I have lost count of how many times I have gone to bed thinking I will finally sleep on time, only to somehow end up scrolling Instagram or X again. A few minutes turn into an hour, then another, and before I notice, it is 2 or 3 a.m. The next morning, I am usually annoyed with myself because I could have just slept and felt considerably better for the day ahead.
It is also a surprisingly hard habit to beat. Knowing you should put the phone down does not always help once it is already in your hand. Brick Night is a new gadget built around that exact problem. Instead of relying on you to remember to turn on an app blocker, it automatically restricts selected apps and websites when your phone enters your chosen sleep space during the hours you set.
It takes the decision out of your hands
Brick Night uses Bluetooth signal strength to work out when your phone is nearby. During setup, you can define a zone as large as 25 by 25 feet, which can even extend through walls, so it is not literally detecting the boundaries of a bedroom. Once your phone enters that zone during the scheduled window, your chosen restrictions kick in automatically.
There is also a bit more friction involved than dismissing another Screen Time warning. During the active window, the only way to regain access to a blocked app is to physically leave the designated zone. The restrictions also lift automatically once the scheduled period ends. Multiple people can use the same Brick Night while keeping their own schedules, zones, and blocked apps. The device runs on batteries and does not need Wi-Fi or charging either.
The problem is whether you need a $129 gadget for it
Brick Night costs $129, though, and Brick already sells a $59 device that can block apps on demand or on a schedule. The extra money here mainly buys the location-based part, which makes the restriction happen automatically when you are in the room.
For someone who keeps overriding software limits or forgetting to turn them on in the first place, making the restriction depend on physically leaving the room is an interesting idea. Whether that extra friction is worth $129 is another question.