How to block Slack
on iPhone

Blocking Slack isn't usually about avoiding it entirely, it's about not checking it during time you meant to protect. Use Screen Time Downtime for a scheduled evening block, or a dedicated blocker with a routine that starts automatically after work hours and unlocks for the workday. The goal is a boundary around specific hours, not removing the app from your life.

A message notification is a small thing that's easy to justify checking, every single time. It's not idle scrolling, it's work, which makes "just a quick look" feel reasonable even at 9pm. That reasonableness is exactly what makes Slack harder to leave alone than a purely recreational app.

1. Open Settings, then tap Screen Time. Tap Downtime, choose Scheduled, and set the days and hours you want Slack unavailable, typically evenings and weekends, leaving work hours untouched.

2. Turn on Block at Downtime for a real scheduled block. Apple lets Downtime show a reminder by default; with Block at Downtime enabled, restricted apps cannot open during that period. Without it, you can simply tap through the reminder and open Slack anyway.

3. Check the Always Allowed list. If Slack still opens during your scheduled block, confirm it isn't listed under Always Allowed apps in Screen Time settings.

Downtime's default behavior is a reminder screen, not a lock. Unless Block at Downtime is specifically enabled, you can dismiss the reminder and open Slack normally, which defeats the purpose of scheduling the boundary in the first place.

Muting notifications only addresses the prompt, not the habit. If checking Slack has become something you do without being notified, silence alone won't change that. See how to stop ignoring Screen Time limits if dismissing reminders has become automatic for you.

Consider whether the pull is really Slack, or the underlying work habit. If evenings regularly get interrupted by work thoughts even without opening the app, a scheduled block on Slack itself is a concrete first step, even if it isn't the whole answer.

Unlike an entertainment app, Slack use during the workday is expected and often necessary. A daily minute allowance doesn't distinguish between checking a message at 10am during a standup and checking one at 10pm on the couch, it just counts total minutes regardless of when they happen.

A scheduled boundary matches the actual problem better. The goal isn't less total Slack time, it's Slack staying out of specific hours. Downtime, or a routine-based blocker, addresses that directly instead of rationing minutes across the whole day.

A dedicated blocker is useful when a reminder alone hasn't been enough to actually stop you checking Slack after hours. A routine that locks the app automatically removes the daily decision to respect the boundary yourself. If you are still choosing a tool, see our iPhone app-blocking options.

With Fella, add Slack to a routine that starts a blocking session automatically at the end of your workday. It stays unavailable through the evening and weekend, then unlocks again for your next work session, without needing you to remember to start or stop it manually.

Use the emergency unlock only for a genuine urgency. Each blocking session includes one 5-minute emergency unlock. When the five minutes end, Slack locks again automatically.

That is the trade-off. Fella is for a hard scheduled boundary around off-hours, not flexible per-channel controls or a way to stay reachable exactly when you meant to be unavailable.

People who find themselves checking Slack during evenings, weekends, or vacation without meaning to. If "just a quick look" keeps happening outside work hours, that's the pattern Fella's scheduled routines are built to interrupt.

People who still need full access during the workday. A routine only blocks Slack during your chosen off-hours, leaving it fully available when you're actually working.

People who've already tried muting notifications or a Downtime reminder without success. If dismissing a reminder has become as automatic as the check itself, a real scheduled lock is the next step.