Requirements
| Version | 0.1, early access. Not on Google Play yet. |
|---|---|
| Android | Android 8.0 (API 26) or later. |
| Permissions | Accessibility service, a VPN service (DNS only), Do Not Disturb access, and the microphone only when you record a voice note. No contacts, phone or SMS permission. |
| Network | Used only to pass DNS lookups on to your network’s DNS server. The app doesn’t connect to any NowFocus server. |
| Price | Free. |
Install
NowFocus for Android isn’t on Google Play yet and there’s no download link yet. This is what installing an early-access build will look like once one is published.
- Download the APK on your phone. When a build is published, the button at the top of this page will link to it.
- Open it. Android asks you to allow installs from the app you opened it with (your browser or Files). Allow it for now.
- Tap Install, then Open.
- Work through the three onboarding steps (see First-run setup).
- On Android 13 or later, if the Accessibility switch is greyed out, open Settings → Apps → NowFocus, tap ⋮, choose Allow restricted settings, then go back and switch it on.
Installs from Google Play, once available, shouldn’t need the “allow installs” and “restricted settings” steps.
First-run setup
On the last onboarding step NowFocus asks for three permissions, in this order. Each has an Allow button that turns into an Allowed pill. Get started is always enabled, so none are forced, but without Accessibility apps aren’t blocked and without the VPN sites aren’t.
- App blocking (Accessibility). Lets NowFocus see which app comes to the foreground so it can block the ones you chose. If you turn on partial blocking, it also reads the YouTube and Facebook screens during a session. Tap Allow, find NowFocus in Accessibility settings and switch it on.
- Website filter (VPN). Blocks sites on your phone by answering DNS lookups. Only DNS goes through it. Tap Allow and accept Android’s VPN prompt. Android allows one VPN at a time.
- Notification access (Do Not Disturb). Lets Bedtime Wind-Down quiet notifications. Optional.
The microphone is asked for later, only when you tap Record for a voice note. If you skip a permission now, the Home screen shows what’s off and how to fix it.
Every screen and how to use it
Every screen in the app, in the order you’ll meet them. Button names and messages are quoted from the app.
Onboarding
A three-step first-run flow with a progress bar: Welcome, People, Permissions. There’s no Back button and nothing is forced.
What’s on it
- Welcome: “You decide what deserves your attention.” with the button “Let’s set it up”.
- People: “Who matters to you?” with “+ Add someone” (opens your contact picker) and “Skip for now”, which becomes “Continue” once you add someone.
- Permissions: “A few permissions, so blocking actually holds.” One Allow button per row, then “Get started”.
How to use it
- Tap “Let’s set it up”.
- Optionally add up to five people you’d rather talk to than scroll (see People who matter).
- Grant the permissions, or skip and grant them later from Home.
- Tap “Get started”.
Home (Focus tab)
The first tab. The bottom bar has four tabs: Focus, Rules, Devices and Stats. Home shows the date, whether you’re ready (“Your phone is ready.”) or in a session (“You’re in a focus session.”), and health rows for blocking.
What’s on it
- “Website blocking: ready”, or “VPN permission asked on start”.
- “App blocking: ready”, or “off” with an “Enable in Accessibility Settings” button.
- “Start focus session”, or “Return to session” when one is running.
- An “Always on” section when Commitment Shield or Bedtime Wind-Down is active, showing days left or tonight’s time. Tap a row to open it.
How to use it
- Check both health rows.
- If app blocking is off, tap “Enable in Accessibility Settings”.
- Tap “Start focus session”.
New focus session
Where you choose what to block, for how long, and how hard it is to quit.
What’s on it
- Profile: pick one. Each row shows “N sites · N apps”. “Manage policies” opens the Rules tab.
- Duration: 25 min, 45 min, 1 hour (default), 1.5 hrs, 2 hrs, 3 hrs or 4 hrs.
- If I want to stop early: Normal (“You can end any time”), Strict (“type a short sentence, then wait 30 seconds”) or Locked (“No early exit on this device until the timer ends”).
- Your voice note (Strict only): record 10 seconds to yourself; you’ll have to hear it before you can leave.
- The start button, labelled with your choice, for example “Start 1 hour”.
How to use it
- Choose a profile.
- Pick a duration.
- Choose how hard quitting should be.
- For Strict, optionally tap Record and say why you’re doing this. It stops by itself at 10 seconds.
- Tap Start. If Android asks for VPN permission, accept; the session starts right after.
Active session
A full-colour screen with a large countdown and a progress bar. It reads “You’re in it. Keep going.” and shows the mode: NORMAL, STRICT or LOCKED.
What’s on it
- Countdown (mm:ss, or h:mm:ss) and progress bar.
- “End session early”. In Locked mode it reads “Locked until timer ends”.
How to use it
- Leave your phone alone until the countdown ends.
- Normal ends immediately when you tap End session early, with no confirmation.
- Strict and Locked open the End early screen.
End early
What happens when you try to quit depends on the mode you chose.
What’s on it
- Normal: “End this session now?” with an “End session now” button.
- Strict, stage one: type “I am choosing to end this focus session early.” exactly (it’s case-sensitive; outer spaces are ignored), then tap “Start 30-second pause”.
- Strict, stage two: a 30-second countdown. If you recorded a voice note, play it to the end first (“Hear your note first”). Then “End session now” unlocks. “Stay focused” is always available.
- Locked: “This one’s locked, by you.” There’s no early exit; the only button is “Back to focus”.
How to use it
- Tap End session early.
- In Strict, type the sentence exactly and tap Start 30-second pause.
- Wait out the pause and listen to your note if you recorded one.
- Tap End session now, or Stay focused to keep going.
Block screen
When you open a blocked app, NowFocus sends you Home and shows a dark screen that says “This can wait.” with the time your session (or Commitment Shield) ends.
What’s on it
- A “Reach out instead” card, if you added people: “You haven’t talked to Sam in about 2 weeks.” with Call and Text buttons. They open your dialer or messaging app.
- “Back to focus”.
- “I really need it”, which opens End early and applies your Normal, Strict or Locked rules. It doesn’t appear for Commitment Shield blocks.
How to use it
- Read the message.
- If someone comes to mind, tap Call or Text. Otherwise tap Back to focus.
- Only tap “I really need it” if you truly want to end the session.
Blocked websites don’t show this screen. They simply fail to load.
Rules (profiles)
Your Focus Profiles: named lists of sites and apps to block. Each row shows “N sites · N apps” and a Remove button. Remove deletes the profile immediately, without asking.
What’s on it
- “+ New profile”.
- A first-run profile called “Deep Work” that blocks youtube.com, twitter.com, x.com, reddit.com, instagram.com, tiktok.com and facebook.com, and no apps.
- A “Protections” section linking to Commitment Shield, Bedtime Wind-Down and People who matter.
How to use it
- Tap “+ New profile”.
- Name it and add sites and apps (next screen).
- Go back to Focus to start a session with it.
Profile editor
Where you build a profile. Changes save as you type.
What’s on it
- Profile name.
- Blocked websites: type or paste a site (“Add a site, e.g. youtube.com”). Pasted links are cleaned down to the bare domain, and each entry also blocks its subdomains (“+ subdomains”).
- Blocked applications: “+ Add application…” opens a searchable list titled “Select an app to block”.
- Partial blocking switches (see the next screen).
How to use it
- Add the sites you lose time to.
- Add the apps you lose time to.
- Start a session with the profile.
While a session is running on a profile you can add blocks but not remove them, in every mode: “You can’t remove blocks while a focus session is running on this profile.”
Partial blocking (experimental)
Keep an app, lose the part that pulls you in. Four switches, in the profile editor and in Commitment Shield setup:
What’s on it
- YouTube Shorts: backs out of the Shorts player and tab.
- YouTube Home feed: hides recommended videos on the Home tab.
- YouTube up next / related: hides the list under a playing video.
- Facebook Reels: backs out of the Reels tab and viewer.
How to use it
- Switch on the rules you want.
- Make sure NowFocus is enabled in Accessibility settings. The app warns you if it isn’t.
- Start a session. Covered lists show “Recommendations are off while you focus”.
Experimental
These rules recognise YouTube and Facebook screens by their internal layout. We haven’t verified that on real devices yet, and those apps can change it at any time. They only work while a session or Commitment Shield with the rule is running. Tip, also untested: if a profile blocks youtube.com at the site level, that may override the YouTube rules, so try partial blocking on a profile that doesn’t.
Commitment Shield
Locks sites, apps and partial-blocking rules for 14 days with no early exit. It runs independently of focus sessions. Find it under Rules → Protections.
What’s on it
- Setup: SITES (for example reddit.com), APPS, PARTIAL BLOCKING, and “Lock for 14 days”, which is enabled once you’ve chosen something.
- Grace period: “Locking it in…” with a 60-second countdown and Cancel. This is the only chance to undo it.
- Locked: “N days to go”, the locked sites and apps, and no cancel button anywhere.
How to use it
- Choose what to lock.
- Tap “Lock for 14 days”. Accept the VPN prompt if you added sites.
- Cancel within 60 seconds if you change your mind. After that it runs the full 14 days.
Turning off Accessibility, revoking the VPN permission or uninstalling the app still stops it. There’s no way around that on a normal Android app. While it’s running, no other VPN app can be active. The timer uses the phone’s boot clock, so changing the date doesn’t shorten it (after a reboot it falls back to the normal clock).
Bedtime Wind-Down
Each night from wind-down until wake, a profile you choose is blocked as a locked session you can’t end early. Find it under Rules → Protections.
What’s on it
- An “On every night” toggle, off by default.
- Three time tiles: Wind-down (default 10:00 PM), Sleep (11:00 PM) and Wake (7:00 AM). Tap one to change it.
- A profile picker: “Block profile”.
- During wind-down: “Quiet notifications” (needs Do Not Disturb access) and “Lock phone at sleep time” (Android 9+, needs Accessibility).
How to use it
- Turn it on and pick a profile. Without one, nothing is blocked at bedtime.
- Set your three times.
- Choose whether to quiet notifications and lock at sleep time.
Alarms are inexact and can be a few minutes off. Bedtime sessions aren’t counted in Stats.
People who matter
Up to five people NowFocus points you to on the block screen. It picks whoever you’ve talked to least recently.
What’s on it
- “+ Add someone” opens Android’s contact picker. NowFocus only sees the contact you pick.
- “Last talked” chips: This week, About 2 weeks, About a month, Longer, Can’t remember.
- Remove.
How to use it
- Tap Add someone and pick a contact that has a phone number.
- Tell NowFocus roughly when you last talked.
- On the block screen you’ll see one person at a time. Tapping Call or Text counts as talking and moves on to the next.
“Last talked” is only what you tell the app plus your taps on Call and Text. NowFocus doesn’t read your call or message history.
Stats
“This week”: focused time as a big number, a Monday-to-Sunday bar chart, and cells for Sessions, Completed (a percentage) and Streak (days).
What’s on it
- “Most turned away”: your top three blocked apps this week.
- “Your urges”: how often, and around what hour, you tried to open a blocked app over the last 28 days, with a 24-hour chart.
How to use it
- Open the Stats tab after a few sessions.
- Use the urge chart to see when you’re most tempted.
Counted on your phone. Only focus sessions count, not Bedtime, and a cancelled session counts for the time that actually passed. Blocked attempts count app opens and partial-rule hits, not blocked websites.
Devices
A health check for this phone. There’s no multi-device screen yet, because cross-device sync isn’t available.
What’s on it
- A “This phone” card marked Active or Degraded.
- Three cells, each On or Off: App blocking, Website filter and Notifications.
- An Open Settings button when something is off.
How to use it
- If a cell says Off, tap Open Settings and grant the permission.
What it can’t do
A self-control tool, not a lock on your phone
- Turning off Accessibility, revoking the VPN permission or uninstalling NowFocus defeats Normal, Strict, Locked, Bedtime and the Commitment Shield alike.
- Website blocking works at the DNS level. Blocked sites fail to load (there’s no block page), apps that use their own encrypted DNS or a strict Private DNS setting can bypass it, and only one VPN can run at a time.
- Partial blocking is experimental (see above).
- Bedtime alarms can be a few minutes off, and “lock at sleep time” is skipped when Accessibility is off or on Android 8.
- We haven’t tested how phone-maker battery savers (Samsung, Xiaomi and similar) treat NowFocus.
- Cross-device sync isn’t available. Each phone is on its own.
Uninstall
Uninstalling NowFocus removes its data from your phone and stops all blocking, including a running Commitment Shield. If Google’s device backup is on, a copy of the app’s data (voice notes excluded) may be restored if you reinstall.
FAQ
Why does NowFocus need the Accessibility permission?
It lets NowFocus see which app comes to the foreground so it can block the apps you chose and, only if you turn on partial blocking, read the YouTube and Facebook screens during a session. Nothing else on screen is read, and nothing is stored or leaves your phone.
Why does it use a VPN?
Android has no other way to filter sites for every app. NowFocus’s VPN handles DNS lookups only: it answers “no such site” for blocked domains and passes every other lookup on. The rest of your traffic doesn’t go through it. The Privacy page has the details.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No NowFocus server is involved. Your profiles, sessions, stats, people and voice notes stay on your phone. If Google’s device backup is on, Android may back up the app’s data, voice notes excluded, to your Google account.
Why is the Accessibility switch greyed out?
Android restricts sensitive permissions for apps installed outside Google Play. Open Settings, then Apps, then NowFocus, tap the ⋮ menu and choose “Allow restricted settings”, then go back to the Accessibility screen.
Can I end a Strict session early?
Yes. Type the sentence exactly, wait 30 seconds and, if you recorded a voice note, listen to it. Locked sessions can’t be ended from the app.
Can I use NowFocus with another VPN?
Not at the same time. Android allows one VPN at a time, so NowFocus’s site blocking and another VPN app can’t both run.
Will it keep working with my phone’s battery saver?
We haven’t tested it against phone-maker battery managers, which can stop background apps. If blocking stops, check the Devices tab to see what’s off. We won’t promise more until it’s been tested.