Agreed together, with nobody in charge.
With Friend Controls, someone else approves your extra time. With CoPact, everyone agrees on the hours before it starts.
Is there an app where friends control your screen time?
Yes. In Friend Controls you set a daily limit per app, and when it runs out, the buddies you invited approve or deny more time. In CoPact, everyone agrees on the hours before the block starts, nobody approves anything for anyone, and under Strict, ending early takes more than half of the people in it.
Friend Controls and CoPact, compared
As read on 2 October 2026.
| Friend Controls | CoPact | |
|---|---|---|
| What gets blocked | The apps you pick, once their daily limit runs out | Every app but each person’s Always Allowed ones, for the hours agreed |
| Getting past it early | Send a request, and your buddies approve or deny more time | Strict: the timer, or more than half of the people still in it voting. Flexible: whoever started it. Nobody approves anyone’s time |
| Who is in it | You, and the people you invite as buddies | Up to 20 people in all, each blocked on their own iPhone |
| Platforms | iPhone, iOS 17.4 or later | iPhone, iOS 26.5 or later |
| Price | Free to block one app. More apps take a subscription or a lifetime purchase | 7 days free, then $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Each person pays for their own |
| What others see | Your requests for more time | Your name, your initial and what you did in the block, never your apps |
Sources: Friend Controls’ App Store listing · friendcontrols.com.
How to pick between Friend Controls and CoPact
When Friend Controls is the better pick
- You want a daily limit on each app, with someone to ask when it runs out.
- You want another person to have the last word on your extra time.
- You want to block one app for free.
When CoPact is the better pick
- You’re together for an evening and want every phone off for the same hours.
- You’d rather nobody approve anybody’s time: the hours are agreed before it starts.
- You want it to end when the time is up, or under Strict when more than half of the people in it vote.
Questions.
Does Friend Controls work on Android?
Neither its App Store listing nor friendcontrols.com mentions an Android app, as read on 2 October 2026. CoPact runs on iPhone with iOS 26.5 or later, so everyone who joins needs an iPhone.
Can someone approve extra time for me in CoPact?
No. Nobody approves anyone’s time. The hours are set before the block starts, and under Strict, ending early takes more than half of the people still in it. Under Flexible, you can take a break of up to 20 minutes, and it relocks itself.
Can I block apps on someone else’s phone?
Not without them. Each person joins the block on their own iPhone, and nobody can lock a phone that has not joined.
Can the others see which apps I use?
No. The people in the block see your name, your initial and what you did in it, like joining or taking a break, never your apps.
Does everyone pay?
Yes. Each person needs their own trial or subscription: 7 days free for someone new to CoPact, then $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Friend Controls is free for one blocked app, as read on 2 October 2026.
What if I actually need a blocked app?
Your Always Allowed apps stay open under every pact. Past those, the Emergency Pass opens everything for one hour, once a week.
Better kept together.
