Check the phone before the product
Start with the device in your hand. Rawk is designed for iPhone running iOS 18 or later. Android support is not offered, and iPad or Mac support should not be assumed. Check Settings → General → About for the model and software version. An iOS version alone does not prove the complete setup.
A physical blocker that depends on NFC and Apple's Screen Time framework also depends on authorization state and app behavior. Read the vendor's compatibility page and Apple's current documentation before ordering. If any requirement is uncertain, support can check an iPhone model and iOS version before purchase.
- Phone: iPhone, iOS 18 or later for Rawk.
- Platform: Android is unsupported.
- State: Screen Time authorization and NFC scanning must work.
Check what the blocker actually selects
Ask whether the product selects installed apps, filters websites, or uses a defined catalog. Rawk shows a searchable catalog of supported individual apps; it does not scan installed apps or Screen Time history. You can choose up to 50 supported apps. Check the catalog or ask support to confirm the apps causing your interruptions before buying.
Then check the essentials rule. Rawk hides and restricts selected apps during focus, while apps you leave unselected remain available. It does not uninstall apps or delete their contents. This makes app selection a planning step, not a promise that every path to distraction disappears.
- Check the supported-app catalog or ask support about your target apps.
- Leave maps, messages, and other essentials unselected when needed.
- Separate app restriction from web-content filtering and notification settings.
Check the physical action and restore path
A physical blocker is defined as much by restoration as by blocking. With Rawk, pairing uses an encoded physical rock and the iPhone scanner. Start focus by tapping the onscreen Rawk. For a scan-ended session, tap End to open the foreground scanner, then scan the paired rock. A selected timer restores access at its deadline.
Read the exception path before starting a long session. Rawk Settings includes a three-second Emergency reset that restores access and removes pairing while keeping chosen apps. A matching tag link may start focus after pairing and setup, but a link alone never ends an active session. Keep the paired rock somewhere safe and reachable.
- Ask how a normal session ends.
- Ask what happens if the physical object is unavailable.
- Test a short session before depending on the routine.
Check price, plan, and delivery terms
Compare total cost rather than a headline number. Rawk bundles are one-time: $99 for one rock, $149 for two, and $299 for five. Standard US shipping is free; tax applies. There is no recurring subscription. A bundle is a quantity choice, not evidence that a family account or child-account workflow is supported.
Also confirm that app access is usable before shipment and read the return and shipping terms. Rawk's published resources describe a full payment refund if an order is not shipped within 30 calendar days, plus a 30-day return request window after delivery. Check the live policy before ordering because terms can change.
- Price: compare hardware, subscription, shipping, and tax.
- Quantity: do not infer multi-user account behavior from a multi-rock bundle.
- Policy: read current shipping and returns pages before checkout.
Use a final pre-purchase checklist
Before buying Rawk, verify: your iPhone runs iOS 18 or later; Rawk is available to you; Screen Time authorization is acceptable; NFC scanning works; your target apps appear in the catalog; and you understand scan, timer, and Emergency reset behavior. If one answer is no, pause and resolve it first.
Finally, choose based on the routine you will maintain. Apple Screen Time may be enough when you want built-in software limits. A physical blocker may fit when an object makes the boundary easier to remember and act on. Compare the requirements and restore paths of any alternative using its current official documentation. No comparison table replaces checking your own phone.