Social mediaUse Threads less
Meta's text feed, tied to your Instagram account. Short posts, quick replies and a For You tab that never runs dry.
Threads is designed to be hard to put down. iOS Screen Time can cap it for free, but one tap on Ignore Limit lifts the cap. Offimo adds a pause before Threads opens, every time.
- Type: Social media
- What pulls you back: A feed with no bottom, A feed tuned to you, Notifications that pull you back
- On iOS alone: Screen Time, App Limits. Ignore Limit lifts it in one tap.
- With Offimo: A short pause before Threads opens, every time.
Why Threads is hard to put down
Threads arrives pre-filled. Because it is linked to Instagram, you open it and the feed already knows who you follow and what you like, so there is no empty start that would make you leave.
It is also built for replies. Short posts invite quick reactions, and the app surfaces conversations that are still moving, so each visit lands you mid-argument with a reason to stay for the next reply.
A feed with no bottom
There is no last post. Every time you reach what looks like the end, more has loaded, so the natural stopping point a newspaper or a TV episode gives you never arrives.
A feed tuned to you
What you see is chosen by a system that learns, second by second, what keeps you watching. It is very good at its job, and its job is not the same as yours.
Notifications that pull you back
Badges and pings arrive at moments the app picks, not moments you picked. Each one is a small reason to open it, and there are dozens a day.
When Threads usually opens
Right after Instagram, or on a notification that someone replied. The two apps lead into each other.
What Threads costs in time
There is no honest per-app figure for Threads that holds across countries, so we do not print one. What has been measured is the total: how long the average internet user spends online on a phone every day. Put your own Threads time into the calculator and see what it adds up to over a year.
3h46
a day online on a phone, on average. Source: Kemp, 2025 · all our sources
How to limit Threads on iOS without any app
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Tap App Limits, then Add Limit.
- Find Threads in the list (search works), select it and tap Next.
- Set the daily time you want, then tap Add.
Honest caveat: when the limit runs out, iOS offers an Ignore Limit button. One tap and you are back in Threads. A Screen Time passcode that differs from your iPhone passcode makes that tap harder. How Offimo compares to Screen Time.
What to protect and what to leave reachable
Each app has its own pause. Threads and Instagram are separate apps on your iPhone, so you can protect one, the other or both.
How Offimo pauses Threads
Offimo puts a short pause between the tap and Threads, every time you open it. You can still go in, but opening it stops being a reflex and becomes a decision.
On the simple pause, if you still want in, you go in. For the days you have already decided not to negotiate, Commitment Mode makes the block firmer for the period you choose, and Emergency Unlock opens everything for 30 minutes if something real comes up.
Frequently asked questions
Does Offimo block Threads completely?
Not necessarily. In normal mode you can still get into Threads. The difference is that there is a pause first, so opening it does not happen on reflex. For the moments a pause alone is not enough, there is blocking too.
Can I still open Threads after the pause?
Yes. When the pause ends, you decide: go in on purpose, or put the phone down. Both count, because either way you chose.
Does it work with the Threads website too?
Yes. Offimo treats the Threads app and the Threads website as the same destination, so the pause holds in Safari and other supported iPhone browsers as well.
Can I make the Threads block firmer?
Yes. In Commitment Mode you pick the period and how firm the block is before you start. If something real comes up, Emergency Unlock opens everything for 30 minutes.
If I pause Threads, does Instagram get paused too?
No. They are separate apps on your iPhone, so you decide for each.
Other apps
See also
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