AppSince
See how long it has been. Decide when to return.
A calm screen-time companion that shows how long it has been since you opened selected apps, with optional reminders, cooldowns and focus rules.
Screenshots
Captured from the release build running on an Android 14 emulator.
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What AppSince is
AppSince flips the usual screen-time framing: instead of guilt about how long you were in an app, it celebrates how long you have stayed out. Pick the apps you care about and AppSince quietly tracks the time since you last entered each one, records local sessions, and — only if you ask — applies reminders, cooldowns, schedules, daily allowances, session limits and focus rules. A deterministic rule engine, home-screen widgets with live timers and safety exclusions for essential apps make it a tool you control, never one that controls you.
What it does
- Since-you-left timers for any apps you choose
- Optional cooldowns, schedules, allowances and session limits
- Focus sessions with a Quick Settings tile
- Home-screen widgets with live timers
- Safety exclusions so essential apps are never blocked
- Works fully offline with no analytics
Streaks for staying away
The most powerful number in screen-time apps was hiding in plain sight: not how long you were in, but how long you have been out. AppSince makes that number beautiful, ambient and yours.
Rules you write, exclusions that protect you
Every restriction in AppSince is user-created and deterministic — and the app refuses to block launchers, dialers, system settings or emergency functions.
Deterministic engine
Cooldowns, schedules, allowances and limits behave predictably, every time.
Gentle by default
Reminders before restrictions; overrides always exist.
Widget timers
Independent home-screen widgets with per-widget privacy settings.
No spying
No screen reading, no keylogging, no network access — verified in the manifest.
Getting AppSince
AppSince is still in development and is not distributed yet. It is roughly 70% of the way to a first public release.
At a glance
- Status
- Active Development
- Runs on
- Android
- Offline use
- Works offline
- Package
- com.appsince.android
- Last updated
Privacy
AppSince works entirely on your device. Which apps you track, and every timer and rule, stay in local storage — nothing is uploaded anywhere.
Permissions
- Notifications
- Optional reminders and the optional persistent timer notification.
- Usage access (optional)
- Lets AppSince reconcile timers without any accessibility access. Granted separately in system settings, only if you choose.
- Accessibility service (optional)
- An optional package-only service enables immediate foreground detection and user-created blocking rules. It reads app package names only — never screen content.
- Exact alarms
- Fires unlock reminders at the exact minute you scheduled.
- Run at startup
- Restores timers and rules after the phone restarts.
Technical details
Technical details
Built with
How it is put together
- Scoped app discovery deliberately avoids QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES; Usage Access is optional and asked for in context.
- Timers, widgets and exact alarms are driven from a single Room-backed usage store.
Development workflow
Built through Claude Code and Codex.
Accessibility in the app
- Full keyboard and TalkBack navigation through Compose semantics
- Timers exposed as readable text, not colour alone
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