Support
Ballast is a one-person app. Mail goes to a real person and gets a real answer.
Get in touch
Bugs, questions, refunds, or a request to delete data. Please say which iPhone and which iOS version you're on; it usually saves a round trip.
I paid and Pro didn't unlock
Open Ballast, go to the paywall, and tap Restore purchase. That re-checks your Apple Account and is the fix in almost every case, including after reinstalling or moving to a new phone, as long as you use the same Apple Account you bought with.
If it still doesn't unlock, email me. Include the receipt Apple sent you and I'll sort it out. You will not be asked to pay twice.
How do I cancel?
Subscriptions are managed by Apple, not by me: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Ballast. Cancelling there stops the renewal, and Pro stays on until the period you already paid for runs out.
Lifetime is a single payment. There is nothing to cancel, and nothing renews.
Does Ballast have a website filter?
Not in version 1.0.1. You can turn on Apple's filter yourself in a few minutes, for free: here are the Screen Time steps. Ballast's friction checklist, in the More tab, walks you through the same steps.
How do I move to a new phone?
Ballast has no account, so it has no copy to send you. Your entries move with Apple's own iPhone transfer or a device backup, which normally carry app data. Check that yours includes Ballast before you erase the old phone. Pro comes back through Restore purchase.
How do I get my data out?
In the app: Settings → Export my data. That produces a JSON file of your start date and settings, urges and slips, check-ins, reasons and habits, and you choose where it goes. Nothing is uploaded. If-then plans, course progress, steps, weekly reviews and the picture aren't in it, and Ballast can't read the file back in, so it's a record for you and not a way to move the app.
How do I delete my data?
Delete the app. Everything Ballast stores lives on your phone, so that removes it from the phone; there is no copy on a server, because there is no server. Any exports you saved are yours to delete, and an iCloud or computer backup of the phone made earlier can still hold Ballast's data until you delete that backup. For the purchase record Apple and RevenueCat hold, email me and I'll request its deletion on your behalf.
Does Ballast work without a connection?
Yes. Everything except buying or restoring Pro works with no signal at all, including the whole urge flow.
Terms
Ballast is governed by Apple's standard licence agreement for apps. There are no custom terms.
Guides
- How to block porn on iPhone with Screen Time
- Free if-then urge plan builder
- How to stop watching porn: what research supports
- What to do after a slip
- Apps to quit porn or PMO, compared
- QUITTR left the App Store: what's known and what to do
When to look for more help
Ballast is a self-tracking and educational tool, not treatment. None of these is a diagnosis, but any one is a fair reason to book a conversation: you've tried to cut back several times and it keeps coming back; it's eating into sleep, work or time with people; it has become the main way you deal with stress or low mood; or you feel low or anxious most days.
- A therapist. Look for someone who works with CBT or ACT and is comfortable talking about sex.
- Your GP or family doctor. A good first stop if you're unsure. They can check what else might be going on and refer you on.
- SMART Recovery. Free peer meetings, online and in person, built on practical CBT-style tools.
- SAA. A twelve-step fellowship with free meetings in many countries and online.
If things feel very dark: if you are having thoughts of harming yourself, contact your local emergency services or a crisis line now. In the US, call or text 988. Elsewhere, findahelpline.com lists free lines by country.