one sec alternative for iPhone
If you use one sec but still find yourself scrolling, consider where the session starts. one sec can interrupt or block app use. Anti Browser changes the browser itself by removing its address bar and general web search.
Here's how the approaches differ and when it makes sense to use them together.
What one sec does well
one sec is an iPhone app that puts a short breathing exercise in front of a distracting app. You open Instagram, the screen goes calm, you take a breath, and then it asks if you still want to continue. On iPhone, its interventions use Shortcuts automations. It also offers blocking features, including strict block sessions in Pro. See one sec's feature comparison for the free and paid options.
A short interruption gives you a moment to notice why you're opening an app and decide whether to continue. That can be useful when opening it has become automatic.
When a pause may not be enough
A pause can help you notice an automatic action, but what happens afterward still matters.
You may still choose to continue. If you often dismiss the prompt and scroll, consider stricter blocking or deleting the app. That does not mean pauses inevitably lose their effect; judge the approach by whether it changes your own use.
The pause is on the door, not the room. Say the pause works and you close Instagram. You're still holding a phone with Safari on it. Safari has a search bar, a start page with suggestions, and every tab from yesterday. You don't need Instagram to lose an hour. You need a text field and a thumb.
one sec can intervene when you open Safari too. Once access is allowed, Safari still has its address bar and search engine. Anti changes those browser controls.
A one sec alternative that isn't a pause
If the browser is where your scrolling starts, replacing it gives you another way to change that habit.
A link only browser has no URL bar, no general web search, and no tabs. Anti Browser is the only one, and it created the category: it opens links that other apps send to it (a text, an email, a calendar invite, a QR code) and cannot save bookmarks. Without a link, the only tools available are Wikipedia and AI. You can use on-device AI or switch to the AI service of your choice. There is no address bar or general web search bar.
The page a friend sent you opens without an address bar or general web search field. You can still follow links on the page, so Anti does not prevent every possible browsing session.
For a full dumbphone setup, install Anti Browser and set it as your default first, then follow Block Downloads, Block Safari, Delete, and Lock. Anti includes this guide during onboarding, along with a Screen Time code generator and vault that stores your generated code in case you ever need it.
Friction vs removal
| one sec | Anti Browser | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Interventions and blocking | Browser without an address bar, general web search, or tabs |
| Works on native apps | Yes | No, browser only |
| Web use | Browser interventions and website blocking | Opens links without an address bar or general web search |
| What remains available | Depends on your intervention and blocking settings | Links within pages, Wikipedia, and AI |
| Initial setup | Configure automations and blocking rules | Set as default; optionally follow the four-step Screen Time guide |
| Price | Free tier, paid tier | 3 day trial, then $15 a year or $45 lifetime |
The honest gap: Anti Browser does nothing for native apps. If TikTok is on your phone, it's still on your phone.
Use them together
Delete distracting apps you don't need. For apps you need to keep, one sec or Screen Time limits can add controls. Replace Safari with Anti to remove the address bar and general web search from your default browser.
The full setup remains reversible: the Screen Time code lets you change Safari and download restrictions. A trusted person can hold that code, or Anti's vault can store a generated code for when you need it.
Who should keep using one sec
If your distractions are one or two native apps, and closing them actually ends the session for you, one sec is enough. It's a good tool and the free tier is generous.
If closing the app just sends you to Safari, or you catch yourself Googling things you don't need to know, the browser is the leak. See how to stop Googling everything for that specific habit, and the Opal alternative and Brick alternative posts if you're comparing blockers too.