Support
CounterWait locks the apps you choose until you earn time for them with exercise and tasks. Families and accountability buddies can approve each other's tasks.
CounterWait needs iCloud. Every iPhone that uses CounterWait must be signed in to iCloud, with CounterWait turned on for iCloud. Without it, locks, earned time, tasks and linked phones won't work. To check: open the Settings app, tap your name, then iCloud, then "See All" (or "Apps Using iCloud"), and make sure CounterWait is on.
Need help? Email support@steppingstonegroup.net. We usually reply within two business days. You can also tap Contact support in the app's Settings.
We're not on social media. On purpose. Social media is a big part of why CounterWait exists, so we don't use it. Any CounterWait page on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X or anywhere else is fake. Don't give it your information, and please report it. The only real places are counterwait.app, the App Store, and support@steppingstonegroup.net.
Common questions
How do I set up a family? On your iPhone, choose "Family: You, Your Co-Parent/Guardian, and Kids", then "I'm a Parent/Guardian Setting Up Our Family". In the Family tab, tap "Add Your Co-Parent/Guardian" or "Add a Child", then "Send Invite" and send it like a text. On the child's iPhone, with CounterWait installed and you there, choose "I'm the Child" and open the invite. Locking a child's apps needs Apple Family Sharing with the child in your family.
Can my co-parent/guardian help? Yes. In the Family tab, tap "Add Your Co-Parent/Guardian". On their iPhone, they choose "I'm a Parent/Guardian Joining My Co-Parent/Guardian" and open the invite. You'll both get approvals. Invite lost? Tap "Add Your Co-Parent/Guardian" again to resend it.
How do I add an accountability buddy? Choose Accountability Buddies, pick how you'll work together, then send the invite link. To check each other, each person sends the other a link.
How do I earn time? Walk or work out (counted from Apple Health), do Push Ups, Squats or Jumping Jacks in front of the camera, or finish tasks. If someone checks your tasks, they can ask for a photo of a finished task, or set a task to always ask for one. A daily cap limits how much you can earn.
How do I unlock apps? On Home, spend some of your minutes. The apps lock again when the time is up. Ending early refunds the minutes left.
What is the allowance tracker? With Plus, tasks can pay money as well as time. The app keeps a record of what's owed, and you pay outside the app in cash or with any payment app. CounterWait never moves real money.
Does it work on Android or iPad? Not yet. CounterWait locks apps through Apple's Screen Time and syncs through iCloud, so everyone in the family needs an iPhone for now. We know plenty of families mix iPhones and Android phones. We're a small, independent developer, and supporting Android well means building and maintaining a second app, which we can take on once there's enough support to sustain it. iPad support is planned first.
I forgot the parent/guardian passcode. We can't see or reset passcodes, because they're never sent to us. Email support@steppingstonegroup.net and we'll walk you through starting over on the child's phone.
How do I cancel Plus? Open the iPhone Settings app, tap your name, then Subscriptions, then CounterWait Plus.
How do I delete my data? In CounterWait, open Settings > Delete all my data. To have a story sent with an earlier version or a share code removed, email support@steppingstonegroup.net.
Is CounterWait medical advice? No. Talk with a doctor before starting a new exercise routine, and stop if anything hurts. Parents and guardians decide what's right for their children and supervise their exercise.
Setting up Apple's Screen Time
How does CounterWait use Apple's Screen Time? CounterWait locks apps through Apple's Screen Time. On a child's iPhone, a parent or guardian approves CounterWait's Screen Time access with their own Apple Account during setup. That approval is what lets CounterWait lock apps, and with the child in the parent or guardian's Family Sharing group, the child can't delete CounterWait or turn off its access without them. In the app, Settings > Apple's Screen Time > Show Me How walks through everything below.
What should stay on? Each child in your Family Sharing group, with Screen Time turned on for them (iPhone Settings > Screen Time > your child's name, or Settings > Family > your child's name > Screen Time). On your own iPhone, keep Screen Time on and CounterWait's access turned on.
Which of Apple's settings should I turn off? For the apps CounterWait manages, we recommend turning off Apple's own App Limits and Downtime (Settings > Screen Time > your child's name > App Limits, and > Downtime). Apple's limits and CounterWait's locks both apply, and the stricter one wins, so if an Apple limit has run out, minutes earned in CounterWait can't open that app. This is the most common reason an unlocked app stays closed. It's a recommendation, not a requirement: keeping both works, as long as you expect either one to close the app. If you keep Downtime, add CounterWait to Always Allowed so it still opens to earn minutes. Adults using Just for Me can do the same for their own limits, in Settings > Screen Time.
What can stay on for safety? Apple's Content & Privacy Restrictions don't conflict with CounterWait, for example iTunes & App Store Purchases > Deleting Apps: Don't Allow, and age ratings. Ask to Buy and Communication Limits can stay on too.
Troubleshooting
- Steps aren't counting: open iPhone Settings, then Health, Data Access & Devices, CounterWait, and turn on Steps and Workouts.
- Apps aren't locking: open iPhone Settings, then Screen Time, and make sure Screen Time is on and CounterWait has access.
- An app stays closed after unlocking: Apple's own App Limits or Downtime may cover it. See Setting up Apple's Screen Time above.
- The camera isn't counting reps: stand the phone up so your whole body is in view.
- The invite link won't open: both phones need CounterWait installed and must be signed in to iCloud.
- Approvals aren't arriving: open the app on both phones and pull down to refresh.