When you want one of your blocked apps unlocked for a stretch of time, you ask your buddy. They decide. Here's how the flow works.
1. Press and hold the padlock
On the Home tab, the big white padlock is the request button. Press and hold for about a second. A coral ring fills around it. When the ring completes, the unblock request sheet opens.
The hold gesture is deliberate. We make you commit to asking before the sheet appears — no tap-then-think-better-of-it.
2. Pick the duration
5, 15, 30 minutes, or 1 hour. Pick the shortest one that gets the job done.
3. Write a real reason
The reason is the most important part of the whole thing. Your buddy reads it before they decide. Specific reasons get approved fast. Vague reasons get questioned.
"to check Talana's flight info" — lands
"idk" — doesn't
The reason is also visible to your future self. When you look back at your request history, you'll see the reasons you wrote and probably wince at half of them. That's the point.
4. Wait out the cooldown
After you submit, a cooldown timer starts (default 30 seconds, but you can set it longer in Settings → Friction). Your buddy can't decide until it ends. Why?
You'll see a "Hold on..." screen with a progress ring. You can cancel the request at this point if the urge has passed.
5. Your buddy decides
Once the cooldown finishes, your buddy gets a push notification and the request lands in their Inbox. They tap Approve or Deny on their phone. You get a push notification back when they answer.
6. The result
- Approved: a green screen with a countdown ring shows how much time you have. Your blocked apps unlock for the duration you asked for. When time runs out, they lock again.
- Denied: a black screen with their reason (if they wrote one). The shield stays up. Try again later if it still matters.
What if my buddy doesn't answer?
Most decisions land in minutes. If hours pass with no response, that's the system working — the urge was probably not as urgent as it felt. The request stays open until they decide or you cancel it.