Walk to unlock apps for iPhone, compared
These apps lock the apps you pick, like TikTok and Instagram, and unlock them when you move. They work in one of three ways: your steps buy a set number of minutes on your locked apps, a daily step goal unlocks them, or push-ups, squats and other tasks count instead of steps.
Steps buy minutes
Every walk adds minutes on your locked apps. You spend them while you use the apps, and when they run out the apps lock again.
| App | How it unlocks | Price |
|---|---|---|
| SchlepRK Labs, LLC. 3 ratings. | 1,000 steps for 10 minutes on your locked apps. Easier gives 15, Strict gives 5. | $9.99 a month or $29.99 a year |
| SteppinBoston Venture Studio. 156 ratings. | 100 steps for 1 minute, and you can change the goal. | Free |
| DoomstepEric Deon Johnson. 1 rating. | 100 steps for 1 minute. Also has a daily goal; steps past it earn double. | $4.99 a week, $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year |
| MozyMahesh Chambhare. No ratings yet. | 34 steps for 1 minute. | $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year |
A daily step goal unlocks them
You set a number of steps for the day. The apps stay locked until you reach it.
| App | How it unlocks | Price |
|---|---|---|
| WalkBlockEsnap Labs. 36 ratings. | A daily goal you pick, from 3,000 steps up. | Free download. Pro is $6.99 a month; yearly and lifetime plans from $11.99 |
| WalkLockAndreas Ink. 30 ratings. | A step goal, read from Apple Health. | Free download. Pro is $1.99 a month or $59.99 once |
| brbBe Right Back App. 9 ratings. | A step goal, with a Strict Mode and a limited emergency unlock. | $3.99 a month; yearly plans from $14.99; 7-day trial |
| LocktTundra Holding. 10 ratings. | A daily goal from 1,000 to 20,000 steps. | $5.99 a month or $50.99 a year |
Push-ups, squats and other tasks
| App | How it unlocks | Price |
|---|---|---|
| UnrotUnrot OU. 56,934 ratings. | Walking, reading, workouts and chores earn coins. Coins unlock your apps. | Subscription. Plans listed from $9.99 to $69.99 |
| PushscrollPushscroll GmbH. 17,766 ratings. | 1 push-up for 1 minute of app time. | $14.99 a month; yearly plans listed from $24.99 to $59.99 |
| StepBlocHamsters Technologies. 492 ratings. | Push-ups, squats or steps. For example, 10 push-ups for 10 minutes of Instagram. | $3.99 a month or $29.99 once |
Which kind to pick
- A daily goal app if you want one number to hit each day.
- A steps-for-minutes app if the problem is how long you stay on TikTok or Instagram once you open them. At Schlep's default rate, 30 minutes on your locked apps costs 3,000 steps.
- Steppin if you want it free. Its rate, 100 steps for 1 minute, is the same as Schlep's default.
- Pushscroll or StepBloc if you would rather do push-ups or squats than walk.
What Schlep does
- Three rates: Easier (15 minutes on your locked apps per 1,000 steps), Recommended (10) and Strict (5).
- Easy mode starts each day with 30 free minutes. Hard mode starts at zero.
- You spend minutes 10 at a time, from the locked app's lock screen or from the Home tab.
- The lock runs on Apple's Screen Time system, and its lock screen asks for steps. There is no Ignore Limit button.
- Your step count stays on your iPhone unless you send us a diagnostic report yourself.
- It costs $9.99 a month or $29.99 a year. There is no free version.
Get Schlep on the App Store.
How it works in more detail: an iPhone app that locks your apps until you walk.
Closer looks at three of them next to Schlep: Unrot, Pushscroll and Steppin.
Guides: how to lock TikTok until you walk and what Ignore Limit does in iPhone Screen Time.
Questions
- Is there a free app that locks apps until you walk?
- Yes. Steppin is free and needs no account. Schlep and the other apps on this page need a subscription or a one-time purchase for the full app.
- How many steps does it take to unlock an app?
- It depends on the app. Schlep's default is 1,000 steps for 10 minutes on your locked apps, the same rate as Steppin and Doomstep. Mozy gives 1 minute for every 34 steps. Daily goal apps let you pick the number; Lockt allows 1,000 to 20,000 steps.
- Is Schlep the same app as StepScroll?
- Schlep was called StepScroll until October 9, 2026. It is not connected to stepscroll.com or to the App Store app StepScroll: Exercise to Scroll.