QUICK START
Your ANKOR has arrived.
Five minutes, and it is on the wall with your phone gone quiet. One step at a time.
BEFORE YOU START
ANKOR ships with two steel plates on its back. Each plate is held by a magnet with a paper strip in between, and carries an adhesive film on its outer face. Two pieces of paper, and they come off at different moments. Nothing comes off yet. On a magnetic surface — a fridge, a metal locker, a magnetic board — pull the paper strips, lift the plates off, place ANKOR directly. No adhesive, no mounting. On a wall, a door, a door frame, anything non-magnetic: leave the plates on and follow step 02.
Where it goes
A spot you choose on purpose. Not the one you already sit in.
Bedroom
Beside the bed, screen to the wall. The last thing you touch is a book.
Entryway
By the door, next to the keys. On the wall before you leave, not in your pocket.
Kitchen
Near the counter, not on it. Coffee first, phone after.
Living room
Away from the sofa, away from the coffee table. In the room, not between you.
At eye level or just below. The surface has to be clean, dry and smooth. No woodchip wallpaper, no fresh paint.
01
UNBOX
Here is your ANKOR. Open the box. Two steel plates sit on the back, each on a magnet with a paper strip behind it. Leave the strips where they are.
02
MOUNT
Find your spot. Magnetic surface: pull the paper strips, lift the plates off, place ANKOR. Done. Wall: peel the adhesive film from both plates. Press ANKOR against the surface and hold for ten seconds. Lift ANKOR off — the plates stay. Now pull the paper strips out. Put ANKOR back on: it clicks into place.
WHAT SURFACES WORK?
Flat and clean is what matters. Painted walls, doors, door frames and concrete all bond well. Avoid rough or textured surfaces, woodchip wallpaper and fresh paint — the adhesive needs full contact. More locations? ANKOR is magnetic. Order extra plates and set up a spot at home, at the office, wherever you need it.
03
GET THE APP
The dock gives your phone a place. The app is what makes it quiet. Allow Screen Time access on first launch. Without it, ANKOR cannot mute anything. Then you choose which apps go quiet during a session.
04
SET UP THE SHORTCUT
For ANKOR to react the moment you dock, you need one NFC automation in the Shortcuts app. Set it up once and every scan works instantly after that. The same guide is in the app under Settings, Instant Scan.
At step 5, choose Run Immediately, not Run After Confirmation. Otherwise you have to tap a prompt every time you dock.
1. Open Automation, then New Automation. 2. Scroll down, tap NFC. 3. Tap Scan, hold ANKOR to your iPhone. 4. Enter the name ANKOR, tap OK. 5. Choose Run Immediately, then Next. 6. Tap Ankor in the list. 7. Tap ANKOR, done.
1. Automation öffnen, dann Neue Automation
2. Nach unten scrollen, NFC tippen
3. Scannen tippen, ANKOR ans iPhone halten
4. Namen ANKOR eingeben, OK
5. Sofort ausführen wählen, dann Weiter
6. In der Liste Ankor tippen
7. ANKOR tippen, fertig
05
FIRST SCAN
The NFC reader sits at the very top of your iPhone. Hold the top edge to the centre of the ring, at its widest point. The session starts. Then set it down, screen to the wall.
GETTING THE SCAN RIGHT
To end it, scan again. Lifting it off ends nothing — everything stays blocked until the next scan. Emergency calls always work. If a notification appears when you scan, the chip is not set up yet. In the app go to Settings, then Instant Scan, then Set up chip. After that a scan runs straight through, with nothing to tap. In airplane mode the iPhone does not read NFC. Tap the scan button in the app instead.
TO EXIT
Wake your screen and scan the ring again. Tap the notification. You’re out. If the notification doesn’t appear, tap the ANKOR icon in the app to start scanning manually.
06
EMERGENCY EXIT
For when you actually need out. Tap Emergency exit in the app. It asks once: Stay ANKORED, or Exit anyway. Choose Exit anyway and a thirty second countdown runs, with Cancel available the whole time. At zero the session ends. The thirty seconds are there so it stays a choice. Emergency calls work during a session anyway, without this.
GET MORE FROM ANKOR
A few things worth knowing.
01
Place it where the habit lives. The urge to reach for your phone is strongest at specific moments — walking in the door, sitting at your desk, getting into bed. Put ANKOR exactly there. The location does half the work.
02
Start with one context. Pick the one situation where you most want to be present. Get comfortable there first, then expand.
03
The ritual is the point. The physical act of placing your phone is a decision, not a restriction. Over time that gesture becomes an anchor point in your day.
04
Leave it visible. ANKOR works as a reminder even when you’re not using it. If you can see it from where you sit, you think about the choice more often.
05
Profiles. Set up named profiles in the app for different parts of your day — work, evening, weekend. Pick one and everything in it goes quiet for that session. A profile with a schedule takes effect at your next scan, so the decision to dock stays yours.
THE APP
Download ANKOR for iPhone.
Free. Required for setup and blocking.
Android is not out yet. A test build is running now and you can be on it. Send us your Gmail address at hello@ankor.one and we unlock your account.
Questions
Does ANKOR work without the app?
No. The dock starts a session and the app is what runs it. They are two halves of one product.
How do I end a session?
Hold the phone to the dock a second time. Lifting it off the dock does not end it, and everything stays blocked until the next scan. Emergency calls always work.
Which iPhone do I need?
iOS 17.0 or later. The App Store version is iOS only. An Android test build exists, write to us with your Gmail address and we add you to it.
Does the app cost anything?
No. It is free, 2.8 MB, with no subscription and no in-app purchases.
What does the app collect?
Nothing. The App Store privacy card lists Data Not Collected for the whole app, which you can check on Apple’s page rather than taking our word for it.
Does it need Wi-Fi?
No. A session starts over NFC, a direct exchange between the dock and the phone. Your phone still needs its own signal for whatever you use during the day, but the dock connects to nothing.
Can I still be reached during a session?
Yes. You choose which apps a session covers, so calls and anything you leave off the list keep working.
If something does not work, write to us.
Not every question is answered on this site. A person reads every message.