SlowDown

Social apps are engineered to keep you scrolling: instant loads, endless feeds, perfectly timed rewards. Most "digital wellbeing" apps fight this with hard stops—blocks, bans, lockouts—often at the exact moment you actually want to connect.

SlowDown takes a different approach.
Instead of cutting you off, it silently disrupts the loop by adding gentle friction right where it matters. You stay in control, you stay connected—your brain just gets a chance to step out of autopilot.

Why it's different

No hard blocks by default. You can still open your apps.

No "punishment" UX. No shame screens, no lockout walls.

Breaks the pattern, not the connection. The goal is moderation that feels sustainable.

What SlowDown does

SlowDown helps reduce compulsive checking and doomscrolling by making addictive apps less "too easy" to consume—subtly and consistently—so it's easier to pause, close the app, and move on with your day.

Key features

Three schedule types
• Gentle Focus — Adds small network delays to selected apps to interrupt mindless loops. Tune intensity from barely noticeable to "okay, I'm done."
• Hard Block — Completely blocks internet for selected apps when you need zero distractions. Optional gradual start eases you in.
• App Limit — Sets a daily time budget for selected apps. Use them freely until your limit, then friction kicks in.

Progress you can feel
• Life Reclaimed — See exactly how much time you've saved compared to your baseline.
• Willpower Shield — Track how often you resist the urge to mindlessly scroll.
• Attention Span — Watch the gap between compulsive app checks grow over time.
• Per-app breakdowns to see where your time actually goes.

Wisdom Cards
Earn XP by resisting distractions and completing focus sessions. Unlock collectible cards featuring quotes from philosophers, scientists, and thinkers. Build streaks, level up, and turn habit change into something you look forward to.

SOS Break
Need temporary access? Take a short break without disabling your schedule. SlowDown pauses, then picks back up automatically.

Works in the background
Once configured, it runs quietly—even after your phone restarts—so you don't have to rely on willpower.

How it works

SlowDown uses Android's VPNService to manage network behavior for selected apps on your device. IMPORTANT: The VPN connects to a local server running on your device and is used only to throttle traffic.

Privacy-first by design

No external VPN servers. No packet inspection. No system-wide VPN.

Designed to work locally on your device.

SlowDown doesn't need to read your messages, posts, or content to do its job.