halto

Support

Set up the pause, get the most from focus and widgets, and fix the usual hiccups.

Set up the pause on iPhone

The pause needs iOS 16.4 or later and Apple’s Shortcuts app, which comes with your iPhone (if you deleted it, it’s free on the App Store). Make one automation for each app you want to guard. Halto’s own guide, in Settings › Setup › Shortcuts automations, shows the same steps with pictures and a button that opens Shortcuts.

  1. Open Shortcuts, tap Automation, then tap + (or New Automation).
  2. Choose App, pick the app you want to guard, tick Is Opened, choose Run Immediately, and tap Next.
  3. Tap New Blank Automation, search for Halto, and choose Pause before opening.
  4. In the action, tap the App field and pick the same app.
  5. Tap Done. Now open that app from your Home Screen: Halto appears with a breath first.

Good to know. On iOS 16 and 17, iPhone asks once whether Halto may continue; allow it. Repeat the steps for each guarded app. Halto’s guide shows “Working” next to each app once its pause has appeared.

  • iOS 17 and later: open the automation in Shortcuts › Automation and turn off Notify When Run (it sits under Run Immediately).
  • Any version: go to Settings › Screen Time › See All App & Website Activity, scroll to Notifications, tap Shortcuts and turn notifications off. This needs Screen Time turned on, and it also hides other Shortcuts notifications.

When you choose to open the app

When you tap to open the app after the breath (“Open anyway”), Halto opens it for you and lets it through for a few minutes, so the automation doesn’t pause you again straight away. You choose how long in Settings › Free re-opens after “Open anyway”: 2, 5, 10 (the default), 15 or 30 minutes.

Screen Time shields

Screen Time shields are optional and only show up in Halto when your version supports them. If Settings › Setup › Screen Time shields says “Not in this version yet”, use the Shortcuts pause above: it works on every iPhone with iOS 16.4 or later.

  1. In Halto, open Settings › Setup › Screen Time shields and tap Connect Screen Time. iOS asks you to confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
  2. Tap Choose apps and categories and pick them in Apple’s own picker.
  3. During focus sessions and at bedtime, iOS shows Halto’s calm shield over those apps.

Apple keeps Screen Time data on your iPhone. Halto receives only private tokens for the apps you pick, and Screen Time charts are drawn by iOS in a sealed extension, so neither Halto nor we can ever see which apps you use. To turn it off, use Halto, or Settings › Screen Time on your iPhone.

Set up the pause on Android

Halto’s setup (in onboarding, or Settings › Setup › Pause guard and permissions) explains each permission before Android asks, and opens the right settings screen for you. Android 8 or later.

  1. Usage access. Tap Agree and open settings, find Halto in the list, and turn on Permit usage access. This lets Halto see which app is in front, only to notice when a guarded app opens.
  2. Display over other apps. Find Halto and turn on Allow display over other apps, so the pause can appear on top of the app.
  3. Battery. Some phones stop background apps to save battery. In Halto, tap Keep Halto running, then set Halto to Unrestricted (sometimes called No restrictions or Don’t optimise).
  4. Notifications (Android 13 and later). Allow them, so Halto can show that the pause is on and tell you when a focus session ends.
  5. Turn on Pause guarded apps. A quiet notification shows while the pause is on, as Android requires for apps that work in the background.

Phones from Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, Oppo, Realme, Vivo, OnePlus and others may have an extra Autostart or Background activity switch in Settings › Apps › Halto. If the pause stops after a while, turn it on.

Focus sessions and widgets

Focus

  • Start 25, 50 or 90 minutes from the Today screen, the Focus tab, a Focus widget, or (iOS 18) Control Center.
  • While the timer runs, guarded apps show “You’re in focus” with Back to focus, or the option to end the session and open the app.
  • On iPhone, a Live Activity shows the countdown on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with an End button.
  • A completed session counts toward your focus streak. Ending early doesn’t, and that’s okay too.

Add a widget

  • iPhone Home Screen: touch and hold an empty spot, tap Edit › Add Widget (or +), search for Halto, and choose Today, Focus or Streak.
  • iPhone Lock Screen: touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize › Lock Screen, tap the widget area and choose Halto.
  • Control Center (iOS 18): open Control Center, tap + › Add a Control, and search for Halto.
  • Android: touch and hold the home screen, tap Widgets, find Halto, and drag Today, Focus or Streak into place. The Focus widget lets you choose its default length.

Widgets refresh when Halto saves new pauses. If a number looks behind, open Halto once.

Troubleshooting

The pause doesn’t appear

iPhone: in Shortcuts › Automation, check that the automation for that app exists, is turned on, uses Run Immediately, and runs Halto’s Pause before opening with the same app. If you just chose to open the app, it opens freely until the free re-open time ends. Make sure the app is in Halto’s guarded list and switched on.

Android: open Halto › Settings › Setup › Pause guard and permissions and check that Usage access and Display over other apps are on and Pause guarded apps is running. Allow Halto to run in the background (see the battery step above). After a phone restart, the pause comes back on its own.

After “Open anyway”, the pause keeps coming back

After you choose to open an app, Halto lets it through for the free re-open time, so the automation that runs again finds the app allowed and stays quiet. If it still loops:

  • Open the app with Halto’s own button after the breath, not by switching apps; that is what starts the free re-open time.
  • Check Settings › Free re-opens after “Open anyway”. Pick a longer time if you often come back to the same app.
  • Check that the automation uses Halto’s Pause before opening action (not an action that simply opens Halto).
  • During a focus session or a bedtime block, apps stay paused on purpose. End the session, or use the option on the pause screen.
Halto is in the wrong language

Halto speaks English and Hindi (हिन्दी) and follows your phone’s language. To choose, open Halto › Settings › Language: System, English or हिन्दी. The pause screen and widgets switch the next time Halto updates them, so open Halto once after changing it.

How do I reset my data?

Halto › Settings › Reset all data deletes your guarded apps, pauses, focus sessions and streaks on this phone; your settings stay. Uninstalling Halto removes everything. On iPhone, your automations live in the Shortcuts app, so delete them there (swipe left on each one in Shortcuts › Automation).

The time saved looks too high or too low

It’s an estimate: mindful closes × the minutes you’d usually spend in that app. Change the minutes for any app in the Apps tab, in that app’s settings.

Contact us

Still stuck, or have an idea? Email info@workaholicdevelopers.com. It helps to include your phone model, your iOS or Android version, and Halto’s version (Settings › About). We’ll never ask for your passcode or for personal data.