Your Attention Span Isn't Broken: The Science of Focus in a Distracted World
No, your attention span isn't shorter than a goldfish's. What the research really shows about focus — and how to rebuild it in a distracting world.
Take back control of your screen time.
Dopamin Detox helps you block your own apps and websites — by time, usage, location, or a single tap — with a calm friction spectrum that meets you where you are. No shame. No surveillance.
Download on the App Store
See how it works Coming soon to the App Store.
Private by design — what you block and how you use your phone stays on your device. Read our privacy approach.
The apps aren't broken. They're working exactly as designed.
Endless feeds, autoplay, and unpredictable rewards are engineered to keep you scrolling past the point you meant to stop. Willpower alone is an unfair fight against systems built by thousands of people to hold your attention. The answer isn't trying harder — it's changing the environment so the easy choice becomes the one you actually want.
Dopamin Detox puts a little friction back where the apps removed it — on your terms, set by you, for you.
Block on your terms
Choose what to block, then pick when it kicks in. Four kinds of triggers cover almost any habit you want to change.
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Time of day
Pause distracting apps during work hours, dinner, or bedtime.
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Usage limit
Let an app open — then step in once you pass the minutes you set.
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Location
Block at the office, the gym, the classroom, or at home.
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Manual & voice
Start a block with a tap, or ask Siri to begin a focus session.
A friction spectrum, not a sledgehammer
The same block can be gentle or firm. Start soft and tighten only as much as you need — you stay in charge of the dial.
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Nudge
A calm reminder of your own intention. Easy to pass when you truly mean to.
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Delay
A short pause before the app opens — enough to break the reflex.
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Hard
A firm stop that asks you to confirm before you continue.
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Strict
You commit ahead of time. No quick off-switch until the block ends.
See it in the app
Calm, native, and easy to read — built to Apple's design guidelines.
Start free. Go Pro when you're ready.
Free covers one block and a daily view of your usage. Pro unlocks every trigger, the full friction spectrum, scheduling on any day, and weekly and monthly history — $1.99 / month or $14.99 / year.
Free
$0
Everything you need to start one boundary.
Pro
$1.99/mo or $14.99/yr
Unlock every trigger, every day, and full history.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Number of blocks | One block | Unlimited blocks |
| Quick Block length | Up to 3 hours | No 3-hour cap |
| Scheduling | One day | Any or all days |
| Insights history | Daily view | Daily, weekly & monthly |
| Location triggers | — | Included |
| Usage-limit triggers | — | Included |
| Friction spectrum | Nudge | Nudge · Delay · Hard · Strict |
| Limited-access mode | — | Included |
Subscriptions are billed through your Apple ID and renew automatically until cancelled. See the full feature list.
Designed to be easy for everyone
Older adults are an audience we build for on purpose — and that makes the app better for everybody. Plain language, large text support, full VoiceOver and Voice Control, generous tap targets, and one clear action per screen. No hidden gestures, no jargon, always a way to undo.
On your computer, too
The distraction doesn't stop at your phone. The Dopamin Detox browser extension blocks distracting websites on your desktop and sends them to a calm reminder instead. It's local-only — your block list stays in your browser, and we collect nothing.
Get it on the Chrome Web Store
Free. Works in Chrome, Edge, and Brave.
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A 'dopamine detox' can't reset your brain chemistry — but the habit change underneath it is real. Here's what the science says actually works.