moss vs Focus and Sleep Focus
A free iPhone feature that silences chosen notifications and calls.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Apple's own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Focus and Sleep Focus is
Focus is built into the iPhone. It silences the notifications and calls you choose, and it can run on a schedule. Sleep Focus is the bedtime version, turned on from Control Center. Neither one stops you opening an app: they hide the alerts, not the apps. Apple's guide pages did not load in full when we checked, so this entry keeps to the basics.
What moss is
moss is an iPhone app that comes with a small physical stone. You choose the apps that distract you, tap your phone on the stone, and those apps stay locked until you tap the stone again. People who live together can link their phones to share schedules and put their phones down at the same time, while each person keeps control of their own phone. Locking is free in the app, the stone is a one-time purchase, and the household features are a paid add-on.
Side by side
| Feature | moss | Focus and Sleep Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | Free |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | None |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | iPhone |
| How you lock | Tap the stone, or start from the app, a Shortcut, the lock screen or the Action Button. Schedules by day of week | It does not lock apps. It silences chosen notifications and calls |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | Turn the Focus off in Control Center |
| If you need back in | 3 emergency unlocks a month, refilled automatically | Not needed: nothing is locked |
| Locking together as a household | Yes, as a paid add-on. Shared schedules, sessions others join in one tap, a view of whose phone is down, a streak. Nobody controls anyone else | None. Each person sets their own |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | No key |
Where Focus and Sleep Focus is better
- It is free and already on your iPhone.
- It can filter people as well as apps.
- It removes the buzz that starts a lot of phone use.
Where moss is better
- It locks the apps. A Focus hides alerts and leaves the app one tap away.
- Ending a session takes a walk to the stone, not a tap in Control Center.
- Households can share schedules and join a session in one tap.
Who should pick which
Pick Focus and Sleep Focus if
Your problem is being interrupted, and you rarely open apps unprompted.
Pick moss if
You open the apps whether they buzz or not. A Focus and a lock work well together.
Sources
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
moss is a stone that locks the apps you choose.
Tap to lock, tap to unlock. One price, and locking needs no subscription.
