LockMeOut, made by TEQTIC Apps, is an Android-only blocker built around genuinely detailed anti-circumvention: on top of standard scheduled blocking, it specifically closes routes people use to dodge mobile blockers, including split-screen mode, picture-in-picture, and the pop-up view some Samsung phones offer. That level of specific attention to Android's own multitasking features suggests a team that has genuinely watched real users try to route around a block, rather than assuming a simple app-list toggle would be enough on its own. TEQTIC's focus on Android specifically, rather than trying to also cover iOS, has clearly let the team go deeper on Android-specific workarounds than a cross-platform competitor spreading its engineering effort across two operating systems might manage.
What LockMeOut actually does
LockMeOut offers three blocking modes — a chosen blocklist, an allow-only list, or a lock-screen-only mode — with triggers that can be time-based, usage-based, or location-based, plus scheduled breaks, giving you more flexibility in how a block actually gets triggered than a plain daily timer would. A premium "prohibited changes password" feature can require a password before the app's own settings can be changed or uninstalled, and it specifically covers split-screen, picture-in-picture and pop-up-view escape routes on supported Android devices, which is a level of specificity most competitors simply don't attempt. LockMeOut also supports a genuinely wide range of trigger conditions beyond simple scheduling, including geofenced locations and usage-based thresholds, giving you more precise control over exactly when a block should engage than a single daily timer would.
Where LockMeOut is honestly the better pick
The specific attention to Android's multitasking escape routes — split-screen, picture-in-picture, Samsung's pop-up view — is genuinely more thorough than most blockers manage, and it reflects real, specific knowledge of how people actually get around a mobile block on Android rather than a generic assumption that closing the app is the only workaround worth worrying about. Flexible trigger types (time, usage, or location) are also a real strength Mr. Grummel doesn't currently offer, giving you more ways to define exactly when a block should kick in. That Android-only focus also means updates and bug fixes for platform-specific quirks tend to arrive faster than they might from a team also juggling an iOS codebase, since there's only one operating system's changes to track and respond to.
| Feature | LockMeOut | Mr. Grummel |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Android only — no iOS | iOS & Android (in development) |
| Core mechanism | Scheduled/usage/location-triggered blocking, closing split-screen, PiP and pop-up-view workarounds | Answer a quiz question from the app's curriculum to unlock |
| Self-bypassable by the account holder? | Yes, unless a premium password is set — and the user who set that password can also simply remember or reset it | Not yet released — can't be assessed |
| Physical hardware required? | No | No |
| Price | Freemium; exact premium price not published on available pages | Not yet announced — join the waiting list |
The one mechanical difference that actually matters
LockMeOut's password-protection model relies on a genuinely useful trick — locking yourself out with a password only someone else holds, a parent or a friend, say, which turns a solo willpower problem into a two-person arrangement. But used alone, by the same person who set it, it's really a promise to yourself, since you always have the option to remember or reset your own password, no matter how firmly you meant it in the moment you set it up. Mr. Grummel's quiz question isn't something you configured in advance and can therefore un-configure; each one is answered on the spot, which removes the "I'll just use the password I already know" escape hatch entirely, whether or not anyone else is involved. It's worth adding that this same basic "someone else holds the key" logic underlies a lot of effective parental and partner-assisted blocking setups, so LockMeOut's password model is a genuinely useful building block for exactly that two-person scenario, even if it does little on its own for someone acting entirely alone.
Who should pick which
If you're on Android and specifically want a blocker that closes split-screen and picture-in-picture workarounds, and you're willing to have someone else hold your password, LockMeOut's detailed anti-circumvention features are hard to beat. If you'd rather not manage a password at all, on either platform, and you're the only person involved in holding yourself accountable, that's the simpler bet Mr. Grummel makes instead. It's also worth trying LockMeOut's free tier first to see whether its location and usage-based triggers actually fit how your day unfolds, before deciding whether the premium password-protection tier is worth paying for on top of that. It's also worth being clear-eyed that a password only genuinely works as a deterrent if the person setting it isn't also the person trying to get back in later that same day, which is the specific limitation Mr. Grummel's per-attempt question is built to avoid entirely.