Frequently asked questions

Minister is a screen-time control app that helps you take back your day. Instead of a number that nags you, it turns your phone into a kingdom you rule: The Gates block the apps that eat your time, The Chronicle keeps an honest record of where your hours go, and The Keeper lets someone you trust hold the keys — so willpower isn't your only defence. Rulers take back up to two hours a day.

Minister is free to download but requires a subscription to access all features. Subscription options include a monthly subscription for $3.99, and yearly subscriptions ranging from $9.99 to $49.99 depending on the plan you choose. All tracking and blocking features require an active subscription.

Minister is built on Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls) framework, so your usage data is processed on-device by iOS. Minister only ever sees the aggregate time and app categories Apple exposes — never the contents of your messages, photos, or what you do inside an app. We don't sell your data, and your Keeper sees only what you choose to share.

Blocking relies on Apple's Screen Time permission. If The Gates aren't working, try this in order: 1) confirm Minister has Screen Time access in iOS Settings → Screen Time; 2) force-quit and reopen Minister; 3) toggle the rule off and back on; 4) restart your device. Rule changes can take a few seconds to apply across iOS.

Minister reads time from Apple's Screen Time, which updates in batches and can lag by a few minutes. Totals reset on your daily boundary and may count usage across every device signed in to your Apple ID. Pull to refresh and give iOS a minute to sync, and the numbers will settle.

Your score reflects how your real usage compares to the goals you set. It drops when you exceed your limits or bypass The Gates, and it recovers as you stay under your targets. A low score isn't a punishment — it's an honest signal of where your time is really going.

Open Minister, head to your throne room (dashboard), and tap your daily goal. Set the target hours and minutes, choose which apps and categories count toward it, and pick the schedule for when The Gates close. You can set different limits per app or category.

Minister runs on iPhone and iPad and requires iOS 16 or later, since it's built on Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls APIs.

Not yet. Minister is iOS-only today because it's built on Apple's Screen Time framework. An Android version is on the roadmap — join the Android waitlist to be notified the moment it's ready.

The Gates can block virtually any app on your iPhone — social media like Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat and Facebook, plus games and browsers — as well as specific websites and Safari content. You choose what to lock and when.

Use the Contact link in the app or email support@ministerapp.com. Tell us what happened — and your device and iOS version for bugs — and we'll take it from there. We read every message.

Data loading depends on Apple's Screen Time system. If you experience loading issues, try refreshing the page one or more times. This usually resolves any temporary data sync problems.

Yes. With a subscription, you can use Minister on multiple iOS devices signed in with the same Apple ID. Your settings and rules sync across devices.

Subscriptions are billed through your Apple ID. Open iOS Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions → Minister → Cancel Subscription. You'll keep full access until the end of the current billing period.

The Keeper. Most apps rely on your willpower — and a limit you set yourself is a limit you can remove yourself at 11pm. Minister lets someone you trust hold the keys, so the rules actually hold. The kingdom theme makes ruling your time feel like a reward, not a chore.

The average person spends four-plus hours a day on their phone, much of it unintentional. A screen-time app makes the invisible visible and puts friction between you and the apps engineered to keep you scrolling — so you reclaim hours for the things that matter.

Common signs: reaching for your phone without deciding to, losing hours to feeds you don't remember, trouble holding focus on a single task, and disrupted sleep. If that sounds familiar, Minister is built for you.

"Brainrot" is internet slang — Oxford's 2024 Word of the Year — for the mental fog and shortened attention that come from endless low-value scrolling. Minister is designed to help you reverse it.

While "brainrot" isn't a medical diagnosis, the effects of excessive screen time are real: decreased attention span, poor sleep quality, increased anxiety, and reduced productivity. Minister addresses these genuine concerns by helping you monitor and control your digital consumption before it impacts your mental health.

By cutting the supply and rebuilding the habit. The Gates block the apps feeding the loop, The Chronicle shows you the truth about your time, and The Keeper makes your limits stick. Most rulers feel clearer within the first week and take back up to two hours a day.

A shortened attention span, compulsive checking, difficulty focusing, poor sleep, low motivation, restlessness or anxiety, and the sense that time simply disappears into your phone.

Yes. Attention is a habit, and habits respond to your environment. Reduce the input, add friction, and your focus recovers — often within weeks. That's exactly what Minister is built to do.

Because Minister puts you back in charge of your own kingdom. A minister governs — and with this app you govern your attention, appointing a trusted Keeper to help you rule. Stop scrolling. Start ruling.

There's no single threshold, but research links three-plus hours of daily recreational screen time to measurable drops in attention, sleep and mood. The issue is less the total than how much of it is mindless — and that's the part Minister helps you cut.

Yes — social apps are the most common reason people install Minister. The Gates let you block or time-limit Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and others, and The Keeper stops you from quietly lifting the limit the moment a craving hits.

Reducing mindless input and rebuilding intentional attention. Practically: set clear limits, make distracting apps harder to open, track your real usage, and add accountability. Minister combines all four in a single app.

Minister is free to download. Unlocking all tracking and blocking features requires a subscription: $3.99 per month, or yearly plans ranging from $9.99 to $49.99 depending on the plan you choose.