--- title: This $9 key physically locks your most addictive apps description: Autonomous Key is a $9 NFC physical key that pairs with a companion app to lock distracting apps like Instagram and TikTok on Android and iOS. Unlike... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/this-9-key-physically-locks-your-most-addictive-apps-ihxvqqqlv twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: This $9 key physically locks your most addictive apps | daily.dev og:description: Autonomous Key is a $9 NFC physical key that pairs with a companion app to lock distracting apps like Instagram and TikTok on Android and iOS. Unlike... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/this-9-key-physically-locks-your-most-addictive-apps-ihxvqqqlv og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/ihxvqqqLV.png og:image:alt: This $9 key physically locks your most addictive apps og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # This $9 key physically locks your most addictive apps **[TechCrunch](https://daily.dev/sources/tc)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Autonomous Key is a $9 NFC physical key that pairs with a companion app to lock distracting apps like Instagram and TikTok on Android and iOS. Unlike software-based screen-time tools that rely on willpower, it requires physically scanning the key to unlock apps, with sessions lasting up to 60 minutes. It's cheaper than competitors like Blok ($29), Unpluq ($26.50), and Brick ($59), requires no subscription, and includes AI-powered habit insights with a sassy personality. Downsides include occasional NFC scan failures and no backup unlock method if the key is lost, though a fix is in development. Currently in beta after a Kickstarter campaign. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [If you want to cut your screen time, just get a Brick](https://daily.dev/posts/if-you-want-to-cut-your-screen-time-just-get-a-brick-un4kixvhb) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Ultraloq adds Android tap-to-unlock to its Apple Home Key smart lock](https://daily.dev/posts/ultraloq-adds-android-tap-to-unlock-to-its-apple-home-key-smart-lock-lyzs5vvxb) · The Verge · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Blocking TikTok with physics: how I built an iPhone app that locks apps when you sit at your desk](https://daily.dev/posts/blocking-tiktok-with-physics-how-i-built-an-iphone-app-that-locks-apps-when-you-sit-at-your-desk-mbyenbs1i) · Medium · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#mobile](https://daily.dev/tags/mobile), [#productivity](https://daily.dev/tags/productivity) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/this-9-key-physically-locks-your-most-addictive-apps-ihxvqqqlv) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"This $9 key physically locks your most addictive apps","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-9-key-physically-locks-your-most-addictive-apps-ihxvqqqlv","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-9-key-physically-locks-your-most-addictive-apps-ihxvqqqlv"},"datePublished":"2026-07-27T15:31:11.371Z","dateModified":"2026-07-27T15:31:34.366Z","description":"Autonomous Key is a $9 NFC physical key that pairs with a companion app to lock distracting apps like Instagram and TikTok on Android and iOS. Unlike...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/d1746ddf46d391b597879041e37130ca?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/d1746ddf46d391b597879041e37130ca?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"TechCrunch","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TechCrunch","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/tc","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/tc"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-9-key-physically-locks-your-most-addictive-apps-ihxvqqqlv","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"mobile,productivity","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TechCrunch","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/tc"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"This $9 key physically locks your most addictive apps"}]} ```