OUT OF OFFICE SUPPORT — WEBSCAPE, CHRISTCHURCH

1Set up iPhone blocking

• Open Out of Office and connect Screen Time. Approve individual authorization on your own device.
• Choose your work apps in Apple’s picker, then turn on Block work apps.
• Review After hours and the weekly day settings. The default is 6pm–7am on weekdays, with all-day blocking on Saturday and Sunday.
• Slack website restrictions follow the same schedule. Coverage depends on the browser and iOS Screen Time; an already loaded page may show cached content.

2Set up the Mac companion

• Open Out of Office from Applications, then use its pause icon in the menu bar.
• Select Slack and enable blocking. Launch at login is enabled by default, subject to macOS approval.
• Use Set up beside All Slack websites and approve the network extension and filter in System Settings when prompted.
• The filter covers slack.com and its subdomains, including workspace URLs. The companion and network extension are separate: confirm the website filter is configured before relying on browser blocking.

3Change days and hours

Outside an active Strict session, open the schedule editor. Each day can use After hours, All day or Off. The whole-weekend shortcut sets Saturday and Sunday to All day. Settings use the local time on each device.

The app leaves at least one weekly unblocked period. On iPhone, monitored overnight segments must be at least 15 minutes long. If a time is rejected, choose a longer interval. Day settings and hours sync through iCloud.

4Why are the controls locked?

Strict mode keeps the current boundary in place until its displayed end time. Schedule edits, removing apps and disabling blocking become available after the session. A full-weekend block can run from Friday evening until Monday morning.

Changes from another device wait until the existing Strict session ends. Support cannot remotely unlock your device or access its iCloud schedule. System-level permissions and removal controls are managed by iOS and macOS.

5Settings are different on my devices

Use the same Apple Account with iCloud available on both devices. Keep the Mac companion running and open the iPhone app to receive updates. iCloud delivery may take time; it is not an instant remote control.

App selections are intentionally local to each device. Hours, day modes, enabled state and Strict mode sync. An active Strict session keeps its existing schedule until it finishes, so queued changes can temporarily differ between devices.

6A work app or website still opens

• Confirm blocking is enabled and the current day and time fall inside the saved schedule.
• On iPhone, confirm Screen Time authorization is still granted and the app is selected.
• On Mac, confirm the companion is running for app closing and that the website filter is configured and enabled for connections.
• Try a fresh navigation rather than relying on a tab that already contains downloaded content. Notifications may be hidden by Focus even when blocking is working.
• If the issue persists, email the device and app versions, the relevant schedule and the domain that opened. Do not send passwords, access tokens or private Slack messages.

7Privacy requests and product terms

App privacy information is at https://webscape.co.nz/out-of-office/privacy and product terms are at https://webscape.co.nz/out-of-office/terms. Webscape’s general website policy applies separately when you browse this site or use its contact and chat services.