Phone Addiction App Idea: A Breathing-Gate + Grayscale Blocker
A phone habit app that combines a required breathing/pause gate, per-app grayscale-vs-color filtering, and one-tap browser-only mode for social apps into a single configurable friction system.
How I went from 8+ hours of scrolling per day, to a very active social life, weekly workouts, and focus on personal projects
Hi! I have had severe online addictions throughout my life. In my teen years I would spend 8-12 hours per day playing video games. That later turned into 8-10 hours per day scrolling short videos. I would stay up till 4am frequently, unable to put it down. My resting heart rate would never settle. I tried many methods to help myself, but 3 actually stuck. I deleted all social media apps, and only let myself only access them through my phone’s browser. I downloaded an app that makes you do a breathing exercise before opening an app of your choice (in this case, my browser). I grayscaled my phone to make it less stimulating. But eventually when you do this, you realize that you need some things in color. I researched and found a way to make certain apps open in color while the others are in grayscale. I have been using this system for 2 years and it has transformed my life. I am confident it will work for others as well so I wanted to share it. If you have any questions about how to set things up, or anything, ask in the comments and I’ll help all I can!
The problem, in the searcher’s words
I scroll for 8+ hours a day and can't stop. I stay up until 4am on TikTok or YouTube shorts and my brain feels too fried to focus on anything else. I've tried deleting apps and setting screen time limits but I still end up redownloading Instagram or reaching for my phone out of boredom.
Grayscale mode helps make my phone less stimulating, but then I can't see photos, maps, or messages properly, so I need a way to keep some apps in color while everything else stays black and white. I also want something that makes opening the app harder in the moment, not just a nag screen I swipe away, so a forced pause or breathing exercise before the app opens actually works better than a blocklist alone.
Native screen time tools and app deletion only go so far. I want one setup that combines friction (a pause before opening), reduced visual stimulation (selective grayscale), and forcing myself onto the slower mobile browser instead of the app, without cobbling it together myself with Shortcuts.
What the thread shows
Many commenters independently corroborate chronic phone/social-video overuse and DIY workarounds (deleting apps, grayscale, browser-only access), but nobody in the thread states they would pay, names a paid tool they rely on, or describes a costly workaround.
“I would stay up till 4am frequently, unable to put it down. My resting heart rate would never settle.”
“my brain feels so fried that i can’t concentrate on anything and everything feels „too hard“.”
“I'm totally addicted.. I hate shorts on YouTube and I wish I can't remove them..even without shorts I just spend way too much time on YouTube”
“the urge to redownload it and scroll through reels is very tempting hahah.”
Target customer
Who
Someone with chronic short-form video / social app overuse who has already tried deleting apps or using native screen time limits and found them insufficient.
Context
They hit the wall after basic willpower fixes (deleting apps, screen time caps) stop working and start looking for stronger friction: a forced pause before opening an app, reduced visual stimulation via grayscale, and being pushed onto a slower mobile browser instead of the native app.
What to build
- Forced breathing/pause exercise before opening chosen apps, with configurable duration
- Per-app grayscale toggle: phone stays grayscale by default with a color allow-list for specific apps, set up without manual Shortcuts automation
- One-tap 'browser only' mode that hides/blocks native app icons for selected social platforms and redirects to mobile web
- Simple dashboard showing blocked-app open attempts and estimated time saved
Build note — Per-app grayscale requires OS-level automation hooks; OP's method uses iOS Shortcuts triggered on app open/close combined with Color Filters, which is not natively exposed as a per-app setting. An Android equivalent would need an Accessibility Service. Intercepting app opens for the breathing gate needs the iOS Screen Time API or Android Usage Access/Accessibility Service, since neither OS lets a third-party app fully block another app's launch without these APIs.
Later, if it lands
Who’s already out there
Inserts a breathing/pause interstitial before opening chosen apps to interrupt compulsive opens.
Gap: Doesn't offer selective per-app grayscale or push users toward browser-only access, both of which OP and commenters found valuable as separate layers.
Screen time management app that blocks or limits access to selected apps on a schedule.
Gap: Focuses on scheduled blocking rather than a breathing-gate-plus-visual-destimulation combo; no selective grayscale feature.
Cross-device app and website blocker for scheduled focus sessions.
Gap: Pure blocking tool; no pause/breathing mechanic and no grayscale styling, so it doesn't address the 'make it uncomfortable, not impossible' approach the thread describes.
Screen time app that uses pause/reflection prompts before opening blocked apps.
Gap: Similar pause-based friction to One Sec but, based on available information, still lacks the selective-grayscale visual layer commenters specifically asked about.
Demand read
The thread shows widespread, repeated pain around phone and short-form-video overuse across many commenters, but no one mentions paying for a tool, names a paid app they currently use, or describes a costly workaround — several instead describe free DIY fixes (deleting apps, native Shortcuts automation, wallpaper tinting), so paid demand is not established by this source.
Worth digging into before you build
6 to considerNo idea is a sure thing at this stage — these are open questions worth checking yourself, not a verdict against building it.
Promotional Source
Top comment (259 upvotes) accuses OP of promoting their own app, noting it's 'the first entry in their profile'; OP never confirms or denies this, so treat the demand shown as potentially manufactured.
Already Solved
The breathing-exercise-before-opening-app mechanic OP describes as a core method is already the core feature of existing apps like One Sec.
Generic Idea
Phone/screen-time/app-blocker is a saturated category with multiple established players (One Sec, Opal, Freedom, ScreenZen); a new page here is unlikely to differentiate.
Weak Demand
No commenter states willingness to pay, names a paid tool, or describes a costly workaround; free DIY fixes are described instead throughout the thread.
Verify Competitors
ScreenZen's exact feature set (pause/reflect prompts) is uncertain and should be verified before publishing; low confidence.
Sensitive Domain
Thread touches on behavioral/screen addiction and dopamine framing, plus a flippant reference to drug use (dextromethorphan) in one reply; recommend editorial review before publishing.