I stopped wasting hours on Instagram; I started earning screen time with push-ups instead

Published Aug 26, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT I've been covering Android and other mobile technology for close to ten years now, with a specific interest in phone accessories, e-readers, and what makes each individual phone different from another. I delight in looking at the phone market from as many angles as possible, and while my opinions may be odd, at times, they're always from the heart as much as the head. I have a background in the mobile accessories world, which explains my odd enthusiasm for cases and things that clip onto smartphones. I worked for Digital Trends from 2017 to 2025. I hate losing time to short videos on Facebook and Instagram. But I'm so weak to those little doses of dopamine that I find myself there again and again. So I'm always on the lookout for ways that I can limit the amount of time I waste. Workout Locker is one of those apps, and it's designed to help you spend less time stuck on apps you'd rather not be on. Workout Locker is a bit different than most. Instead of giving you a countdown of time left, it lets you earn time to use. Workout Locker is a drill sergeant for my smartphone 'Drop and give me 20' Credit: Ivan S / Pexels I can't give up short videos. I've tried, but I always go back. All it takes is one mildly intriguing reel to catch my eye, and bam, I've swiped through hundreds of short videos and lost an hour. The algorithms make it worse by constantly fine-tuning themselves to my interests, making it a system that's hard to quit. I've tried to quit, and failed. So instead of quitting, what if I earn my time on it instead? That's where Workout Locker comes in. Instead of locking the apps I designate, I earn unlocked time on each of them by working out in view of my phone's camera. That's because Workout Locker isn't a lockdown app, it's an exercise app. Every exercise I do in view of the app earns points, which I can use to unlock my social media apps for a certain amount of time. When I want to earn, I open the app, tap Earn screen time, and select the exercise and rep number I want to do to earn points. Only squats are available for free users, while subscribed users can also do push-ups, jumping jacks, planks, and lunges. Normally, paying to do a push-up would make me furious, but given I need this, I won't complain. The app uses your camera and onboard AI to track your movements and award your reps. Because it uses onboard AI, nothing is sent from your device, and no footage is saved. When you're done, you can spend your points and unlock your apps for 15, 30, 60, or 120 minutes. But be warned: It's a countdown timer, not an accumulating one. So if you start your timer at 3 pm, it closes at 5 pm, whether you've spent all two hours on the app or five minutes. You can make it easier or harder as required Exercise junkies and newbies alike are welcome here How many points do you earn for each exercise? That changes depending on your settings, which makes this app welcoming to a range of people. On first startup, you're asked to set your difficulty level, with extra easy or hard modes available in the Settings menu afterward. By default, one rep gets you one point, and one point equals one minute. The easier modes get you two or three points per rep, and the harder ones get you half a point, a quarter, or (for the truly diabolical) a punishing tenth of a point. It's down to you how hard you want to push yourself, and as ever with exercise, it's good to get to a setting that feels tough, but not impossible. You can also ask the app to track your steps using your device's step counter, and you'll get one point per 100 steps. I've had the step counter on, and given I regularly walk over 10,000 steps a day, I've found it makes the app pointless, since I can unlock anything whenever. So I'll probably turn it off, but your mileage will vary. WorkoutLocker works with any app I've used Workout Locker for Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, but it works with any app. To use it properly, you'll need to give the app a lot of access to your phone. It needs to display over other apps and have full access. I understand why you might be hesitant. But because it has full access, it can block any app you need it to. Workout Locker is free to use, with restrictions. A Pro subscription opens up everything, at $50 a year. I haven't made the plunge yet, but I probably will. Waste a lot of time on YouTube? Candy Crush? Discord? Workout Locker makes you earn it instead of wasting it. I've been having a blast with it, and I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know.