Why Brickify

Why families choose it, and what it adds on top of the controls your phone already has.

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Why people choose Brickify

Schools are phone-free by default. Brickify turns the phone you already own into a brick phone on your schedule, and you can make it smarter as they grow.

Since September, schools in England are expected to be mobile phone-free by default, and Ofsted now checks phone policies at every inspection. Most parents welcome it. But school rules stop at the gate. The walk in, the bus home, the evening and bedtime are still ours to sort out, and a lot of families are reaching for a brick phone.

£4.99 once · You choose the apps · No subscription · iPhone & Android

1

Harder to get round than a closed app

Uses the phone's own system-level controls, and tells you if protection is removed.

2

A real digital detox

Not just for kids — use it on yourself for a genuine break from the apps you can't put down.

3

Cheaper than a new phone

If you already have a spare smartphone, there's no second device or contract to buy.

4

Brickify for Schools Coming soon

Your school administrator can check your phone is compliant before it goes on site.

Thinking about a brick phone instead? Brick phone vs Brickify →

Compared to native controls

Both platforms already have a built-in way to restrict a phone. Here's what Brickify adds on top, platform by platform.

Jump to iOS → Jump to Android →

iOS

Compared to: Apple Screen Time & Family Sharing

1

Profiles that switch themselves

Set up profiles like "School Day" or "Weeknight," each with its own blocked-app list, and Brickify swaps between them automatically on schedule — no manually reconfiguring Screen Time's Downtime or App Limits every time the situation changes.

2

An email if something's wrong

If the phone misses a scheduled check-in, you'll hear about it — rather than assuming everything's still fine.

3

Hardened against removal

Family Controls restrictions stay enforced at the OS level even if Brickify itself is deleted, and an optional Screen Time passcode set up in Brickify's own wizard can block deletion entirely. See known limitations & accepted risks →

4

Clearer to set up

One guided wizard, start to finish — versus juggling Screen Time, Family Sharing, and getting restrictions to actually stick to a child's own device rather than yours.

Android

Compared to: Google Family Link & Digital Wellbeing

1

Profiles that switch themselves

Set up profiles like "School Day" or "Weeknight," each with its own blocked-app list, and Brickify swaps between them automatically on schedule — no manual reconfiguring needed as the day goes on.

2

Richer alerts

Email or notification if the phone stops checking in, if Device Owner protection gets removed, if it boots into Safe Mode, or if a new app appears despite blocking — none of which Family Link surfaces.

3

Hardened against removal

Device Owner mode has no Settings toggle at all — the only ways off are a full factory reset, or Brickify's own PIN+second-factor-gated deactivation. See known limitations & accepted risks →

4

Clearer to set up

Instead of using a new, separate, supervised Google account and Family Link's own settings, there is one wizard covering everything — schedules and block lists — in one place. A factory reset is required — however you would likely do this before you hand a device to your kid anyway.