What to Do Instead of Your Phone Before Bed (Night Settings for iPhone)

Things to do instead of social media

• Read a paper book or comic. A chapter or an episode has a natural end, so it's easy to stop.
• Write down tomorrow's plan and what to bring. Three lines in a notebook is enough. If opening the calendar on your phone tends to lead you into social media, use paper.
• Keep a journal. Even one line about your day.
• Get tomorrow's clothes and bag ready. Anything that keeps your hands busy works.
• Put on something to listen to. With the radio or music you don't need to look at a screen. If you play it from your phone, start it and turn the phone face down.

What works is different for everyone. What matters is deciding "I'll do this instead" before you put the phone down. Without a plan, you reach for the phone as soon as your hands are free.

Keep social media closed at night

1. In the Settings app, tap Screen Time, then Screen Time Schedule, and turn on Schedule (iOS 27).
2. Tap Add Schedule and make a night time window.
3. Add anything you still need at night, such as your alarm or family contacts, to Always Allowed.

Apple's guide notes that Screen Time Schedules need iOS 27 or later on all your Apple devices. On iOS 26, tap Downtime, then Scheduled, set the times, and turn on Block at Downtime (this needs a Screen Time passcode). According to Apple's guide, when Block at Downtime is off you only see a reminder and can keep using the apps.

Keep Reels away even if you open social media in bed

If you still want to reply to messages or Instagram DMs at night, hiding only Reels and Shorts is easier to keep up than blocking whole apps.

1. Get minulo from the App Store.
2. Open Instagram, YouTube or TikTok in minulo and sign in on each service's own login screen. minulo never receives your password.
3. Tap the gear next to each app and turn on what you want hidden, such as Reels and Explore and suggested posts on Instagram, Shorts and recommendations on YouTube, and For You on TikTok. Hiding is free.
4. In the Block tab, pick the official Instagram, YouTube or TikTok app and start a block. Tapping the icon shows a block screen, and Open in minulo takes you to minulo. A free block lasts up to 2 hours.

Since a free block lasts up to 2 hours, you can start one when you go to bed. A schedule that starts automatically at the same time every night is part of minulo Pro (US $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year).

Here are minulo's weak points too. Reels and Shorts are hidden only inside minulo, and the official apps don't change. While minulo locks an official app, that app's notifications don't arrive, and minulo doesn't send them for it. You can't post Stories, send voice messages or make calls. minulo is an iPhone app, and there is also a Mac app that works with Safari and Chrome. There is no Android version yet. It launched recently and doesn't have many ratings yet. See what minulo can't do for more.

What can I do before bed instead of using my phone?

Read a paper book or comic, write down tomorrow's plan and what to bring, keep a journal, lay out tomorrow's clothes, or put on the radio or music. The trick is to choose one thing before you put the phone down.

How long before bed should I stop using my phone?

This page doesn't cover sleep or health effects, or any medical guideline.

I decide on something else, but still end up picking up my phone

Make a night time window with a Screen Time schedule, or lock the official social media apps with minulo's block. Even if you open them in minulo, Reels and Shorts don't appear.

I still want to use messages and DMs at night

With Screen Time you can add your messaging app to Always Allowed. For Instagram DMs, open Instagram in minulo and use DMs with Reels and Explore hidden. While minulo locks an official app, that app's notifications don't arrive.

Sources

1. Apple: Set Screen Time Schedules and Time Allowances in Screen Time on iPhone (iOS 27)
2. Apple: Set schedules with Screen Time on iPhone (iOS 26)
3. minulo: What minulo can't do
4. App Store (US): minulo