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Honor-system pushup app blocker for phones

Build a lightweight honor-system screen time blocker that gates distracting apps behind a quick task (pushups, a typed pledge, a breathing exercise) without requiring camera-based motion tracking. Target it at people who already use pushup-to-unlock apps but find camera tracking embarrassing or unreliable in public, selling via a simple one-time purchase or low-cost subscription on iOS and Android.

via Hacker News
Original post

What to build

A mobile app blocker for iOS/Android that gates distracting apps behind a quick honor-system task (pushups, a typed pledge, or a breathing exercise) instead of camera-based motion tracking.

There's room for a lighter, honor-system alternative to camera-tracked pushup-unlock blockers, aimed at users who want friction without the embarrassment or unreliability of motion detection.

Demand

People already using pushup-to-unlock apps but annoyed by camera tracking in public are the core audience, and the Show HN launch suggests early interest in a no-camera variant right now.

  • Hacker NewsNews

    Show HN: Honorfit – a pushup app blocker for your phone — 5 points, 4 comments. Poster says: "Hey yall! I needed a way to cap my own phone use so do..."

Stack

  • React Native
  • Expo
  • iOS Screen Time API (Family Controls / DeviceActivity)
  • Android UsageStatsManager / AccessibilityService
  • RevenueCat
  • Supabase

Solo + AI difficulty

The honor-system task UI and app-blocking screen are straightforward to ship with AI assistance in a few weeks, but reliably hooking into iOS Screen Time APIs and Android's accessibility/usage-stats permissions for real app-blocking is the hard, fiddly part and will eat most of the timeline; expect 4-6 weeks to a usable MVP for one person.

Entry threshold
Very low barrier: no camera/ML tracking needed, just app-blocking APIs (iOS Screen Time API, Android UsageStats/AccessibilityService) and a simple unlock flow, buildable solo with AI coding tools in one to two weeks.
Window
3-6 months

Where to find first users

  • Show HN
  • Product Hunt launch
  • r/productivity
  • r/getdisciplined

Competitors

Counter-signals & risks

  • Removing camera-based verification eliminates the accountability mechanism that makes pushup-unlock apps effective, potentially reducing the product's core value proposition to users who want enforced discipline, not an honor system.

  • Low score (0.42) and 'none' historical match suggest weak signal strength and no comparable precedent validating demand for this specific niche.

  • Screen time blocker market is crowded with free/built-in alternatives (iOS Screen Time, Android Digital Wellbeing), making it hard to justify a paid one-time purchase or subscription for a simple honor-system gate.

  • App blocker category has low switching costs and high churn, as users may disable or uninstall self-imposed restriction apps once motivation fades.

Original title: Show HN: Honorfit – a pushup app blocker for your phone

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Honor-system pushup app blocker for phones — Nichr