Ice Box

How to freeze work apps after hours on Android

Freeze work apps after hours: put them in an Ice Box tab, freeze them in one tap when you finish work, and defrost them when you start. Works with Island too.

Updated 2026-10-22

Short answer#

Put your work apps in their own tab in Ice Box. Freeze them in one tap when you finish work, and they won't run in the background or show up on your home screen. When you start work the next day, defrost them in Ice Box.

Steps#

  1. Create a "Work" tab in Ice Box and add your work apps to it.
  2. When you finish work, freeze these apps from the "Work" tab.
  3. When you start work, open Ice Box and defrost them, or just tap their home screen shortcuts. Ice Box defrosts each app first and then opens it.

Using it with Island#

If you created a work profile with Island, you can install Ice Box inside the work profile and use all of its features. Using Ice Box inside Island is completely free. Ice Box can also work through Island's permissions. See Other work modes.

Things to keep in mind#

  • Once frozen, work apps cannot receive their own push messages. If you need to get work messages at any time, these apps are not good candidates for freezing.
  • On some phones, apps that use the system push service may still show notifications after being frozen.

Common questions#

Can apps be frozen automatically on a schedule?#

Ice Box's Auto Freeze can be triggered when the screen turns off, or when you tap or double tap the Home button. It cannot be triggered on a schedule. Developers can build this themselves with the Ice Box SDK. See Automation and developer integration.

Does freezing affect the data in work apps?#

No. Freezing only stops the app from running for the time being. All of its data is kept.

Still stuck? See the FAQ, or email us with Feedback in Ice Box.