Key points
- Fold is a self-help companion, not a crisis service. If you are in danger or in distress right now, use the helplines below or call your local emergency number.
- Fold shows the gambling helpline and crisis line for where you live, chosen from your iPhone's region — never a US number outside the US. The full list by country is below.
- One address for everything: support@app-fold.com. We read every message and reply as soon as we can.
- Fold Pro is billed by Apple. Cancel in iPhone Settings, not by deleting the app. Refunds go through Apple.
- You can use Fold without signing in — if you skip, we create an anonymous account so your progress can sync. Profile → Delete everything erases that account and everything in it, on the spot. No email needed.
- The blocker runs on Apple Screen Time. Fold never sees which apps or sites you chose to block.
01If you need help right now
Fold is not a crisis service. Nobody is monitoring the app in real time. If you feel unsafe, are thinking about harming yourself, or have just lost money you can't afford to lose and don't know what to do, please talk to a real person now. Find your country below — the lines are answered by people trained for exactly this.
Each country has two lines: a gambling helpline first, then a crisis line for any kind of distress. Fold shows the same two lines inside the app — on the Panic screen, in the coach and in the Library — chosen from your iPhone's region (Settings → General → Language & Region); you can pick another country under Profile → Support → Helplines for. Numbers are written as you dial them from inside the country. Where a line is not open around the clock, its hours are given.
| Country | Gambling helpline | In a crisis |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1-800-MY-RESET National Problem Gambling Helpline (NCPG) · 1-800-697-3738 · 24/7 · free · call or text, or chat online | 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline · 24/7 · call or text, or chat online |
| United Kingdom | 0808 8020 133 National Gambling Helpline (GamCare) · 24/7 · free · call, or chat online | 116 123 Samaritans · 24/7 · free · any kind of distress |
| Ireland | 1800 936 725 GamblingCare.ie helpline · 24/7 · free | 116 123 Samaritans · 24/7 · free |
| Canada | 1-866-531-2600 ConnexOntario · 24/7 · free · call, or text 247247 · Ontario — for other provinces, the Responsible Gambling Council directory | 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline · 24/7 · free · call or text · English and French |
| Australia | 1800 858 858 Gambling Help Online · 24/7 · free · call, or chat online | 13 11 14 Lifeline · 24/7 · call, or text 0477 13 11 14 |
| New Zealand | 0800 654 655 Gambling Helpline · 24/7 · free · call, text 8006, or chat online | 1737 Need to talk? · 24/7 · free · call or text |
| France | 09 74 75 13 13 Joueurs Info Service · 8am–2am, 7 days · local rate | 3114 Suicide prevention line · 24/7 · free |
| Germany | 0800 1 37 27 00 Beratung Glücksspielsucht (BIÖG) · Mon–Thu 10–22, Fri–Sun 10–18 · free | 0800 111 0 111 TelefonSeelsorge · 24/7 · free · also 116 123 |
| Spain | 900 200 225 FEJAR · free gambling helpline | 024 Línea 024 · suicide prevention · 24/7 · free |
| Italy | 800 55 88 22 Telefono Verde Gioco d'Azzardo (ISS) · Mon–Fri 10–16 · free | 02 2327 2327 Telefono Amico Italia · 24h · WhatsApp 324 011 72 52 (18–21) |
| Other countries | Gambling Therapy free online support · 250+ languages | Find a helpline crisis lines near you · 175 countries · in immediate danger, call your local emergency number |
Outside the countries listed, the app points to Gambling Therapy and Find a helpline and reminds you to call your local emergency number — it never shows a US number outside the US. Penny, Fold's coach, is told which country your iPhone is set to, so the helpline she names is the one listed above for your country.
More support: in the US, the National Council on Problem Gambling can point you to your state's free treatment programs and self-exclusion lists, and Gamblers Anonymous runs peer meetings across the country; if you know 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537), it still answers 24/7 — it is a separate line run by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey. In the UK, GamStop is the free self-exclusion scheme for UK-licensed online gambling, BeGambleAware lists advice and treatment options and Gamblers Anonymous UK runs peer meetings. The helplines for your country are also built into Fold's Panic screen, so they're there even when you don't want to open a browser.
02Contact us
Email support@app-fold.com for anything: a bug, a billing question, a privacy request, a suggestion, or simply to tell us how it's going. Fold is made by one independent developer based in France, so the person who reads your message is the same person who builds the app.
Post: Fold, 9 chemin Abbaye Saint-Pons, France. Email is much faster.
To help us fix things quickly, please include:
- your iPhone model and iOS version (Settings → General → About);
- what happened and what you expected to happen — a screenshot or screen recording is gold;
- for billing questions, the email you use with Apple and, if you have it, your Apple receipt (we never see your card details, and please don't send them).
We read everything and reply as soon as we can — usually within a few days. If your question is about your data, see our Privacy Policy; for the rules of using Fold, see the Terms.
03Fold Pro & billing
Fold is free to download. Some features need Fold Pro, an auto-renewing subscription bought through Apple. Payment is charged to your Apple ID when you confirm the purchase. Every Fold Pro plan renews automatically at the price shown until you cancel, and you must cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period to stop the next charge. Everything below applies to purchases made through the App Store — Fold has no other way to pay. Those purchases are also governed by Apple's standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement, alongside our Terms and Privacy Policy.
What's included in Fold Pro?
Fold Pro unlocks the premium parts of the app. Exactly which features are free and which need Pro is shown in the app and on the paywall before you buy, so you always know what you're paying for. If a feature you expected isn't there after subscribing, see "I paid but Pro isn't unlocked" below.
How does the 3-day free trial work?
The Fold Pro — Yearly plan comes with a 3-day free trial for new subscribers. You get full Pro access during the trial and are not charged when you start it. When the 3 days are up, the trial converts to a paid yearly subscription unless you cancel at least 24 hours before it ends. The weekly plan has no free trial.
How do I cancel?
On your iPhone: Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions → Fold, then tap Cancel. You keep Pro until the end of the period you've already paid for.
Deleting the app does not cancel your subscription. Apple keeps billing until you cancel in Settings. Cancel at least 24 hours before your renewal date to avoid the next charge.
How do I get a refund?
Apple handles all payments, so Apple handles all refunds — we can't issue refunds ourselves, and we can't see your payment details. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with the Apple ID you used, find Fold and choose "Request a refund". Apple reviews the request and makes the decision; Fold is not involved.
If you live in the UK or EU, your statutory rights — including the 14-day right of withdrawal — are exercised through this same Apple process. Nothing on this page limits your statutory rights as a consumer, including your rights if Fold Pro is faulty or not as described.
I paid but Pro isn't unlocked
Try these in order:
- Wait a minute and reopen Fold — Apple sometimes takes a moment to confirm the purchase.
- Tap Restore on the paywall in the app.
- Check you're signed in to the iPhone with the same Apple ID you bought with (Settings → [your name]). A subscription belongs to the Apple ID, not to the Fold account.
Still locked? Email support@app-fold.com with your Apple receipt (Apple emails it to you, or find it under Settings → [your name] → Media & Purchases → Purchase History) and we'll sort it out.
Will I be charged after the trial?
Yes, unless you cancel. The trial converts to the paid yearly plan at the price shown when you started it, charged to your Apple ID. Cancelling at least 24 hours before the trial ends means you pay nothing at all. Apple also lets you see your trial end date under Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions.
Do prices differ by country?
Yes. In the US, Fold Pro is $7.99 a week or $59.99 a year. Everywhere else, Apple sets the local equivalent. The exact price in your currency is always shown in the app before you confirm. From time to time eligible users may also be offered a discounted first year (for example 50% off), which is clearly labelled when it appears.
04Account & data
The short version: your recovery data belongs to you, your account and recovery data live in the EU (three services in the US receive limited data — see below), and you can delete it whenever you like. The long version is in our Privacy Policy.
Do I need an account?
You don't need to sign in. You can sign in with Apple or Google, or tap Skip for now. If you skip, Fold quietly creates an anonymous account so your streak and progress can still sync and be restored. Signing in later keeps your data with you, as described in the app when you sign in. Fold is for adults only — you must be 18 or over.
How do I sign out or switch account?
Open Profile and choose Sign out. You can then sign in again with a different Apple or Google identity. Your Fold data stays with the account it was created under, so if you switch, you'll see that other account's streak and progress, not the one you just left.
How do I delete my account and my data?
In the app: Profile → Delete everything. There is no second step and nothing to email. It deletes the account itself and, with it, everything attached to it: your Squad posts, replies and flame reactions, your blocks, the Penny replies you reported, your Penny usage record, your subscription entitlement and Apple transaction records, your Ally links and shares, your onboarding answers, your profile and your recovery data — quit date, streak, lapses, pledges, progress. Backups purge within 30 days. It cannot be undone, and it is the same button whether you signed in with Apple or Google or skipped sign-in.
If any part of the deletion fails, the app tells you so and keeps your account rather than leaving half of it behind — you stay signed in and can try again. If it keeps failing, email support@app-fold.com and we will finish it by hand.
The same address handles requests for a copy of your data, corrections, portability, restriction, objections or withdrawing consent. We may ask you to confirm your identity first; if you used Apple's Hide My Email, tell us and we'll confirm who you are another way. If you're unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to your local data-protection authority — the ICO in the UK, the CNIL in France.
Deleting your account does not cancel a Fold Pro subscription — that's done in iPhone Settings (see above). Cancel first, then delete.
Is my data stored in the EU?
Yes. Your account and recovery data are stored with Supabase on servers in Frankfurt, Germany (EU). Three things travel further: messages you send to Penny are forwarded to OpenAI in the US to generate the reply; our paywall provider, Superwall, receives purchase events plus your device model, iOS version, locale, app version and an install identifier in the US; and our attribution provider, AppsFlyer, receives install and funnel events plus similar device details in the US — with the advertising identifier only if you allowed tracking. All three US transfers rely on standard contractual clauses or, where applicable, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. Fold never sells personal data.
Someone posted something they shouldn't. What do I do?
Report it in the app — you don't need to email us. Tap the … menu on the post or the reply, choose Report and pick a reason. The content is hidden from your feed the moment you send the report, and we review every report and act on it within 24 hours: content that breaks the Squad rules comes down, and accounts that keep breaking them are restricted or closed.
The same menu has Block. A blocked member vanishes from your feed and your replies straight away, on every device you sign in on, and they are not told. A filter also catches slurs, sexual content and betting links as posts are written, on your phone and again on our server, so the worst of it never reaches the feed.
If someone in Squad sounds like they are in real danger, please also point them at the helplines at the top of this page — and if you think it is an emergency, call your local emergency number. Nobody at Fold is watching the feed in real time.
What do other people see in Squad?
Squad is a community, so what you post there is visible to other Fold users: your posts, replies and flame reactions, along with your display name, avatar colour, streak days and last-seen time. The league leaderboard ranks people by streak. Nobody sees your email, your onboarding answers, your spend figures or your Penny conversations. You can delete any of your own posts at any time, and deleting your account removes them all.
05Blocker & Screen Time
The blocker is the part of Fold that puts friction between you and the bookmaker. It is built on Apple's own Screen Time technology, which is why it needs a permission most apps never ask for.
Why does Fold ask for Screen Time permission?
To shield an app or website, Fold has to use Apple's Screen Time framework, and Apple requires your explicit permission first. It's a strong permission, so here's what it does not do: Fold cannot see which apps you use, how long you use them, or your browsing. When you pick apps and sites to block, Apple hands Fold anonymous tokens — we can't read which apps they refer to, and those tokens never leave your device.
Which apps and sites can I block?
Any app or website you choose in Apple's picker. Fold surfaces well-known gambling operators to make the list quick to build — their names and logos appear only so you can pick them; we have no affiliation with any of them. You can add anything else the picker offers, and change your list at any time from the Blocker screen.
What is the DNS profile and is it required?
It's optional. Screen Time shields work on the apps and sites you selected; the DNS filter adds a second layer that blocks gambling domains network-wide, including in browsers and apps you didn't think to add. It is a small configuration profile you download from app-fold.com and install yourself in iOS Settings. While it's installed, your iPhone sends its DNS lookups over an encrypted connection to a resolver Fold runs in the EU, which refuses gambling domains (from public block lists) and keeps no log of what you look up or where you connect from. Help lines are never blocked. If you'd rather keep things simple, skip it; the shield still works without it. What it can and cannot block, and how to take it off, is in The DNS profile below.
What does the SMS filter do?
Bookmakers love a "free bet" text. The optional SMS filter is an iOS extension that looks at incoming texts from unknown senders and moves likely gambling promotions into a filtered folder. The classification happens entirely on your iPhone — no message content is ever sent to Fold. Texts from people in your contacts are never touched.
Can the blocker be bypassed?
Honestly: yes, if you're determined. The blocker is best-effort friction, not a lock. It runs on your own phone, which you control, so the person who set it up can also take it down, and no filter catches every site. Its job is to interrupt the autopilot moment and give you a few seconds to choose.
For something you genuinely can't undo on a bad night, add formal self-exclusion — the register for where you live: your state's program in the US (the NCPG lists them at ncpgambling.org), GamStop in the UK, one national scheme in most other countries, which your gambling helpline can point you to — and ask your bank about gambling-transaction blocks. Fold can't guarantee you won't bet; the Terms say so plainly, because we'd rather be useful than overpromise.
The shield isn't working — steps
- Open Fold → Blocker and check the shield is switched on and your list still contains the apps and sites you expect.
- Check iOS still grants the permission: iPhone Settings → Screen Time. If you recently reset Screen Time or changed its passcode, Fold may need permission again — toggle the shield off and on in Fold to re-request it.
- Restart your iPhone. Screen Time occasionally needs a reboot after an iOS update.
- Keep Fold installed. Deleting the app removes the shield.
- Remember the shield covers what you selected; a new bookmaker app or a site you didn't add won't be blocked until you add it. The optional DNS profile helps here.
If none of that works, email us with your iPhone model, iOS version and what you see when you open a blocked app.
06The DNS profile
The DNS profile is the optional second layer of the Blocker. It is a configuration profile you download from this site and install yourself in iOS Settings; while it is installed, every DNS lookup your iPhone makes goes over an encrypted connection to a resolver Fold runs at OVH in France, which refuses gambling domains from public block lists (Mullvad and HaGeZi) and keeps no log of what you look up or where you connect from.
Removing it
Four steps, and they work with no internet connection at all:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- General → VPN & Device Management.
- Tap Fold — gambling-site DNS filter.
- Remove Profile, then confirm with your iPhone passcode.
Nothing else is needed — no Fold account, no Wi-Fi, no permission from us. Your DNS goes straight back to your carrier's or your router's the moment the profile is gone.
Worth knowing before you install it: if our resolver is ever unreachable, an iPhone on iOS 26 or later falls back to its normal DNS on its own. On iOS 18 and earlier it does not — name lookups simply fail, which looks like the whole internet being down, including this page. That is what the four steps above are for. They are short on purpose; it is worth reading them once now, or keeping them somewhere you can reach without the phone.
What it blocks, and what it does not
It is a filter on names, not a lock. Being straight about the edges:
- It works in every browser and every app on the phone, including ones you never thought to add to the shield — that is the point of it.
- It blocks domains that are on the lists. New operators, mirror domains and anything the lists have not caught yet get through until they are added.
- It does not stop an app that carries its own resolver. A browser with its own secure DNS switched on, or an app that talks to a fixed address instead of a name, goes around it.
- A VPN takes over DNS while it is connected, so the filter does not apply.
- It covers the iPhone the profile is on, and nothing else — not your laptop, not a second phone.
- Anyone holding the phone can remove it in the four steps above, including you at 1am. Fold does not lock the profile down, and could not stop you if it tried.
- Helplines, treatment services and self-exclusion sites are never blocked.
So it is friction, not a wall — a few seconds between the urge and the bet. If you want something you cannot undo, use it alongside formal self-exclusion and a bank gambling block, as above.
07Streaks, Squad, Ally & Penny
I slipped — do I lose everything?
No. Slips are common in recovery, and Fold is built for them. When you log a lapse, the app walks you through the lapse protocol — a short sequence to steady yourself, understand what happened and get back on track today, not "on Monday". Your streak is handled as the app explains when you log the lapse, but your history stays: every bet-free day, urge won, breathing session, pledge and badge remains part of your record. One bad hour doesn't erase three good months. It's what you do in the next hour that counts.
How is "money saved" calculated?
It's an estimate based on the spend figures you gave during onboarding — how much and how often you typically bet — spread across the days you've been bet-free. It is shown in the currency of your iPhone's region at the time you first opened Fold, and Fold never converts it. It is not a bank balance and Fold has no access to your financial accounts. You can update your spend figures in the app to make the estimate more accurate as you learn what your real figures were.
How do I invite an ally?
Open Ally in Fold and share your personal link — it looks like app-fold.com/ally/<your code>. Send it to one trusted person by text, WhatsApp, whatever you like. Once they enter the code, they can look in on you whenever they open Fold: your streak as of your last visit, the money you’ve kept and when your last urge was. Fold never alerts them — there are no slip or Panic notifications — and they never see your posts, your spend figures or your Penny conversations.
What is Penny and is it a therapist?
Penny is Fold's AI coach — a text chat you can open at 2am when the urge hits and nobody is awake. Penny listens, asks questions and suggests practical next steps. She is told which country your iPhone is set to, so when she mentions a helpline it is the one listed at the top of this page for your country.
Penny is not a therapist, not a human, and not a medical or crisis service. Your messages go to our server and on to OpenAI (model gpt-4o-mini) to generate the reply; under OpenAI's API terms they are not used to train models and may be kept for up to 30 days for abuse monitoring. Please don't share anything you wouldn't want processed by an AI, and if you are in crisis, use the helplines at the top of this page instead.
Notifications aren't arriving — steps
Fold's reminders and milestone alerts are scheduled on your phone, not sent from a server, so the fix is almost always in iOS settings:
- iPhone Settings → Notifications → Fold → make sure Allow Notifications is on, with Lock Screen and Banners ticked.
- Check Focus and Do Not Disturb — a Sleep or Work Focus will silence Fold unless you add it as an allowed app.
- Open Fold once. Local reminders are re-scheduled when the app runs, so a phone that's been restored or has had the app reinstalled needs one launch.
- In Fold, check the reminder time you chose.
If you declined notifications when Fold first asked, step 1 is where you switch them back on.
08A note on what Fold is
Fold is a self-help companion. It's the streak on your lock screen, the button to press when the urge hits, the course you work through, the people who get it. It is not a medical device, not therapy, and not a substitute for treatment — and we'd be lying if we promised it works for everyone.
If gambling is causing serious harm to your money, relationships or mental health, please also talk to a professional. Start with the gambling helpline for where you live: in the US it routes you to your state's free treatment programs, in the UK GamCare can tell you what free support is available and your GP can refer you, and everywhere else the national line — or Gambling Therapy — knows the local options. Use Fold with that support, not instead of it. We're glad you're here.