twenty minutes later, not because the block failed, but because it was never built to cover that path. An app blocker and a website blocker restrict genuinely different things. Knowing which one you actually need, or whether the answer is both, depends entirely on where the distraction actually happens.
An app blocker like Fella restricts installed iPhone apps. Select TikTok, Instagram, a game, and the app itself becomes unavailable to open for the length of a session. It has no effect on Safari or any other browser.
A website blocker restricts specific sites reached through a browser. Set up through Screen Time's Web Content restrictions, it can block instagram.com or similar domains regardless of which browser is used, but it has no effect on the native app.
A lot of distracting content has both an app and a browser version. Block the app alone, and the same feed is still one tap away through Safari. Block the website alone, and the app itself, if it's still installed, works exactly as before. Neither closes the whole loop by itself.
| Tool | Restricts | Doesn't restrict |
|---|---|---|
| Fella | Selected iPhone apps, for a session | Safari, other browsers, or any website |
| Screen Time Web Content restrictions | Specific websites in any browser | Native apps, even for the same service |
For the full setup on the website side, see our how to block websites on iPhone guide, which covers Screen Time's Web Content restrictions step by step.
If the distraction is specifically an app, the native TikTok or Instagram app itself, Fella closes that door directly. Select the apps, start a session or set a routine, and they're genuinely unavailable, with one 5-minute emergency unlock per session. Pair it with website restrictions if the same content is also reachable through a browser.
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No. Fella blocks selected iPhone apps. It does not block Safari, other browsers, or specific websites. Browser-based restriction is a separate boundary, set through Screen Time's Web Content restrictions.
No. A social feed can still be reached through a mobile browser even while the app itself is blocked, unless a separate website restriction is also in place. This is one of the more common gaps people find after setting up an app blocker alone.
Through Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions > Web Content, where specific sites can be added to a restricted list. See our full guide on blocking websites on iPhone for the complete setup.
Whichever matches where the distraction lives. If it's a dedicated app, TikTok, Instagram, a game, an app blocker is the direct fix. If it's browser-based, checking a site in Safari, that needs a website-level restriction instead. Many people need both, since the same distraction often has an app version and a browser version.
Yes. There's no conflict between Fella blocking selected apps and Screen Time's Web Content restrictions blocking specific sites in Safari. Running both closes the gap that either one alone would leave open.
