one sec | app blocker, focus

A B

1 year ago

Honestly, the (almost) perfect app. It is easily the best way to cut back on screen time and doomscrolling! Only reason for the -1 star is because even when I'm already in the app, IG for example, I'll do something simple like edit a message to a friend, then One Sec will cut in with the "choice" screen even though i never exited the app. If they could fix that, then easy 5 of 5.

Kate Kutchko

2 years ago

Great idea, buggy execution. The app stopped working randomly—I could open it but it stopped appearing over other apps. I had to restart my phone to get it back! I tried to follow the battery optimization settings guide as best I could, but the instructions do not always apply as written and in some cases are impossible. (While I can add most apps to "Never Sleep" mode, one sec doesn't even show up in the list.) I really like the idea of this app but it doesn't play well with Android.

David Carlson

11 months ago

I love the idea and it had almost immediate positive impacts on my screentime. I also love the pricing model because it's set to a price almost everyone can afford and there's no annoying ads. The only problem is it's constantly trying to open google and I'll have to sometimes sit through the animation several times before it actually opens the app I want. Sometimes it will also try to open the google app when I close out of another app. If this was fixed it would easily be 5 stars

Graham Smith

2 years ago

Doesn't work on S21. First I wasn't able to add it to the "never sleep" list, which seems to be a known Samsung problem across apps. Reinstalling fixed that, but now it's simply not intervening when I open my selected app. Edit: Still doesn't work in March. Edit 2: Works in September, though the guidance for Samsung mostly doesn't correspond to what the settings actually are.

Xander Wood

6 months ago

The app would make you think that it could be used for multiple apps, but thats only if you are willing to cough up a monthly subscription or a 30$ "lifetime" pass. With free you can only delay opening ONE APP AT A TIME. No blocking tiktok and twitter together if you are on the free tier. Find an alternative that doesn't nickel and dime you for the price of a meal.

Erin O'Linger

1 year ago

In theory, is good, but two major complaints. 1. It won't work unless there's a little bubble on your screen at all times, that cannot be turned off, that was constantly getting in the way of doing anything. You can move it around, but was just always in the way. 2. No time limit for a trial, only limits one app. Not enough to see if it really helps when multiple apps are the issue. Not sure if it's worth the price because I couldn't get the full experience.

Patrick

1 year ago

Paid for the year subscription. So far has helped me a lot. Would give it 5 stars but when I use aggregate sites like reddit or news, which often redirect back and forth within the same iframe, it will make me have to pause again. So if I click on a link inside reddit that takes me to a picture and I spend more than a minute, and then get out, it will count as a reopen. Please use x-forward-for headers or something so it know it's the same site! Thanks

Ali Kapadia

2 years ago

Edit: i bought the premium version of the app because i think it's SO needed & on the right track. The more i use it though,the more i wish the user experience could be modified. I realize that many times i just get used to and go through the delay. Other times, the delay is frustrating because I actually need the social media app for productivity related reason. I would LOVE to see a customization feature to be able to add your intentions for using your phone when you unlock it.

Jon Musselwhite (Flipping Binary)

5 months ago

I’m not sure it’s worth paying a subscription to increase intentional app switching to 5 min, but the free app is better than daily limits. I only limit BlueSky, but if I open BlueSky and select 10 minutes during the intervention, then immediately tap a link to a blog post, I now have 5 minutes instead of 1 to read the post before I trigger a reintervention when I tap the back button. I'd prefer to keep the 10 minute timer running instead of starting a new one, but I'll live with it for now.

madi

2 years ago

amazing idea, not well executed. I wanted a 1 second delay, but there was no way to customize and only an awkward slow loading interface that is frustrating to the point of just wanting to turn it off, rather than taking that mindful moment. also, I bought pro because it told me I could customize the experience but then I couldn't. so I feel lied to.

Caroline

2 years ago

Update: I appreciate the quick response from the dev - the update seems to have fixed the issue. I was enrolled in the beta, which worked perfectly. When I was rolled over to the live version I considered upgrading to premium, but it became so buggy that it's unbearable. The app says the free version only allows you to select one app to control, but then it keeps randomly adding the OS app without me selecting it, so I can't open my phone at all without having it blocked.

Jesten Herrild

9 months ago

$30 to use it for more than a single app? What a poor faith cash grab. If the app isn't free, then don't make it free. But limiting the use of a single app, and pushing you through the permissions flow first is a blatant and flimsy pretense. Essentially, there is no free version of this app- they just want it to seem that way until you've installed it and given it permissions. $5 would be reasonable. A free version limited to like 10 apps would be reasonable. $30 is simply egregious.

Cozette Cookson

8 months ago

It's a good idea, and helps my screen time when it works. But I have to reset the permission almost every day for it to even trigger. There should be a Free trial because now I paid to use for multiple apps and it doesn't even work on my phone. Seems to be a common issue with Samsung phones after reading lots of other 1 star reviews.

Peter Hazel

2 years ago

Great in theory, but doesn't work on S23. Love the idea of this to curb social media use, but doesn't work as advertised (paid for the pro version). Instead of "It’s time to take a deep breath…" popping up when opening an app, the app opens normally, then after a second or two the vertical waiting bar pops up and lowers. Sometimes nothing happens. Instructions on the website for the galaxy series aren't up to date or maybe the app permissions weren't configured correctly in the latest build.

Michelle Stewart

4 months ago

Was great until today. I have used this app for a couple of years and have recommended it to others. It helps me look up instead of down all the time. The pause has been really helpful. All of the sudden today the app started interrupting and doing another wait period in the middle of using the app. I have been interrupted twice AS I WAS TYPING A COMMENT! I'm hoping this is resolved quickly. bc the last update was over a month ago so I have no idea why it freaked out today.

Danica West

3 months ago

It recently pops up sometimes when an ad is using Facebook's ad server, which means I have to go through the whole process to get past a five second ad on a game. Otherwise, I like having the reminder to not doomscroll on the main three apps I get stuck on; I pay for premium because I figure the time it saves me is worth the couple dollars a month.

Jamie Volle

3 months ago

was great a few months ago, not worth it now. It just did the intervention on me when I was actively reading an article. Also I can't choose how long to be on an app anymore like I could a few months ago. They stuck, bottom of the barrel, basic features behind a paywall which sucks. My doc and therapist thought it was super neat and asked me what it was and then started recommending it to their clients. Now we are on the hunt for a new one instead and they have stopped recommending it.