Play a 15-second focus game before the feed opens

What does Ebb do when I open a feed app?

Ebb takes over for a few seconds. You see the cost of the pass, for example 15 s, and the minutes you would get, for example 5 minutes of the app. Tap Play and a round starts. Pass it and Ebb opens the app for you. Close the gate instead, or pick something else to do, and it counts as turning back.

The round has right and wrong answers, so you cannot tap through it on autopilot the way you can with a simple reminder. Details are on the page about the gate.

Why does each pass cost more?

With the Pro plan, the first round of the day on an app lasts 15 seconds, the second 30 and the third 60. The cost stops growing at 60 seconds. A round you fail does not raise the next cost. The free version keeps every round at 15 seconds.

The idea is that a single quick check is easy to pass on impulse, and the fifth one that day makes you ask what you are doing. See how pass costs work.

What is the focus game?

Three small rounds. Search asks you to find the pair that differs, such as OQ among 00 pairs. Hold asks you to tap only on the digit 7 while the pace speeds up. Switch flips the rule between higher and even every three items. Your first game gives a span score, the number of seconds you held the pattern before the first slip.

It is a game score. Ebb does not call it a medical or cognitive test. Read more about the focus game.

What can I do instead of scrolling?

Every gate offers a two-minute alternative picked from the answers you gave at the start: read two pages of a paper book, walk to the end of the street and back, text a friend something specific. A 2:00 timer runs, and finishing one adds a point to the day. There are 40 ideas in the library, 6 of them free. See Instead.

How does the setup work?

iOS decides which apps can run something when they open, and it does this through the Shortcuts app. Ebb guides you through three steps with drawings: create a personal automation, choose the app and Is Opened, then add the Ebb Gate action. It takes about 2 minutes per app. Ebb cannot create the automation for you.

A guide with the same steps is in how to run a Shortcut when an app opens.

Is Ebb a blocker?

No, and the app says so. Ebb cannot lock an app, stop you from deleting the automation or close another app. It adds a pause in front of an app and counts how often you turn back. Its premise is that most urges fade in the few seconds it asks for. If you want a hard lock, Ebb is not that. If you want a brake you chose yourself, it is.

What does Ebb know about me?

Ebb has no account and no server. Your answers, game scores, gate runs and the Screen Time numbers you type in stay on your iPhone, encrypted by iOS. It does not read your app usage. It only learns that its own gate ran, and when. Purchases go through Apple and a billing service. Read the privacy policy.

Is it free, and when is it out?

Ebb is in development and is not on the App Store yet. The plan is a free app with one gate and the daily game, plus a Pro upgrade that adds up to 12 gates, escalating passes, Morning and Night rules, focus sessions and the full history. Prices come from the App Store at the time you buy, so none are listed here. See the press page for the current facts.