Sabbath App Blocks Phones 1 Day a Week as Shabbat-Inspired Unplugging Goes Mainstream
Updated
Updated · Jewish Insider · Aug 10
Sabbath App Blocks Phones 1 Day a Week as Shabbat-Inspired Unplugging Goes Mainstream
1 articles · Updated · Jewish Insider · Aug 10
Summary
Dig Wells this month launched Sabbath, a free app that lets users block selected apps from sundown to sundown on Saturday or Sunday to enforce a weekly digital break.
Founder Ben Springwater said the product grew from his own effort to stop compulsively checking X and work apps while preserving a flexible, modern version of Shabbat rather than a strict religious observance.
A paid tier adds custom weekday lockouts such as 5-7 p.m. family time, while a pause function forces users to type a reason before bypassing blocks and shares that reason with in-app friends for accountability.
The launch enters a crowded screen-time market but tries to stand out by centering one weekly day of rest, with religious undertones broad enough for observant Jews, Christians and secular wellness users.
Interest in Sabbath-style unplugging has recently spread beyond synagogues and churches, with figures from Ben Sasse to Karlie Kloss and Bryan Johnson publicly endorsing weekly or multi-day tech breaks.