Blocking your PC is only half a plan. Close the browser game on your laptop and the phone beside it is still one tap from the same feed. Most people do not lose a study session to the computer or the phone. They lose it in the hand-off between them.
This guide shows how to run a single focus session across a Windows PC and an Android phone with FocusPort, what is shared between them, and a routine that makes the hand-off hard to cheat.
Why one device is never enough
Single-device blocking trains you to swap devices. You hit the lock on the PC, reach for the phone, and spend the session there. A good setup removes that option: when the PC session starts, the phone is part of it too. That is the point of sharing sessions rather than running two separate timers.
What is shared
| Item | Shared between PC and phone |
|---|---|
| Focus sessions | Yes. A session started on one device starts on the other while sync is in beta |
| Schedules | Yes. A program made on your PC appears on Android too |
| Allowed and blocked lists | Yes |
| Blocking itself | Runs on each device, so a lost connection does not lift a session |
Sync is optional and uses a cloud account, and it is free during the beta. Blocking itself is enforced on the device, which is why a session keeps running without internet.
Set it up in ten minutes
- Install FocusPort for Windows and FocusPort for Android.
- Sign in with the same account on both so they link.
- On the PC start screen, check that your phone shows as ready before you begin.
- Build one allowlist on each device: on the PC your work tools, on the phone only calls and the one or two apps you really need.
- Run a ten-minute test session and try to break it from each side.
A routine that works
- Before: put the phone on the desk, face down, but still linked. Do not put it in another room, because then you will fetch it.
- During: work in 50 to 90 minute blocks. Use Allowlist mode on the PC for deadline work and Blocklist for lighter tasks.
- After: take a real break away from both screens. Your streak grows when the session finishes, so finishing matters more than length.
- Weekly: schedule recurring programs for the hours you slip, for example 9 to 11 p.m. on weekdays.
Who gets the most out of it
Students revising for exams, remote workers whose phone is next to the keyboard, and anyone who has learned to dodge a PC-only blocker by switching screens. If you are a student, pair this with the phone study lock guide.
Limits to know about
The Windows version and cross-device sync are in beta, so you may meet rough edges. There is no iPhone version yet. And no tool can stop you from picking up a third device you did not link. Keep the setup simple, link what you actually use and test it once before a big week.
Related Reading
- Strict App Blocker for Windows: 6 Escape Routes
Why the PC side needs more than a blocklist.
- How to Lock Your Phone During Study and Exams
The phone half of the setup.
- FocusPort cross-device sync
Where sync is described on the Windows page.