Breaking the habit of mindless phone usage is a challenge many of us face. To combat this, Ukrainian developer Yaroslav Neznaradko has created Intenty, an Android app that nudges users to provide a reason or perform an action every time they unlock their phone.

The idea behind Intenty was born in 2019 when Neznaradko realized he was spending too much time on his phone, constantly checking email, social media, and news. He tried using screen time limits, focus modes, and app blockers, but found them frustrating rather than helpful. This led him to experiment with writing down his intentions in a notebook every time he needed his phone, which proved effective.

In 2020, Neznaradko released an initial version of the app, but it was limited to asking users questions about why they were unlocking their devices. He also developed an iOS version, but encountered platform limitations that stalled the project. It wasn't until 2023 that he rebranded the app to Intenty and refocused on the Android version.

The redesigned app allows users to customize nudges from various categories, including Intention, Necessity, Grounding, Posture, and Minimalism. Users can select from a range of prompts, add new categories or prompts, and even set a cooldown time to avoid being nudged immediately after locking their phone. The app also tracks the history of user answers and the number of times they unlock their phone over time.

While the app is free to use, a premium subscription of $1.99 per month unlocks additional features, such as scheduling for nudges, a hard mode that forces users to enter a reason, and a lock button to lock the phone from the nudge screen.

Intenty is not the only app aiming to reduce screen time. Other apps, like One Sec and Minimalist Screen Time, offer alternative approaches to helping users develop healthier phone habits. One Sec shows users an exercise or action when they open a social media app, while Minimalist Screen Time turns the phone into a device with limited functionality.

After posting about the new version of Intenty on Hacker News, Neznaradko received feedback from users who wanted the app to behave differently, such as not nudging them every time. He acknowledged the challenge of understanding the pattern of unlocking and not nudging users when they want to perform quick actions, like taking a photo.

Neznaradko is currently working on creating a reminder or popup during long phone usage sessions and exploring ways to deal with fatigue from the nudge and automatically refresh the content of prompts. In the long term, he hopes to add image or video nudges to the app.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, apps like Intenty are crucial in helping users develop intentional phone usage habits. By providing customizable nudges and tracking features, Intenty offers a unique approach to breaking the cycle of mindless phone usage.