thumbsmart-privacy

Thumbsmart Support

Thumbsmart (formerly JustPause) helps you use your phone on purpose. This page covers setup, the most common problems, and how subscriptions work. If you can’t find an answer here, email us. We read every message.

Contact

Email jerinantony1@icloud.com. We usually reply within two working days. It helps if you include your iPhone or iPad model, your iOS version, and what you expected to happen.

Requirements

Thumbsmart works on iPhone and iPad with iOS / iPadOS 26.2 or later. No account is needed.

Getting started

Thumbsmart has two tools, Pause and Block. They work independently: you can use either one, or both on the same app.

Pause — a moment before you open an app. This uses an automation in Apple’s Shortcuts app. In Thumbsmart, go to Settings › Setup & help and follow “Pause setup, with pictures”. It takes about three minutes:

1. Open Shortcuts and go to the Automation tab.
2. Tap New Automation (or +), then choose App.
3. Choose the app, tick Is Opened, and select Run Immediately. Make sure Notify When Run is off.
4. Tap Create New Shortcut, search for Pause, and add the Pause before opening action (listed under Thumbsmart).
5. Tap the blue App box inside the action and choose the same app.
6. Save with the blue tick.

Block — protected hours. In Thumbsmart, go to the Block tab, tap Continue on the Screen Time card, pick the apps, and set your hours. During those hours the apps won’t open, and their websites are blocked in Safari and other browsers. Every block ends on its own when your hours are over.

Troubleshooting

The pause doesn’t appear when I open an app

• The blue App box in the “Pause before opening” action was left empty. This is the most common cause. The automation runs but does nothing. Open the automation, tap the box, and choose the app.
• The automation is set to ask before running. It must be set to Run Immediately with Notify When Run off.
• You’re on the free plan, which guards one app. Other apps you’ve set up open straight through. The plan card at the top of Settings shows which app is free.
• You have pause hours set to “Pause stays out” running right now. Check the Pause tab.
• You reopened the app within a few seconds of going in, or within 30 seconds of switching away. Thumbsmart treats that as the same visit, on purpose.

A block didn’t start

• Screen Time access is off. iOS can turn it off after an update. Check Settings › Screen Time › Apps with Screen Time Access on your device.
• The block hours are shorter than 15 minutes. iOS silently skips blocks that short.
• More than 8 sets of block hours are switched on. iOS only allows 8 at a time. Turn one off.
• The block hours are switched off. Each set has its own switch on the Block tab.
• The app is past the free plan’s limit. The free plan blocks one app, the same one it pauses.

A website still opens during a block

• A page that was already open before the block started can stay on screen. Close the browser fully (swipe it away in the app switcher) and open it again.
• The site uses another address, like a short link or a mirror. You can add it in Block › Websites with Thumbsmart Plus.

I need an app during block hours There’s always a way through. From the block screen you can get one minute of access to a single app after a 5-minute wait. For a real emergency, the app has an emergency stop that ends the block after a 15-minute wait.

How do I remove Thumbsmart completely? Delete your Shortcuts automations that use “Pause before opening” or “Log app closing”, then delete the app. Deleting the app also removes its Screen Time access and ends any blocks.

Thumbsmart Plus and subscriptions

Thumbsmart is free to use with one app. Thumbsmart Plus lets you pause and block every app you choose, block whole Screen Time categories, and add extra websites. It’s available monthly or yearly, each with a one-month free trial.

• Restore a purchase: tap Restore purchases in Thumbsmart’s Settings, or Restore at the top of the Thumbsmart Plus screen, signed in with the same Apple Account you bought with.
• Redeem a promo code: tap Redeem a promo code on the plan card at the top of Thumbsmart’s Settings, or under the subscribe button on the Thumbsmart Plus screen, and enter your code. If you were sent a redemption link, just tap it. Plus switches on as soon as the code is accepted.
• Cancel or change plan: open Settings › [your name] › Subscriptions on your device, choose Thumbsmart, and tap Cancel or pick another plan. Cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal date to avoid being charged for the next period.
• Free trial: you won’t be charged if you cancel before the trial ends. Thumbsmart can remind you shortly before it does.
• Refunds: payments are handled by Apple, so refunds are too. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Your data

Thumbsmart has no account, no server, no analytics, and no ads. Everything stays on your device. You can export or erase your history at any time in Settings › Your data.

Read the full Privacy Policy.

Terms

Thumbsmart is provided under Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement.