Ripple
When Your Parents Cannot Stop Scrolling
Many retired parents pick up the phone and spend the whole afternoon on short videos and short dramas, then keep watching in bed at night and sleep badly. When they look after the grandchildren, the kids often end up watching too. The first part below is for adults limiting their own phone and helping their parents. The second part is for parents setting limits on a child's phone. Both cover Android and iPhone.
Adults limiting their own phone and their parents' phone
Talk it through first
Agree on which apps close and when. Calls, the camera, payments and every app left off the list keep working, which makes the rule easier to accept.
Short video and short drama apps on a schedule
For example closed from 1 to 2 PM for a nap and from 10 PM to 7 AM, open the rest of the day.
Android: a daily time limit
Short video apps can also get a daily limit, such as 2 hours a day.
iPhone: blocked by the system
On iOS 16 and later the apps are blocked on schedule through Apple's Screen Time frameworks, and the block keeps working even if Ripple is closed.
The adult child keeps the unlock code
Opening an app early means calling you for the code or waiting through the cooldown, which can be set from 15 minutes to 2 hours.
Set your own phone too
Use the same evening schedule on your own phone and agree with your parents to put phones down earlier together.
Parents setting limits on a child's phone
Videos and games close on time with grandparents
Set schedules on the child's phone or tablet, for example closed from 5 to 7 PM after school and after 9 PM, with weekends set separately.
Keep the unlock code yourself
Do not give it to the grandparents or the child, so grandparents do not have to unlock the phone when a child cries for it.
Clock changes and uninstalling do nothing
On Android time is counted from device uptime, see the clock change page, and uninstall protection can be turned on right on the phone. On iPhone turn on the block on deleting apps, see the iPhone page.
Setup steps
Talk it through with your parents
Agree on which apps close and when. Calls and messaging keep working.
Install Ripple on their phone
On Android install the APK and turn on the accessibility service. On iPhone you need iOS 16 or later and Screen Time permission.
Put short video and short drama apps on the list
Leave messaging apps off the list.
Set the schedule
For example 1 to 2 PM for a nap and 10 PM to 7 AM at night. On Android you can add a daily time limit.
Keep the unlock code and turn on uninstall protection
On Android enable the on-device uninstall guard. On iPhone enable the block on deleting apps.
FAQ
My parents scroll short videos for hours. How can I help them set limits?
Talk it through with them first. Then, next time you visit, install Ripple on their phone, put short video and short drama apps on the list and set a schedule, for example closed from 10 PM to 7 AM. On Android you can also give those apps a daily time limit, such as 2 hours a day.
Will video calls with family still work?
Yes. Calls, texts, the camera and any app left off the list keep working on both Android and iPhone. Leave your family's messaging app off the list and video calls are not affected.
Who keeps the unlock code?
The adult child can keep it. If your parents want to open an app early, they call you for the code or wait through the cooldown, which can be set from 15 minutes to 2 hours.
My kids watch videos nonstop when grandparents look after them. What can I do?
Set schedules on the child's phone or tablet so video apps and games close on time, and keep the unlock code yourself. On Android time is counted from device uptime, so changing the clock does not help, and uninstall protection can be turned on right on the phone. On iPhone the block on deleting apps stops long press removal.
Is it complicated for older people?
You set it up once. After that your parents do not need to open Ripple. The listed apps close on schedule and everything else works as usual. Relaxing a rule needs the cooldown first, so a wrong tap does not change anything right away.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
It is free with no ads and no account. Settings stay on the phone.