If you’ve been feeling like your screen time is out of control, you’ve probably seen ads for Brick. It’s a $59 gadget that lets you tap your phone to lock yourself out of addictive apps. The vibe? Creating a physical barrier between you and your doomscrolling. It’s a solid concept, but real talk: you are being sold a $59 piece of plastic when you could be doing this for zero dollars.
The tech hack
At its core, the Brick is just an NFC chip—the same simple tech inside your credit card or passport. You can grab a blank NFC tag for about a buck online, or just print a QR code for free. There are already apps that let you use these physical triggers to lock your phone, no expensive startup hardware required.
For the iPhone girlies
Check out Foqos, a free, open-source app by developer Ali Waseem. It’s surprisingly polished and lets you use NFC tags or even barcodes (yes, like the one on your favorite drink) to start your blocking sessions. The best part? It prevents you from deleting the app while a lock is active, which is a major W for anyone who lacks self-control. It’s also super private, so your data stays on your phone.
For the Android squad
If you’re on Android, things are a bit more "it’s giving DIY." Switchly, by developer Saltyy, is a solid, feature-complete option. You’ll have to do some heavy lifting with the setup wizard, but it lets you block specific URLs and even experimental features inside apps—like blocking just the Reels tab on Instagram rather than the whole app. If that’s not your vibe, try the app called Lock, which is more user-friendly but sticks to just NFC support.
Why it matters
We’re constantly being marketed expensive "solutions" to problems we can solve with basic phone settings and open-source software. You don’t need a $59 plastic brick to break your scrolling habit; you just need to add enough physical friction—like hiding a QR code in a cabinet—to make your brain choose something else. Say less and save your money.
