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Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

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71–80 of 399 posts

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#71

Nothing for iOS?

On iOS it's simply impossible to implement. There is no way you can display an app over other apps after unlocking. I tried to implement something similar, like a widget, but that's a completely different app. Unfortunately, such an app is possible only on Android.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#72
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is totally fair to charge for work you've done - but then again, in my opinion, not everything needs to be built with some profit in mind (not talking about this app in particular now). I think it's really refreshing to find an app that doesn't lock any features behind a paywall or makes using it more cumbersome unless you pay. I'm mostly okay with one-time payments though. Just because you invested some time into…

I understand the sentiment from a user's perspective, I really do. I have been totally burned out by having to maintain all my free apps in the Play Store though, lately. Even a simple non-internet-using app needs an update every year and needs to comply with new bullshit policies every few months. It has totally changed my opinion on free vs paid apps. I still despise subscription models, but I absolutely understand…

I've actually been talking about the developer's perspective as well - I have a couple of personal projects that I've invested quite a bit of time into but I still don't feel the need to try to find a way to monetize them.

I can definitely see your point though. Maybe an option would be open sourcing your app? (considering it's already free anyway) - that way you could maybe find some contributors to make it easier to keep up with everything.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#73
post #49
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why shouldn't they? they had to take the time to make the app and get it up on the App Store. it's totally fair to charge for work you've done. the fact it's simple is irrelevant. what matters is the value it brings to the user.

It is totally fair to charge for work you've done - but then again, in my opinion, not everything needs to be built with some profit in mind (not talking about this app in particular now). I think it's really refreshing to find an app that doesn't lock any features behind a paywall or makes using it more cumbersome unless you pay. I'm mostly okay with one-time payments though. Just because you invested some time into…

> not everything needs to be built with some profit in mind

You didn't say this earlier. You said this app doesn't need to be developed with profit in mind.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Critiquing the players and not the game misses the forest for the trees. This is the system we live in.

You're allowed to critique both. "The system" isn't handed down from god. It's just a set of choices made by people.

Yes, and one of those choices made by people is that if you don't make money, you deserve to starve.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#77
post #50

I feel like we're far too obsessed with the "nobility" of stuff we do for fun. Watch YouTube shorts, scroll reddit, whatever. It's only "addictive" because it's fun, it's no more pointless than anything else you might do for fun. What are you really achieving by using this app? Do you have an unhealthy relationship with your phone, or are you just arbitrarily ranking it low on the "worthiness" of random shit you migh…

What I'm trying to achieve here is to make more conscious choices. If I want to scroll Reddit, I would like to make a deliberate decision rather than doing it habitually in an "uncontrolled" way, just immediately out of boredom. The app intervenes in this unconscious phone pickup habit loop and prompts me to reconsider this. I'm not deleting social media apps from the device and I believe we shouldn't. I'm just tryin…

I like the idea and I think it will be good in the short term but eventually your brain will just gloss over it I think.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#78
post #2

Cool idea. Amazingly they've found a way to put "in-app purchases" though. This app could just be an image set as your lock screen background. I've found a good way to discourage mindless phone staring is to set the display to monochrome (e.g. through colorblind emulation). The decreased visual stimulation seems to have an effect on me, at least until I want to see a photo or video in colour and go back to normal.

I have greyscale set to activate in the evening to wind down for bed.

Could you share how you achieved activating greyscale automatically? Was it Android or iOS?

I would love to be able to do this but couldn't find a way on GrapheneOS.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#79
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is totally fair to charge for work you've done - but then again, in my opinion, not everything needs to be built with some profit in mind (not talking about this app in particular now). I think it's really refreshing to find an app that doesn't lock any features behind a paywall or makes using it more cumbersome unless you pay. I'm mostly okay with one-time payments though. Just because you invested some time into…

> not everything needs to be built with some profit in mind You didn't say this earlier. You said this app doesn't need to be developed with profit in mind.

I'm not the same user as the parent comment.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#80

I feel like we're far too obsessed with the "nobility" of stuff we do for fun. Watch YouTube shorts, scroll reddit, whatever. It's only "addictive" because it's fun, it's no more pointless than anything else you might do for fun. What are you really achieving by using this app? Do you have an unhealthy relationship with your phone, or are you just arbitrarily ranking it low on the "worthiness" of random shit you migh…

You might have a great relationship with time and your phone, which is great. Not all of us have that. If/when my mental health is not on its best legs tools like this might prevent it from going deeper. Its VERY easy for me to do 30 minutes of mindless youtube shorts watching instead of doing something I was supposed to do or even wanted to do.

ADHD brain is a bitch. "Gimmicks" help to trigger a intentional conscious response to break out of a pattern.

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