The Brick differs from traditional screentime apps by providing a physical barrier between you and your phone.
As a wellness writer, I’ve run into a content conundrum: My job requires me to be online to stay up to date on current events and trends, but I also want to spend less time on my phone to protect my mental health. Despite doing this job for 12 years, I still haven’t found a viable solution.
Perhaps the over 1 billion people who spent at least three hours daily scrolling social media in 2020 haven’t either, especially considering that the pandemic years supercharged our scrolling and created poor digital hygiene habits that many of us haven’t recovered from.
Though iPhone and in-app screentime limits tend not to work for me — I find they’re easy to disable with just a few taps — I was eager to know more about the palm-sized device called the Brick that has gained popularity in the last few years. It’s a $59 square magnet “powered by an NFC [near-field communication] chip embedded in the device,” TJ Driver, the Brick’s co-founder, tells CNET.
“Instead of relying on batteries or an external power source, it draws power directly from your smartphone’s NFC reader when you tap it,” he says. “That communicates with your Brick app to lock (or unlock) your selected apps, putting real friction between you and your screen time.”
Emphasis on: You have to physically tap your phone on the Brick to activate or deactivate the lock, so you can’t simply tap it away like you would a screentime alert or app on your phone.
To find out if the Brick is the key to cutting ties with doomscrolling, I spent several months tapping my phone on the surface of that unassuming gray square.
How to cement the Brick into your life
Your purchase of the Brick includes the physical Brick and access to the Brick app, no subscription necessary. Inside the box, there’s a QR code that takes you to a webpage where you can download the app for iOS or Android.
For the iOS app, Apple requires an iPhone passcode, but you can remove it after you use the Brick for the first time. As for Android users, the Brick will also direct you to your device’s settings to allow the Brick app, alarms and reminders and notification access.
One Brick can be used with multiple phones, and a single phone can be used with multiple Bricks if you want to keep them in different locations, such as at home and at work.
The Brick magnetized to my fridge.
How to start using the Brick
Once you create an account, you’ll need to grant the app access to your phone’s screentime tracker. Then you create your first mode, name it and select the apps and websites you want to block or allow when enabled. You can create up to 10 modes for different occasions, such as work, studying, family dinner and personal time.
All blocking information is stored locally on your phone, and the Brick can’t see what you block.
When you want to start or end a Brick session, you simply press the “tap or hold to Brick” button on the app’s home screen and then physically tap your phone to the Brick. You can also hold down the button for 5 seconds to “brick” your phone, but you’ll need the physical Brick to “unbrick” it.
You can even create a schedule for when your modes are enabled. It’ll start at a specific time on selected days and either conclude at a set time or when you tap the Brick with your device.
The Brick app homescreen where you can tap or hold that button to “brick” your device.
Customizable settings
In the app, you can view your Brick activity and adjust settings, including access to five “emergency unbricks” that let you unbrick your phone in an emergency without using the physical Brick. And yes, you only get five, so use them wisely.
In settings, you can enable the following when your Brick is active:
- Strict mode: Stops you from ending a session by deleting the app
- Block app installs: Prevents installing apps
- Block in-app purchases: Limits in-app purchases
- Block mature content: Limits mature content across apps and websites
- Live activities: Shows an active Brick session timer at the top of your phone’s screen
- Notifications: Allow notifications for coaching support, check-ins and updates to your account or the app
In addition to being magnetic for refrigerators, lockers and the like, the Brick has an anti-slip silicone bottom that keeps it in place on any surface.
There are various customizations you can make to your Brick sessions to prevent doomscrolling.
My experience, brick by brick
After setting up the Brick app, I placed the physical square on my fridge. My thought process was that I tend to doomscroll on my couch, and my fridge is far enough away that I have to think twice before getting up to walk through my living room and kitchen to tap the Brick.
I created one mode called “Mindful Mode,” which I programmed to block all social media apps and websites I tend to use: TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
Unlike screentime limits that only work on your phone, I love that the Brick requires an extra step, allowing you to get away from your phone’s influence and take a moment to ask yourself: Do I really want to spend more time on my phone right now?
When you have the space to actually think about all of the other activities available to you during your free time, suddenly staring at a screen doesn’t seem so appealing. Personally, I’d rather spend time with loved ones, read on my balcony, birdwatch at a local park or go for a walk. From FOMO to NO-MO.
What it looks like when you try to access one of your bricked apps.
My total Brick time
As of right now, my longest Brick session was 6 hours and 45 minutes. In total, I’ve spent 35 hours with my phone bricked. That feels really good.
Numbers aside, I genuinely believe that the Brick has helped me spend less time on my phone. Social media is designed to be addictive, so having a physical barrier like the Brick helps break the cycle and remind you that there are more important things in life than your devices.
A weekly recap email I received from the Brick.
Is the Brick worth $60?
The Brick is $59, but that doesn’t include shipping, which will vary by location. However, it is HSA/FSA- eligible with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For $12, Brick also sells a mount with adhesive backing so you can secure it to any surface. A magnetic interior allows the Brick to snap in place. I wouldn’t recommend paying the extra cost unless you’re planning to stick the Brick to the wall and don’t want to use a Command strip.
Similar devices include the $39 Bloom Card and $49 Blok Card, but those aren’t magnetic and instead fit in your wallet or pocket. There’s also the $27 Unpluq Tag, but that requires a premium subscription starting at $35 for six months.
For those who are especially thrifty, you can buy your own NFC tags ($13 for a 50-pack) or print a QR code. Then use the free, open-source Foqos app to block apps and websites.
All that said, while I wish the Brick were more affordable, I do love it and think it’s worth it compared to a wallet-sized card or tag that requires a subscription. I like having it magnetized to my fridge and appreciate all the different customization options available in the app.
The Brick can easily fit in your palm, but has the power to change how you use your phone.
My final thoughts
I found the Brick to be thoughtfully designed, and it’s a helpful reminder that if you want to get away from your phone, you sometimes have to physically move away from it to clear your head. This leaves room for so many possibilities in how you can use your free time.
Even though I still enjoy using the Brick, I find that I’m even starting to spend less time doomscrolling without it. It’s like all I needed was a square gray magnet to break the screentime spell I was under. Who would’ve guessed? Certainly not me, especially while I was more focused on the images and videos that endlessly appeared right before my eyes.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
