Redeem
the time
5:16 / BIBLE SCREEN TIMEANOTHER WAY TO OPEN YOUR PHONE · 001
FOR THE MOMENT THE FEED GETS TOO LOUD

THE FEED
CAN WAIT.

Read the Word. Earn time for the feed.

The news keeps coming. So does the urge to scroll. Pause one app, read a short Bible passage, then decide whether to take fifteen minutes back in the feed.

SEE HOW IT WORKS MEET THE READER

Native iPhone app · Founder-only private beta · Free core experience

The simple exchange

BREAK THE AUTOPILOT.

Choose the app. Read a short passage. See the deadline for your fifteen minutes.

01

Choose an app

Select an individual distracting app and allow Apple's Screen Time controls. Protection is voluntary and can be turned off.

02

Open a passage

When you try to open that app, 5:16 shows a short Bible passage with its reference. Choose a phrase that stands out, or choose “Not now” and leave the app paused.

03

See your deadline

Your chosen app becomes available for fifteen minutes; you may need to open it yourself. A founder-device test found that automatic re-shielding missed the deadline. We are fixing that before public release.

Choosing a phrase records a pause, not proof of reading or spiritual growth. Protection is voluntary and can be turned off.

The name

DOOMSCROLLING?
OPEN THE BIBLE.

5:16 comes from Ephesians 5:16: “redeeming the time.”

Bad news. Refresh. More bad news. If you want more time with God, the next scroll can wait. 5:16 puts a short Bible passage before the app you choose to pause. Read it, then decide whether to take fifteen minutes back in the feed.

redeeming the time
Ephesians 5:16 · World English Bible, excerpt
The Bible reader

Open a chapter. Stay as long as you want.

Read all 66 books of the World English Bible offline. Move through verses, open a whole chapter, and return to where you stopped.

  • Exact verse references and a whole-chapter path
  • Verse-by-verse and chapter reading
  • No account needed for the core experience
James 1:19 · World English Bible
So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;

World English Bible · included offline in the private iPhone beta

Free and planned Pro

One app is free. The Bible reader is too.

Protect One includes the Scripture pause and the 66-book World English Bible reader offline. Pro is planned for people who want to pause more apps and follow a reading plan.

Free core

Protect One

Start with the app you open without thinking.

  • Protect one selected app
  • Unlimited Scripture pauses and timed allowances
  • Full offline World English Bible reader
Planned Pro

Protect more apps

Add more selected apps and a reading plan when Pro launches. No paid subscription is offered yet.

  • Protect more individually selected apps
  • Read the Bible in a year, or at your pace
  • Keep the same free Scripture exchange
Practical guides

WANT THE DETAILS?

See how the iPhone setup works and what to expect when a selected app is paused.

How 5:16 works

Screen Time permission, the Scripture pause, the fifteen-minute allowance, and the limits of app shielding.

Read the setup guide →
Good to know

YOUR PHONE. YOUR CALL.

Does 5:16 read my other apps?

No. 5:16 uses Apple's Screen Time frameworks to pause only the individual apps you select. Its core state stays on your iPhone, and you can turn protection off.

What if I need the app now?

Use Emergency access or turn protection off to get in without a Scripture pause. “Not now” leaves the app paused.

Do I need an account?

No account is required for the core Scripture pause or offline Bible reader in the private iPhone beta.

Can I install it today?

5:16 is in founder-only private testing. Public access and paid plans have not launched.

5:16 · Redeem the time

Read the Word. Earn time for the feed.

One app to pause. 66 books to read.

See how it works →