Do I need any hardware to use Anchor?

No. The app does everything on its own — your dismiss code can be any household barcode (cereal box, shampoo, deodorant), a QR sticker, or any NFC tag you already own. The Anchor Tag is an optional accessory if you want a dedicated, branded place to tap.

What can I scan to dismiss the alarm?

Anything with a barcode or QR code, and any NFC tag. The first time you set your wake code, Anchor remembers it and only that code will work. A friend can't grab any random barcode and silence your alarm — only yours opens it.

Does the alarm work on Silent or after force-quit?

Yes. Anchor is built on AlarmKit, Apple's iOS 26 framework for time-critical alarms. It rings through Silent Mode, Do Not Disturb, and Focus, and re-arms itself after a force-quit. The same reliability as the built-in Clock — pointed at one job you can't talk yourself out of.

Can I use the app blocker without setting an alarm?

Absolutely. At Rest works independently. Lock a group right now with Scan to unlock, run a Time-locked session for a set duration, or build recurring Scheduled windows (Tue 9–1 and 7–11, Wed 8–10, whatever pattern your week needs). The alarm is just the auto-trigger for your morning block.

What if I need to break a block — meeting, emergency, real life?

You get 3 emergency overrides per month, shared across alarms and at-rest blocks. They reset on the 1st. For deliberate early-outs on on-demand blocks, just scan your wake code — that's how Scan to unlock works. Time-locked and Scheduled blocks honor the duration regardless.

What does Anchor cost?

Apple handles all billing through the App Store. Plans start at $3.99/week — or $9.99/month, $59.99/year. Or pay $129.99 once for Perpetual and never see another invoice. Cancel anytime in iPhone Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions.

Will it work for the whole family?

Each person installs Anchor on their own iPhone and sets their own wake time, dismiss code, and at-rest groups. One Anchor Tag (the optional accessory) can pair with every iPhone in the household if you choose to buy one.

iOS 26 only — what about older iPhones or Android?

Anchor needs iOS 26 because that's when AlarmKit became reliable enough to keep the promise — ringing through Silent Mode, surviving a force-quit. Older iOS can't. Android isn't on the roadmap yet; leave your email and we'll tell you the day it is.

For iOS 26

Wake on time. Stay off your phone.

An uncancelable iOS alarm and a real app blocker. Scan any household barcode, your own NFC tag, or a QR code to dismiss. Distracting apps stay locked the moment you wake — and on whatever schedule you set for the rest of your day. Built on Apple's AlarmKit.

Starting at $3.99/week
Cancel anytime
Built on AlarmKit

Launching: Summer 2026
Platform: iOS 26+
Own it forever: $129.99 once

Manifesto

The first thing most of us reach for is a phone.

An hour of scrolling later, the morning is gone.

Anchor holds the line.

Who are you today?

For the dad

You meant to make pancakes. You meant to lace your kid's shoes. Instead it's 7:42, the bus is leaving, and you're thirty Reels deep with cold coffee.

For the snoozer

Nine more minutes, nine more times. Shower skipped. Workout bumped. The day you wanted is gone before your feet hit the floor.

For the founder

The best thinking comes before the inbox opens. That hour is yours. Don't hand it to the feed.

It was never a fair fight

You're not weak. You're outnumbered.

Every app on your phone is built by a team whose entire job is to keep you there one more minute. That's the fight you're losing at 6 a.m. — half-asleep, against an industry that never sleeps.

So stop spending willpower you don't have at dawn. Anchor changes the design instead.

How it works

Three steps. One morning that's actually yours.

Set.

Set your alarm. Pick the apps you want blocked. Pick the schedule for the rest of the week. Go to bed.
Wake.

Alarm rings through Silent, through force-quit. Scan anything you set as your wake code — a cereal box, your own NFC tag, a QR sticker. Until you scan, the alarm doesn't stop.
Stay focused.

The apps you picked stay locked for your first hour. Schedule recurring focus windows for the rest of the day, or hit Hold whenever you need to put a group away.

Inside the app

Designed for the half-asleep, the committed, and the hopeful.

One app, two tabs. Alarms wakes you up — uncancelable, built on Apple's AlarmKit. At Rest blocks distracting apps on your terms: scan to unlock when you're ready, time-lock for a set duration, or schedule recurring windows across the week. Three emergency overrides per month for when life actually needs you.

At Rest

Lock distractions on your terms.

Three modes. Pick the one that fits the moment — switch between them as the day calls for it.

01 · Scan to unlock

Lock a group right now. Apps stay asleep until you scan your wake code — any household barcode, your own NFC tag, or a QR. No timer, no countdown. You unlock when you decide.

Good for: deep work, meals, meetings.

02 · Time-locked

Pick a duration — 30 minutes, 2 hours, until 9 PM. The clock runs whether you scan or not. No early outs. The lock you can't talk yourself out of.

Good for: study blocks, workouts, bedtime.

03 · Scheduled

Recurring windows you set once. Tue 9–1 and 7–11. Wed 8–10. Whatever pattern your week needs. The schedule does the discipline for you.

Good for: weekly rhythms, work hours, evenings off.

Also built in

Auto-block at wake: the moment your alarm dismisses, your morning group locks itself.

3 emergency overrides per month, shared across alarms and at-rest blocks. Resets on the 1st.

A morning, told two ways

The same alarm. Two different mornings.

Without Anchor

5:47 AM — Phone goes off. You silence it from the pillow.
5:50 AM — "Five more minutes." Snooze. Eyes open in feed light.
6:18 AM — Still in bed. Forty-three swipes deep on Instagram.
7:10 AM — Kids are up. You are not. Cartoons fill the gap.
7:42 AM — Bus is leaving. Shoes untied. Breakfast is a granola bar in the car.

With Anchor

5:47 AM — Alarm rings. You stand up and walk to the kitchen.
5:48 AM — Scan the coffee bag. Alarm off. Your distracting apps LOCKED.
6:00 AM — Coffee and Bible time. No Instagram or TikTok. The thing you said you would do.
7:00 AM — Pancakes on the stove. Quality time with your spouse and kids — finally.
7:42 AM — Out the door, on time. You started the day instead of catching up to it.

Optional accessory

The Anchor Tag. If you want one.

The app doesn't need it — any household barcode, your own NFC tag, or a QR code works. But if you want a dedicated, branded place to tap, the Anchor Tag is built for it: a small NFC puck designed to live in another room.

$9.99 · Coming soon · No battery, no charging.

Pricing

Starting at $3.99 a week.

One subscription unlocks everything. No tiers, no upsells, no add-ons inside the app. Pick the plan that fits — or pay once and never see another invoice.

Weekly

$3.99/week

For commitment-allergic. Try a week, decide a week.

Monthly

$9.99/month

The flexible default. Cancel anytime in iPhone Settings.

Yearly

$59.99/year

Two months free vs. monthly. The plan most people pick.

Perpetual

$129.99 once · forever

Pay once. Full app, lifetime of the service. No subscription.

Apple handles all subscriptions through the App Store. Cancel anytime in iPhone Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Includes 3 emergency overrides per month.

Join the Waitlist →

Why Anchor

You've tried other things. Here's what's different.

Other alarms wake you up. Other blockers stop the scroll. Anchor does both — and lets you schedule the rest of your day around it.

Anchor compared to Apple Clock, Alarmy, and Unbed across eight features.
Feature	Anchor	Apple Clock	Alarmy	Unbed
Wakes you up	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Survives force-quit & silent mode	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Scan anything to dismiss (barcode, QR, NFC)	Yes	No	Partial	Partial
Built-in app blocker	Yes	No	No	No
Auto-block at wake	Yes	No	No	No
Scheduled focus windows	Yes	No	No	No
Emergency overrides (3/mo)	Yes	No	No	No
Price	From $3.99/wk	Free	Free + sub	Free + ~$25 tag

Each app does a piece. Anchor wakes you, holds the line, then steps back.

The Anchor glossary

A few words we mean precisely.

The First Hour (noun): The sixty minutes after the alarm — the most stealable part of your day, and the one Anchor is built to defend.
Scan to Wake (verb): Dismissing the alarm by scanning a code in another room — a cereal box, a QR sticker, your own NFC tag. No scan, no silence.
At Rest (adjective): The state of an app group while it's blocked. Quiet until you decide otherwise — by scan, by timer, or by the schedule you set.
The Override (noun): One of three monthly escape hatches, shared across alarms and blocks, for when life genuinely needs you. Used sparingly, by design.

FAQ

The questions that matter.

Do I need any hardware to use Anchor?: No. The app does everything on its own — your dismiss code can be any household barcode (cereal box, shampoo, deodorant), a QR sticker, or any NFC tag you already own. The Anchor Tag is an optional accessory if you want a dedicated, branded place to tap.
What can I scan to dismiss the alarm?: Anything with a barcode or QR code, and any NFC tag. The first time you set your wake code, Anchor remembers it and only that code will work. A friend can't grab any random barcode and silence your alarm — only yours opens it.
Does the alarm work on Silent or after force-quit?: Yes. Anchor is built on AlarmKit, Apple's iOS 26 framework for time-critical alarms. It rings through Silent Mode, Do Not Disturb, and Focus, and re-arms itself after a force-quit. The same reliability as the built-in Clock — pointed at one job you can't talk yourself out of.
Can I use the app blocker without setting an alarm?: Absolutely. At Rest works independently. Lock a group right now with Scan to unlock, run a Time-locked session for a set duration, or build recurring Scheduled windows (Tue 9–1 and 7–11, Wed 8–10, whatever pattern your week needs). The alarm is just the auto-trigger for your morning block.
What if I need to break a block — meeting, emergency, real life?: You get 3 emergency overrides per month, shared across alarms and at-rest blocks. They reset on the 1st. For deliberate early-outs on on-demand blocks, just scan your wake code — that's how Scan to unlock works. Time-locked and Scheduled blocks honor the duration regardless.
What does Anchor cost?: Apple handles all billing through the App Store. Plans start at $3.99/week — or $9.99/month, $59.99/year. Or pay $129.99 once for Perpetual and never see another invoice. Cancel anytime in iPhone Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions.
Will it work for the whole family?: Each person installs Anchor on their own iPhone and sets their own wake time, dismiss code, and at-rest groups. One Anchor Tag (the optional accessory) can pair with every iPhone in the household if you choose to buy one.
iOS 26 only — what about older iPhones or Android?: Anchor needs iOS 26 because that's when AlarmKit became reliable enough to keep the promise — ringing through Silent Mode, surviving a force-quit. Older iOS can't. Android isn't on the roadmap yet; leave your email and we'll tell you the day it is.

Launching Summer 2026

Get notified at launch.

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