Frequently asked questions
Short answers, checked against what the app actually does. If yours is not here, write to support@munen.app.
The basics
What is Munen?
A screen-time app for iPhone that remembers how yesterday went. Instead of blocking, it adds a short pause before the apps that distract you, and the length of that pause adjusts every night based on how your day actually went.
Is Munen just another app blocker?
No. A blocker keeps you out, which is why you end up switching it off. Munen never decides for you: it adds a mindful pause, reminds you of your own reason, and lets you continue. The final choice is always yours.
How is Munen different from one sec, Opal or ScreenZen?
The short version: those apps start every day from zero. Munen scores each day on your phone and carries that context into tomorrow, so the pause gets longer after a rough day and shorter after a good one. The detailed side-by-side is in the comparisons.
How the pause works
Does Munen work with Instagram, TikTok or YouTube?
Yes. You pick the apps with Apple’s own app picker, so any app on your iPhone works, and so do whole categories and websites in Safari. Munen does not block them: it puts a pause in front of them. The free plan covers up to three apps; Premium removes that limit.
What happens if I skip the pause?
Nothing dramatic. Once the pause ends you can tap continue and the app opens for a window of a few minutes, by default between 3 and 10 depending on your zone. When the window closes the pause comes back. Skipping often is a signal, not a punishment: it counts toward tomorrow’s zone. And you can always turn Munen off or remove it; it is a tool, not a lock.
Does the pause change on its own?
Yes, once a day. Every night Munen scores your day from clear signals (screen time, nighttime use, app opens, long sessions) and places you in one of five zones. Each zone sets the pause, from nothing on a great day to about ten seconds on a hard one, plus how long you can continue. The scoring runs on your phone.
Can I choose how long the pause lasts?
Partly. On Premium you pick the intensity (gentle, balanced or firm) and each zone follows that scale. On any plan you can cap how many minutes you continue for after the pause, always downward from what the zone allows, never above it. What you cannot do is set a fixed pause that ignores how your day went; that is the point.
Does Munen keep working if I do not open it for days?
Yes. Screen Time keeps measuring in the background, the daily score is saved on the device, and when you come back Munen fills in the days you missed and picks up from there. You do not have to open the app every day for the pause to keep adjusting.
Plans and account
How much does Munen cost?
The free plan is the full app for up to three apps: zones, the nightly adjustment, shields, journal, focus sessions and achievements. No time limit. It also includes a taste of the AI: three coach messages and one journal analysis a week, plus SOS with written grounding steps. Premium is 4.99 USD a month or 39.99 USD a year, with a 14-day trial, and adds unlimited apps, friction intensity, zone changes every four hours instead of once a day, unlimited history (the free plan keeps the last two weeks), a coach you can talk to every day, AI-personalized SOS and the weekly summary built from your own patterns.
Does Munen work without a subscription?
Yes. The free plan is the full app for up to three apps, with no time limit and no trial that expires. Premium adds unlimited apps, friction intensity, faster zone changes, unlimited history, a coach for every day, an SOS written from your own patterns and the weekly summary.
Does Munen work without an account?
Yes. You can set it up and use the pause, zones, journal and focus sessions with no sign-in at all. An account is only asked for when you start a Premium checkout or use an AI feature for the first time, because those run on our servers.
Devices and privacy
Does Munen work on Android or iPad?
No. Munen runs on iPhone with iOS 17.2 or later. It is built on Apple’s Screen Time APIs, which have no equivalent on Android, so there is no Android version today.
Does Munen work with Apple’s Screen Time?
It requires it. On first launch Munen asks for Screen Time permission, and Apple does the measuring at the system level. Your own App Limits and Downtime in Settings keep working alongside; Munen adds the pause on top.
Can I use Munen alongside Opal or another blocker?
Technically yes: each app applies its own shield and iOS shows both, so you would see two screens before the same app. It works, but it gets confusing fast. Our honest advice is to run one at a time.
What happens to my journal and my data?
Your usage metrics, reflections and progress stay on your phone, and so does the scoring that sets your zone. The optional AI features (coach, SOS and the weekly summary) send the text they need to an AI provider; nothing else leaves the device. It's spelled out in the privacy policy.
How does Munen decide how much friction to apply?
With a transparent calculation on your phone from clear signals: screen time, nighttime use, app opens and long sessions. That calculation places you in one of five zones, from Pause to Flow, and each zone sets how long the pause lasts. The scoring runs on your phone and your usage data never leaves it. Only the optional AI features (coach, SOS, weekly summary) send text to the cloud.