Is There a Website Blocker That Cannot Be Deleted?

No. On a normal iPhone or Mac, you can delete any app you install, and that includes every website blocker. A Screen Time passcode can slow you down, but the person who owns the phone stays in charge of it. What you can get is a blocker whose removal doesn't stay secret. If it's deleted or turned off, someone you trust finds out.

In short

1. No website blocker is truly undeletable on a phone or computer you control.

2. A Screen Time passcode adds friction, and it works best when someone else holds the code.

3. Making deletion visible to a partner is often a stronger deterrent than trying to make it impossible.

4. Blockd alerts your partner within seconds if protection turns off, and within minutes if the app is deleted.

Is there a website blocker that cannot be deleted?

It's a fair thing to search for. You set up a block on a calm afternoon, and then at midnight you delete the app in ten seconds. So you go looking for something stronger, something that holds even when you don't want it to.

Here's the honest answer. Your iPhone and your Mac are built to let the owner decide what stays on them. That's a good design for almost everything else you do with the device. It also means any app you added, you can take away. Some apps market themselves as impossible to remove. Read those claims closely, because on a device you own and control, there's always a way out for the person holding it.

That doesn't make blocking pointless. It changes the question. Instead of "how do I make this impossible to remove," ask "how do I make removing it a real decision instead of a quiet one." Most slips happen in the quiet version.

What can Screen Time do to stop deleting a blocker?

Apple's built-in Screen Time is the closest thing to a lock on an iPhone, and it's worth knowing what it does well.

The key piece is the Screen Time passcode. In iOS 26, you set one by going to Settings > Screen Time, scrolling down, tapping Lock Screen Time Settings, and entering a four-digit passcode twice. Apple says this passcode is separate from the one that unlocks your phone. Once it's set, you have to enter it before you can change any Screen Time settings.

That matters because Screen Time limits are easy to wave off by default. Apple says limits can be ignored once you reach them. With a passcode set, you can turn on Block at Downtime (Settings > Screen Time > Downtime) so restricted apps can't be opened during downtime. With it off, you get a reminder and can keep going.

Screen Time also has restriction settings you can explore, and the passcode protects those too. Here's the catch: if you set the passcode yourself, you know it. A four-digit code you chose is not much of a wall at midnight. It works much better when someone else picks it and holds it. That's an accountability arrangement in disguise. If you want to compare approaches on a phone, see how to block websites on iPhone.

Why does visible deletion work better than impossible deletion?

Think about what's going on in a weak moment. You're not plotting. You're tired or bored, and the off switch is close. If removing the blocker is private, it costs you nothing in that moment. If removing it means someone you trust will know, it costs something real.

That's the idea behind pairing a blocker with an accountability partner. The partner isn't a guard. They're a person you'd have to be honest with. Knowing that tends to stretch the pause between the urge and the action, and the pause is where you get to choose.

There's a second benefit. A lock you're fighting against turns into a puzzle. People spend hours looking for workarounds to tools that try to trap them. A visible setup gives you nothing to beat. You can turn it off whenever you want. You can't do it without someone noticing, and that's harder to argue with.

How does a partner alert on deletion work?

This is how Blockd approaches the problem. It doesn't try to stop you from deleting it, because any blocker can be turned off by the person who installed it. It makes turning it off visible to a partner, and that's the deterrent.

Here's what happens in practice:

• If protection turns off, your partner gets an alert within seconds.
• If the app is deleted, your partner is alerted within minutes, once the device goes quiet.
• If you change your blocklist, your partner sees the change.

Your partner sees your protection status, your blocklist, and every change to it. They don't see your full browsing history. Blockd doesn't read your messages or track your location. The point is to share whether your protection is on, not to watch your day.

The blocking itself happens at the DNS level (the step where a device looks up a website's address). That means blocks apply in every app and browser, not only Safari. Switching browsers doesn't get around it.

What gaps are still left?

A tool that seems airtight invites you to stop paying attention, so here are the limits, stated plainly.

• It blocks by address, not content. DNS blocking decides by website address, so it can't see what's on a page. It doesn't take screenshots either.
• One VPN at a time on iPhone. iPhone runs one VPN at a time, so connecting another VPN app can replace Blockd's connection.
• Some apps bring their own DNS. Apps that use their own hard-coded DNS can get around DNS filtering.
• You can always turn it off. That's true of every blocker. The partner alert is what makes it matter.

None of these gaps disappear with a stronger lock. They shrink when someone you trust is paying attention alongside you. The software handles the common cases and makes changes visible. The relationship covers the rest.

How do you set up a blocker that's hard to quietly remove?

You don't need a perfect setup. You need one where the easy exit is gone.

1. Pick the sites that matter most. Start with the two or three you open in weak moments.
2. Use a device-level blocker. Choose one that filters every app and browser, so a second browser isn't an escape hatch.
3. Choose a partner. Pick someone steady and calm who won't lecture you after a slip.
4. Agree on what they'll see. Talk through the alerts so neither of you is surprised when one arrives.
5. Hand over the Screen Time passcode, if you use one. Let your partner set it, so you don't know it.
6. Cover every device. A block on your phone doesn't cover your laptop.

Then decide ahead of time what happens if an alert goes out. A short, honest message beats silence. If the habit feels out of your control or is hurting your life, consider talking with a licensed therapist alongside your partner.