Description
A screen time management app that makes phones progressively more annoying to use by interfering with swiping and tapping functions, delaying responses, shifting tap registration, and slowing scroll speed to reduce mindless phone usage
Market positioning
Research-stage innovative solution with superior effectiveness compared to existing lockout-based apps
Target audience
Smartphone users who want to manage their screen time and reduce mindless phone usage
Use cases
Screen time management and digital wellness through progressive interaction interference
Company information
Company size
Research institution or small startup
Revenue
Pre-revenue (research stage)
Scale
Research prototype
Number of users
Research study participants only
Features
App-specific monitoring and control, Delayed response to user gestures, Gradual interference with phone interactions, Less restrictive than hard lockouts, Progressive difficulty increase with continued use, Shifted tap registration locations, Slowed screen scrolling speed, User-customizable interference settings
Pricing
Pricing modelResearch prototype
Starting priceNot available (research prototype)
Billing periodNot applicable (research stage)
Rating
Not available (research prototype)
Pros and cons
Based on: (AI summary)
Pros
- 16% more effective at reducing screen time than lockout apps
- Better user retention (62% vs 36% for lockout apps)
- Allows continued phone use while encouraging mindfulness
- Less disruptive than hard lockouts
- Promotes deliberate phone usage
Cons
- Too intrusive for games requiring precise real-time movements
- Less effective for apps with minimal tapping/swiping (video streaming)
- Still in research phase, not commercially available
- Limited to Android platform in study
- May become insufferable if not properly balanced
Feature Comparison
Top features across 20 competitors (most common first)
| Feature | forest | rescuetime | space | stayfree ph… | interactout | yourhour | calm | engross | slim your s… | offscreen | screenzen | erakulis | feeling gre… | huddlehuman… | insight tim… | spotify | timed locko… | amaha | galvan+ | limbix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided meditations | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Meditation sessions | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sleep stories | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Unique approach to reducing screen time | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Engaging and motivating interface | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Advanced reports and filtering | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Automatic Offline Time tracking | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Automatic time tracking | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Calendar integration | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Focus Sessions with website and app blocking | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Historical data storage | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Real-time alerts | ||||||||||||||||||||
| RescueTime Timesheets | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team collaboration features | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Unlimited customizable goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Detailed reports and analytics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Distraction blocking | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Focus time blocking | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal setting and alerts | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Productivity scoring |