Walk to earn screen time
Balpum turns your steps into screen time. By default 100 steps is 1 minute, on top of 15 free minutes every day. Minutes you don't spend carry over to the next day, up to 60.
When your balance hits 0, a lock screen covers the apps you picked. It never truly blocks you — “Open anyway” is always there — but that day gets a smudge on your record.
How Balpum works
Walking builds up minutes, and you spend them on the apps you picked. Walk 6,000 steps today and you have 60 minutes, on top of the 15 free minutes every day starts with.
| Steps to time | 100 steps buys 1 minute. The rate is adjustable. |
|---|---|
| Free every day | 15 minutes a day, whether you walk or not. |
| Carry over | Minutes you don't spend roll into tomorrow, up to 60. |
| Lock | At 0 minutes, a lock screen covers the apps you picked. |
| Bypass | “Open anyway” always works. It locks again after 15 minutes. |
| Record | Days you opened anyway get a brown dot and count in the weekly report. |
| Apple Watch | Walking at Zone 2 heart rate during a session earns 1.5×. |
How is it different from other screen time apps?
It does not block you. “Open anyway” sits on every lock screen and it opens. What you get instead is a brown dot on that day and a weekly count of how often you used it. We chose to leave a trace rather than test your willpower.
It sets no goals. It never tells you how far to walk, and never tells you that you fell short. Walking simply buys time.
There is no sign-up. No account, no login — install it and it works.
Nothing leaves your device
Balpum has no server, and the app contains no networking code at all. Neither your step count nor your choice of locked apps ever leaves the device.
When you pick apps to lock, iOS hands that selection over in a form it cannot interpret. So even Balpum does not know which apps you chose — the screen shows only a count.
Your history lives on the device alone. There is no backup, so deleting the app deletes it, and it does not follow you to a new phone.
Requirements
- iPhone — iOS 18 or later
- Apple Watch — watchOS 11 or later (optional)
- The one-line comment in Weekly Nag requires an Apple Intelligence capable device
Frequently asked questions
My steps aren't showing up
Balpum reads steps from the Apple Health app. Check that step reading is enabled under iOS Settings › Privacy & Security › Health › Balpum. Syncing happens when you open the app, and pulling down on the home screen syncs again right away.
The lock won't turn on
Locking needs separate Screen Time access. You can request it under Lock settings on the home screen. This access is used only to manage your own device; it never supervises anyone else's.
Why can't I see app names in the lock list?
iOS hands your selection to the app in a form it cannot interpret. So Balpum cannot know which apps you picked, and the screen shows only a count. This is a constraint iOS enforces.
What happens when I tap “Open anyway”?
It asks once more, then opens. That day gets a smudge (a brown dot), it counts in your weekly report, and the app locks again after 15 minutes.
If I change the rates, what happens to past days?
They are recalculated too. Your balance is never a stored number — it is computed from your step history every time.
What does the Apple Watch add?
Start a session on your Watch and walking at Zone 2 heart rate (110 bpm by default) earns 1.5×. Your wrist is tapped every 100 steps, and the session is saved as a workout so it fills your Activity rings.
I don't see the Weekly Nag
It stays hidden until you have some history. The single sentence at the top of the card appears only on devices that support Apple Intelligence; the summary below it is identical on every device.
Will my history move to a new device?
No. Balpum has no account, no server, and no backup — your history lives only on the device. Deleting the app deletes it for good. Workouts saved to the Health app remain there.
Contact
Bug reports, feature ideas, anything at all — write to contact@fountlab.co.kr. We reply within two to three business days.