Support
Everything below describes how Precede actually behaves. If something here doesn't match what you're seeing, that's worth an email — please tell us.
Apps are still paused and shouldn't be
Start here. Work down the list — most cases resolve at step 2.
- Open Precede and check Today. If an essential is still unticked, that's why. Complete it, or open the task and turn off Essential.
- Turn off Automatic pausing. Go to the Blocker tab and switch Automatic pausing off. This clears the pause immediately and leaves your tasks untouched.
- Clear your selection. Still in Blocker, open the distraction picker and deselect everything. Nothing remains covered.
- Restart your iPhone. This resolves cases where the system shield hasn't refreshed.
- Remove Precede's Screen Time access. On iPhone: Settings → Screen Time → App Limits / Apps & Websites Activity, then remove Precede's access. iOS releases anything Precede was covering.
- Delete the app. Deleting Precede removes its shields along with it. Your task history is stored on the device and is removed with the app.
Screen Time permission
Precede uses Apple's Screen Time framework to pause the apps you choose. Nothing is paused until you grant it.
Why does Precede need Screen Time access?
Three things, and nothing else: to cover the distractions you select, to make them available during an Earned Break, and to restore the cover when the break time is used.
I declined the permission. Can I still use the app?
Yes. Your task list works normally — this is task-only mode. When you want to connect, open the Blocker tab and follow the prompt.
The permission prompt never appears, or fails
- Confirm Screen Time is enabled at Settings → Screen Time.
- If this iPhone is managed by a family organizer or an employer, Screen Time access may be restricted by that profile.
- Restart the iPhone and retry from the Blocker tab.
Screen Time behaves differently for child accounts in a Family Sharing group — the organizer may need to approve.
Can I revoke access later?
Yes, at any time, from Settings → Screen Time on your iPhone. Precede stops pausing anything. Your tasks stay where they are.
Pausing distractions
What causes a pause, what clears it, and what Precede deliberately doesn't do.
What makes my selected apps pause?
Any essential that is still incomplete in the current day, as long as Automatic pausing is on and you've chosen a selection. Other tasks never affect pausing.
How do I make everything available again?
Complete your last essential. The moment it's ticked, your selection becomes available for the rest of the day. You can also start banked break time, or turn Automatic pausing off.
Can I set different rules for different apps?
Not currently. Precede uses one selection — apps, categories, and websites together — that applies whenever essentials are unfinished.
Can I choose whole categories or websites?
Yes. Apple's picker lets you select individual apps, entire categories, and specific web domains. All three are supported.
Does Precede block anything I didn't choose?
No. Only your selection is covered. Calls, messages, and everything you didn't pick are untouched. Other limits already set up in iOS Screen Time keep working independently of Precede.
A paused app opens anyway
Check first whether a break is running, whether all essentials are already complete, or whether Automatic pausing is off — each of those makes the selection available on purpose. If none apply, please email us with the app type (not the app name) and your iOS version.
Earned Breaks
Optional. Off is a perfectly reasonable setting.
| Break length | 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes, set per essential. The default is 15. |
|---|---|
| Daily break limit | 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes, or Unlimited. It caps the total minutes you can be awarded in one day. |
| Banked, not automatic | Completing an essential adds break time to your balance. It only starts when you tap to start it. |
| One at a time | Only one break can be active. |
| Daily cycle | Break time resets at 4:00 AM local time, not midnight. |
What happens when a break ends?
The countdown reaches zero and your selection is covered again automatically — including when Precede is closed or your iPhone is locked, because a small background extension handles the relock. If all your essentials are complete by then, everything simply stays available.
I ended a break early. Where did the rest of the time go?
Ending a break early releases the remaining minutes of that grant; they aren't returned to your balance. Start a break when you actually want it, rather than to check the timer works.
Can I turn Earned Breaks off completely?
Yes. Blocker → Earned Breaks. Essentials then simply pause your selection until the list is done.
The countdown looks wrong after travelling
Breaks run on wall-clock time, so a time-zone change during an active break can shift the finish time. If a break ends noticeably early or late, please email us with your time zone and roughly when it happened.
The day change, unfinished work, and history
Precede's day turns over at 4:00 AM local time so a late night still counts as the same day.
What happens at 4:00 AM?
The closing day is saved as read-only history with your task wording and results. Completed tasks leave Today. Tasks you set to move forward automatically appear in the new day. Everything else waits in Review unfinished tasks.
What are Move to Today, Save for Later, and Delete?
- Move to Today — the task joins today's list. If it's an essential, it will pause your selection.
- Save for Later — it moves to a compact Later list on Today and does not affect pausing.
- Delete — it's removed permanently.
The review exists so an old list can't quietly grow until it means nothing.
Can I plan ahead in Calendar?
You can edit the next focus cycle — tomorrow. Add, edit, or delete tasks there without touching today's pausing, break time, or streak. Past days are read-only on purpose, so your history stays trustworthy. Tasks can't be completed early from Calendar.
A day shows "No essentials" or "No history available"
No essentials means the day was recorded and you didn't set any. No history available means the day predates history tracking on this device. Neither is an error.
I unticked a task and my streak changed
That's intended. Reopening the task that completed today's agreement removes today's increment; completing it again restores it. The streak reflects what's true right now.
Privacy and your data
The short version: Precede has no account, and your list lives on your iPhone.
| Task titles and details | Stored on your device. |
|---|---|
| Your app selection | Held as Apple's opaque Screen Time tokens. Precede cannot read which apps they represent. |
| Break grants and settings | Stored on your device. |
| Day history | Stored on your device and removed if you delete the app. |
| Account | There isn't one. No sign-in, no profile. |
Full detail is in the privacy policy, alongside the terms of use.
How do I delete my data?
Delete tasks individually inside the app, or delete Precede from your iPhone — that removes the tasks, history, settings, and stored selection with it. There is no server copy to request.
Does my list sync to my other devices?
No. Precede is a single-device app today. Your list stays on the iPhone you created it on.
Accessibility
Precede supports Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, Reduce Motion, and Reduce Transparency, and offers Light, Dark, and System appearance in App Settings.
If any part of the app is hard to read, hard to reach, or unlabelled with VoiceOver, tell us at support@precedeapp.com. Accessibility reports are treated as bugs, not requests.
Talk to a person
Precede is made by a small team. Email is the fastest route and it reaches someone who works on the app.
support@precedeapp.comTo get a faster answer, include
- your iPhone model and iOS version (Settings → General → About);
- the Precede version (currently {{APP_VERSION}});
- what you expected, and what happened instead;
- whether a break was running and whether Automatic pausing was on;
- a screenshot if the screen looked wrong.