For iPhone. Built on Apple’s Screen Time. No account.
How it works
Every day starts locked.
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube: whichever apps you pick. Open one and you get this instead.
Sit still to get them out.
Ten minutes by default. The water rises while you sit and swells with each breath. Close it halfway and your minutes still count toward the next sit, until midnight.
You can’t cheat it.
The clock only runs while the front camera sees your face with your eyes closed. Open your eyes or step away and it stops until you’re back. It all happens on your iPhone with Apple’s face tracking: nothing is recorded or sent.
Then they’re free for a while.
45 minutes of your apps, on your terms. Use them, or keep them locked and keep the streak going.
Back in jail at midnight.
The same deal every day. No snooze button, no “ignore limit for today”. The countdown sits on your Lock Screen while they’re out.
What your phone costs.
76days a year
10 of the next 50 years go to your phone, if nothing changes.
Your hours × 365, counted in whole 24-hour days. The same maths the app shows you.
It’s not a willpower problem.
Your thumb is up against apps built to keep it moving. That was never a fair fight. So Dopamine Jail doesn’t ask you to resist. It makes getting in cost a few still minutes.
Screen Time limits
One tap to ignore
Deleting the apps
Back in 20 seconds
Grayscale mode
Two taps to turn off
Pure willpower
Up against a feed built to keep you
Dopamine Jail
The only way out is sitting still
Real emergencies get a pass.
A few emergency passes a week open your apps straight away for a short while. Hold the button, take a breath, and decide if you still need it.
Nothing leaves your iPhone.
Apple’s Screen Time does the locking. Your picks reach us as private tokens we can’t read, so we never see which apps you use, or when. No account, no ads, no tracking.
7 days free.
Then $39.99 a year, about 77¢ a week. Or $3.99 a week, no free week.
Cancel anytime in your iPhone’s Settings. US prices; the App Store shows yours.
Questions
How long do I have to sit?
Anything from 5 minutes to an hour. Ten is the default, and you can change it any time.
Does it have to be in one go?
No. Close a sit early and the minutes count toward the next one, until midnight.
Does the camera record me?
No. The eyes check runs on your iPhone with Apple’s face tracking and only asks one thing: are your eyes closed? Nothing is recorded, stored or sent, and you can switch it off in Settings. It needs an iPhone XS, XR, SE (2nd generation) or later.
What if I really need an app?
Use an emergency pass. You get a few each week, and each one opens your apps right away for a short window.
Which apps can I lock?
Any app, website or whole category you choose in Apple’s Screen Time picker.
Can you see what I use?
No. Screen Time gives us private tokens, not app names or usage. Everything stays on your iPhone.
Is there an Android version?
It’s on the way, not on Google Play yet.
How do I cancel?
On your iPhone: Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Cancel before the free week ends and you pay nothing.
