A physical key for a quieter phone
Your time belongs to you.
Lock·Focus·Return
Your feeds stay locked behind a physical key — until you walk over and scan it.
App free at launch · iPhone, iOS 17 or later
Where the time goes
on social feeds — every single day, by the average person.
That is 38 days a year.
Every refresh spins a slot machine. Same dopamine circuit.
Until ordinary life feels flat.
Zoom out
Over a lifetime, the feed takes six years.
Each dot is one month of an 80-year life. Watch what the feed takes.
Six years. Gone.
Not a willpower problem.
A design problem.
Feeds are engineered by thousands to defeat your self-control. FocusLatch doesn't ask for more discipline — it changes the physics.
The product
The FocusLatch Key.
App included — free on the App Store.
- A slim block that lives where your focus should — lay it down, stick it on, screw it to the wall, or hang it by the door.
- Signed at the factory; copies and store-bought tags are rejected. A key should be a deliberate object.
- Locks with Apple's system-level shield — the apps will not open. Lost your key? An emergency exit unlocks after a waiting period you chose.
The other side of the math
Cut the scroll in half — that's what the Key gives back.
Three years of evenings, mornings, and attention.
Coming soon to the App Store.
Questions
Fair questions.
Can't I just delete the app to escape?
Deleting the app or revoking Screen Time permission does lift the shield — Apple guarantees you that control over your own device, and every app in this category shares it. FocusLatch is a commitment device: it makes the escape slow, deliberate, and mildly embarrassing instead of one thumb-flick away.
Why won't a cheap NFC tag from Amazon work?
Each FocusLatch Key carries a cryptographic signature bound to its chip; the app verifies it on every scan. That's deliberate — if you could re-buy your key in any weak minute for one euro, it wouldn't be a key.
What if I lose my key?
Start the emergency unlock and wait out the period you chose before locking — 15 minutes, 1 hour, or 8 hours. The countdown resists clock changes and survives restarting the app.
Is this a Focus mode or Do Not Disturb?
No. Focus modes silence notifications; the apps still open. FocusLatch applies Apple's Screen Time shield, so blocked apps physically refuse to open until you scan your key. Everything stays on your iPhone — no account, no analytics.