If you're the Key Holder, your buddy can't unlock without you. The Inbox is where you decide.
Getting notified
When your buddy submits a request, you get a push notification with their name and the gist ("15 min of Instagram — 'doom-scrolling, need to message my brother'"). Tap it to jump straight to the decision screen.
Reading the Inbox
Open the Inbox tab. Pending requests are at the top with a coral pill — either "cooldown" (you can't decide yet) or "ready" (you can). Recently decided requests sit below for context.
The decision screen
Tap a request to see:
- Their avatar with a ring showing how much of the cooldown is left.
- What they're asking for ("15 min of Instagram").
- The reason they wrote.
- A note field — optional message to send back with your decision.
- Deny and Approve buttons (disabled until the cooldown is done).
Approve or deny
Once the cooldown clears:
- Deny (primary button, coral) keeps the shield up. Your buddy gets a push notification. The reason you write (if any) lands on their denial screen.
- Approve (smaller secondary button) unlocks the app for the time they asked for. They get a push notification and a green countdown screen.
Notice that Deny is the bigger button. Most requests should be denied. We made the affordance asymmetric on purpose — friction is the feature.
How to decide
Read the reason. Trust your gut. If they wrote a specific, sane reason, lean approve. If it's a vague urge ("idk", "just for a min"), lean deny. You're doing them a favour.
You don't owe them a long explanation. A one-word denial is fine. The friction is the message.
The Report button
At the bottom of the approval screen is a small "Report this message" link. Use it if their reason text crosses the line — abuse, threats, sexual content, etc. See Report or block someone.
Quiet inbox
If your buddy hasn't slipped today, the Inbox shows the "Quiet inbox" empty state. That's a win, not a bug.