Pawl: Commitment Lock

The blocker you can't sweet-talk. Pawl shields gambling apps and sites — unblocking takes a physical key, a cooling-off, and now, if you choose, a sponsor's OK.

Block gambling sites, adult content, or distracting apps—and make them impossible to unlock without a security key. Pawl turns willpower into physical friction.

Pawl is a commitment device for the habits you can't stop on your own. It blocks the apps and websites you choose — gambling, adult content, or anything you keep reaching for — using Apple's Screen Time, and makes unblocking deliberately hard.

Every other blocker has the same flaw: you can turn it off the second you crave it. A passcode you set is a passcode you can remove. Pawl replaces willpower with physical friction.

HOW IT WORKS • Shield it. Choose what to block — sportsbook, casino, and crypto sites and apps; adult sites; or any distracting app. Pawl shields them with Screen Time and shows a calm "Locked by Pawl" screen with no unlock button on it. • Lock it behind a key you can't reach. Unblocking requires a physical USB-C security key (FIDO2). Put it somewhere out of reach — a drawer at a friend's, a locked box, anywhere that isn't your pocket at midnight. No key in hand, no unblock. • Cool off first. Even with the key, unblocking starts a 15-minute wait before anything lifts. The urge passes, the block holds, and it re-locks on its own.

BUILT FOR THE HARD MOMENTS • A clean-day streak that survives deleting and reinstalling the app. • A one-tap "tough moment" button: breathe, pause, and call someone you trust — never a shortcut to unblock. • A relapse log to see your patterns without shame.

OPTIONAL: A SPONSOR Add a trusted person as your sponsor. They approve your unlock requests and are alerted if your protection drops — so you're not doing this alone.

HONEST ABOUT THE LIMITS Pawl is friction, not a cage. You could still delete the app or switch off Screen Time, and Pawl says so plainly instead of pretending otherwise. The point is to turn the impulsive choice into a deliberate one. For most people, a key placed out of reach is the difference that finally sticks.

PRIVACY Pawl blocks through Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls), which gives the app only anonymous tokens — it never sees which specific apps or sites you use. Your streak stays on your device and in your own iCloud. Signing in and adding a sponsor are optional. The right friction makes quitting possible.

FREE CORE, OPTIONAL PRO Everything above — blocking, the security-key unlock, cooling-off, streak, the tough-moment tools — is free, and being a sponsor for someone else is always free. Pawl Pro (subscription) adds the accountability layer: linking your own sponsor who approves your unlocks and gets protection-drop alerts. $29.99/year (7-day free trial) or $3.99/month; auto-renews until cancelled. The one thing you'll need separately is a USB-C security key (FIDO2) — any standard one works.

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