3Taps

Guides › Updated 08 November 2026

How to lock your Android phone as soon as you're done with an app

Short answerAndroid doesn't have a single "I'm done" button: you press Home, then lock the phone with the power button, and in between you see your other apps. You can lock with a double tap on some home screens, or use 3Taps, which floats a small Done button over every app. Tapping it goes home and locks the phone in one step.

Why one quick reply turns into Instagram, YouTube and the news

You open WhatsApp to reply to one message, and end up in Instagram, YouTube and the news before you put the phone down. You reply, press Home, and your home screen shows you everything else: the red badge on Instagram, a video waiting on YouTube, the headlines. The reply took 20 seconds; the visit takes 20 minutes.

The problem isn't opening the phone. It's that finishing has no clear end.

What Android offers

The one-tap way: Done

3Taps is a calm home screen built around this moment. Its routine has three taps:

  1. Unlock: you see only the apps you chose, as plain words.
  2. Open: the one app you came for.
  3. Done: a small button floats over every app, and sits on the home screen too. Tap it when you're finished. The phone goes home and locks.

There's no screen of other apps to tempt you on the way out.

Setting it up

  1. Install 3Taps and make it your home screen.
  2. During setup, turn on Guard, which shows the Done button. Android asks for Accessibility permission.
  3. On Android 8, also allow Turn the screen off, so Done can lock the phone.

Try it for three days and notice how often you were about to "just check" something on the way out.

What it can't do

Questions

Can I lock my Android phone without the power button?

Yes. Many home screens lock the phone with a double tap on an empty area, and 3Taps also has a Done button on the home screen that locks in one tap. Some phones also have it under Accessibility or Advanced features.

What does the 3Taps Done button do?

It goes to the home screen and locks the phone. With Premium you can choose to just go home without locking.

Why does 3Taps need Accessibility permission for this?

It's what lets an Android app show a button over other apps and lock the screen. 3Taps uses it for Done, pauses and time limits only, and never reads your messages or screen content.

Can I move the Done button?

Yes. Drag it up or down to wherever suits your thumb, and turn off the word "Done" if you only want the logo.

Try 3Taps

A calm Android home screen: open the app you came for, then tap Done to go home and lock the phone. The routine is free, Premium's first month too; no account, no ads. Android 8 and newer.

Test it on Google Play   See how it works