~4h
avg daily screen time recovered
Android · Developer beta open
Stop scrolling.
Stop scrolling.
Start living.
Warden is the Android focus app built on a single, stubborn idea: friction is a feature. Make addictive apps physically annoying to open — until you stop reaching for them.
★★★★★
Loved by early testers
·
Android
·
Free
·
No ads
LOCKED · 7h 32m
Scan to unlock
Scan to unlock
The philosophy
Friction is a feature, not a bug.
Willpower is a finite resource. Every other blocker asks you to resist temptation in the moment you are weakest. Warden doesn't ask — it makes misbehaving physically annoying.
A system-level overlay you cannot swipe away. A morning scan that forces you out of bed. A 30-second kill-switch on every emergency unlock. The friction is the product.
0
willpower required
-72%
pickups before noon (beta data)
Three layers of unbreakable focus.
Designed to be impossible to outsmart in a moment of weakness — and easy to live with the rest of the time.
The WardenLock
A system-level overlay that cannot be swiped away.
Open Instagram, TikTok, X — and Warden draws itself over the screen. The app is technically running, but it is unusable. The foreground service is sticky: kill it from recents, and Android brings it right back.
- 📞 Phone
- 💬 Messages
- 📷 Camera
Emergency Mode
Genuine emergency? Tap the break-glass. Then watch a 30-second countdown. Then get a strict 5-minute window before Warden locks you back in.
The Morning Routine. Get out of bed. Prove it.
Register a real-world object — coffee machine, gym shoe, toothbrush. Each morning, scan it with on-device ML Kit recognition. No tap-to-unlock. No negotiating with your alarm.
🏋️
How it works
Four steps to a phone that works for you.
-
01
Pick your battles
Whitelist the apps you actually need — Phone, Maps, Messages. Everything else goes behind the Warden.
-
02
Register your object
Choose a physical anchor for your morning. Coffee machine, gym shoe, journal — whatever forces you out of bed.
-
03
Lock it down
Set your lock window (e.g. 10pm → 8am). Warden's foreground service stays alive even when you try to kill it.
-
04
Earn your phone back
Each morning, scan the object. No willpower fight. No "one more snooze." Just a clear physical action.
They stopped reaching.
★★★★★
"I have tried every blocker. They all die the second I really crave Instagram. Warden is the first one I literally cannot defeat at 11pm."
★★★★★
"Scanning my coffee machine to unlock the phone sounds dumb until you do it for a week. I get out of bed faster than my alarm now."
★★★★★
"The 30-second confirm on Emergency Mode killed every impulsive unlock. By the time it counts down, I do not want the app anymore."
★★★★★
"My screen time dropped from 6h to 1h 40m in three weeks. The friction is the entire point. I sleep better, I read again."
Honest pricing. No dark patterns.
The core friction is free forever. Pro is for people who want more control.
Free
₹0 / forever
Everything you need to break the scroll loop.
- WardenLock system overlay
- Whitelist up to 5 apps
- Morning Routine (1 object)
- Emergency Mode
- Android only
Pro
₹199 / year
For people serious about reclaiming their attention.
- Everything in Free
- Unlimited whitelist apps
- Multiple morning objects + rotation
- Custom lock schedules
- Weekly insight reports
- Priority beta features
Questions, answered honestly.
Is Warden available on iPhone?
Not yet. Warden relies on Android system overlays, usage stats, and foreground services — APIs that don't exist on iOS in the same form. Android-first, always.
What is the 'Friction as a Feature' philosophy?
Instead of asking you to resist temptation with willpower, Warden makes misbehaving physically annoying — overlays, morning scans, and countdown timers — until the habit loop breaks.
Can I bypass Warden if I really need my phone?
Yes, via Emergency Mode — but you'll wait 30 seconds before confirming, then get exactly 5 minutes in DORMANT state before re-locking automatically.
How does morning object scanning work?
You register a real-world object (coffee machine, shoes, etc.). Each morning you scan it with your camera; on-device ML Kit verifies the label. No cloud uploads.
What if I just uninstall the app?
You can — Warden can't stop you from uninstalling. The goal is to add enough friction that you don't reach for addictive apps in weak moments, not to trap you.
How do I join the developer beta?
Scroll to the download section and join the Discord beta group for early builds, bug reports, and feature votes — or grab the public build on Google Play.
Support the project
Buy me a coffee
Help keep Warden free.
Warden is built and maintained independently. If it’s helping you reclaim your mornings, a coffee goes a long way toward hosting, testing, and shipping the next build.
Buy me a coffee
User feedback
Tell us what's working — and what's not.
Your brief, honest feedback helps make Warden the most effective productivity barrier possible. The survey takes about 60 seconds.
Open feedback form
Developer beta
Join my Developer Beta Tester Group.
Get every build before the Play Store does. Chat directly with me, file bugs, vote on features, and help shape an app that respects your attention.