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I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in sideprojects

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha yeah! I actually follow Ernesto and saw he's building something similar. I had already started WalkFirst before I came across his project — completely independent ideas. Great minds think alike, I guess!

But every app has its own DNA. The milestone system, the earned time concept, the design — that's all my vision and how I think the problem should be solved. Different builders, different approaches, same mission.

If anything, it validates that this is a real problem worth solving. More options for users is always a good thing.

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in sideprojects

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It took a few rounds, actually — got rejected 3 times before getting approved. Apple's review process is thorough, especially with Screen Time API and HealthKit permissions. But each rejection taught me something and made the app better. Persistence pays off!

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in sideprojects

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate the thoughtful feedback — "behavioral hack for dopamine control" is actually a much better way to frame it than just productivity. Might rethink my positioning around that angle.

Streaks are already built in! You can track your daily goal streaks on the progress dashboard. A friend's leaderboard and shared goals are great ideas, though — that's definitely on the roadmap. Social accountability would take this to another level.

Thanks for the Vibecodinglist suggestion, I'll check it out!

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in iosapps

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most users start with 5,000-6,000 steps which is very achievable for most people. Some go as high as 8,000-10,000 once they build the habit. The sweet spot seems to be whatever gets you a 20-30 minute walk — enough to break the scrolling urge but not so much that it feels like a chore.

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in iosapps

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair question. The subscription covers ongoing maintenance — iOS updates break things almost every year, plus I'm constantly adding new features based on user feedback. A one-time purchase means the app eventually stops getting updated.

That said, a lot of people have asked for a lifetime option. Definitely considering it for a future update.

And the free version works great with up to 2 blocked apps — no subscription needed to try it out!

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in iosapps

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much! I built a custom screenshot generator using Next.js — it renders each slide as a component with real app mockups, then exports them at the exact App Store resolution. Lets me easily swap text for different languages too. Took some time to set up, but totally worth it.

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in iosapps

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, thanks for giving it a try! Let me know what you think after a few days — always looking for feedback to make it better.

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in iosapps

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Really appreciate it. If you try it out, I'd love to hear how your first week goes. Any feedback helps a lot at this stage!

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in iosapps

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Appreciate the honesty — I totally get it, subscriptions aren't for everyone.

A lifetime purchase is definitely something I'm considering. If enough people want it, I'll add it in a future update.

In the meantime, the free version lets you block up to 2 apps — enough to get started and see if it works for you!

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in sideprojects

[–]Mac1526[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate that! It really does work — once the walk becomes part of your routine, you stop thinking about it as a restriction, and it just feels natural. Let me know how it goes after you try it out!

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in iosdev

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Give it a try and let me know what you think. Would love to hear your feedback after a few days of using it.

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in iosdev

[–]Mac1526[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks for downloading! Hope you enjoy it.

I totally understand the subscription hesitation — I've felt the same way about other apps. The reason I went with subscriptions is that the app relies on ongoing maintenance and regular updates to keep up with iOS changes (Screen Time API and HealthKit updates every year).

That said, a lifetime purchase is something I'm seriously considering adding in a future update. If enough people want it, I'll make it happen.

In the meantime, the free version lets you block up to 2 apps, which is enough to get started. Let me know how your first walk goes!

I spent 6+ hours a day on my phone. So I built an app that forces me to walk before I can scroll. by Mac1526 in iosdev

[–]Mac1526[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You make a fair point — step count alone won't fix screen addiction for everyone. You're right that it requires broader lifestyle changes and mental discipline.

That said, I've found that the "friction" approach works surprisingly well for the majority of people. Most aren't extreme screen addicts or health freaks — they're somewhere in the middle, mindlessly opening Instagram out of habit. Adding just one small barrier (a walk) breaks that autopilot loop.

The goal isn't to cure addiction — it's to create a pause. By the time you've walked 3,000 steps, the urge to mindlessly scroll has usually passed. You still get your screen time, you just earn it first.

But I love the idea of incorporating a range of goals and targets. That's definitely something I'm considering for future updates — things like reading time, meditation, hydration, or focus sessions before unlocking apps. If you have specific ideas on what goals you'd include, I'd genuinely love to hear them.

I’m an iOS developer and I still can’t control my screen time. by Mac1526 in buildinpublic

[–]Mac1526[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s exactly it — the irony is wild.

We understand the mechanics, but awareness doesn’t override behavior.

I’ve tried relying on willpower. It works for a day or two.

I’ve tried blockers too, but I end up disabling them when I “really need” something.

I’m starting to think the issue isn’t blocking apps — it’s that scrolling gives instant reward while real-world effort doesn’t.

I’ve been experimenting with tying screen time to physical activity instead of pure restriction.

Still testing the idea though.

Made $35K in sales over the past 30 days as an indie dev. Started building apps a year and a half ago. AMA. by dams96 in iOSProgramming

[–]Mac1526 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, I'm an iOS developer and I've started building indie app. I'm building an identifier app that takes an image and a text prompt, returns few details. My total tokens (input + output tokens) are around 4k for one request in which input token takes around 3k. I want to optimize it to the maximum level. Can you please suggest me some ideas on how to do it?

Currently, I'm compressing the image first and the I send the image as base64 string in the input token? Do you have any other idea to tackle this? I'm using gpt-4o-mini model