7-year engineer, zero users ever — now building a social screen-time app in public
A software engineer with seven years of experience has tried building several over the years, but every single one ended with no real users. Rather than quietly giving up again, this time the developer is — sharing the journey openly so there is . The new app addresses a personal frustration: losing hours to and Instagram Reels despite trying existing screen-time apps that never stuck.
The app tracks how long you spend on each app, warns you when you hit your set limit, runs s, and sends a short, funny recap each night to make you actually want to check it. The standout feature is a social lock: when you go over your limit on an app like Instagram, you cannot simply tap 'ignore' on your own. Instead, a request goes to a friend or partner, and they decide whether to let you back in — removing the burden from willpower alone.
To make it memorable, the app wraps everything in a theme: your phone is a kingdom, you are the ruler, and the app plays the role of your Minister, watching as you slowly lose the kingdom to endless scrolling.
Key points
- Starting from a personal problem (short-video addiction) is a strong foundation for finding users who share the same pain
- The social unlock — where a friend must approve going over your limit — removes the one-tap workaround that kills most screen-time apps
- (sharing progress openly) is used deliberately to find the first real users before launch
- The kingdom/Minister theme gives the app a distinct that helps it stand out in a crowded category
- Past failures were silent — going public this time creates external pressure to keep going