Activate yourself.
Deactivate your devices.

Keeps distracting apps and notifications off until you move, sleep well or get outside, using your private health data and AI.

See more

Today

Charge up on healthy habits.

Every step, workout, good night and hour outside adds light. When it's full, your apps switch back on.

couch-night · 35mm, eye level from the side. Dark living room 23:47, the only light is the screen on the face. Blue-grey, lifted blacks, still. 16:9 + 4:5.

The problem

You, deactivated.

One more video. Then another.

  • You open an app before you've decided to.
  • The evening goes, then the sleep.
  • Willpower runs out right when you need it.

One healthy habit later

Like a good night's sleep.

ridge-run · 24mm wide (or 200mm compressed), runner small in the lower third on the ridge line. Golden hour side light, haze over far ridges. 16:9 + 4:5.

With De:activate

You, activated.

The apps can wait. Life doesn't.

  • A run before breakfast.
  • Ten thousand steps by lunch.
  • A night of real sleep.

The mark

A ring for your devices, off.
A dot for you, on.

Templates

Start from a habit,
not a timer.

Ready-made activations for movement, rest and focus. Add one as it is, or make it yours.

  • Exercise first

    20 minutes after 30 exercise minutes.

  • Places

    Rules that start when you arrive at a place or leave it.

  • Slept well

    15 minutes in the morning after 8 hours of sleep.

  • Closed rings

    45 minutes once all three rings are closed.

  • Stairs

    15 minutes after 15 flights of stairs.

  • Cool-offs

    Five minutes per hour, then a pause before the next.

How it works

One activation.
Three parts.

An activation reads like a sentence: when, if, then. Your apps stay Deactivated until it comes true. Write one yourself, or just describe it and AI builds it.

  1. 01

    When

    The days and hours it applies. Lunchtimes on weekdays, every evening, or all day.

  2. 02

    If

    Goals from Apple Health: a workout, exercise minutes, sleep, mindful minutes, daylight, closed rings or steps. Combined with all or any.

  3. 03

    Then

    The vessel fills and your apps open for the time you set. After that they're Deactivated again.

In the app

Off until you've earned it.
Then on.

De:activate's home screen: the vessel 62 percent full, Deactivated, 3,760 steps to go before Social opens for 30 minutes.
Before your goal Your distracting apps stay off. The vessel shows how far you are, and what's left.
The Activated moment: the vessel full and glowing, Social activated for 30 minutes, with Start now and Later.
Goal reached The vessel fills, and your apps switch on for the time you set. Start now, or save it for later.

Activations

Earn it outside.

A workout, a walk, a good night, half an hour of daylight. Whatever Apple Health records, your screens open again when you get there.

trail-forest · 50mm, low angle, runner mid-stride a third into frame. Morning sun shafts through pines, green-gold, slight motion blur on the legs. 16:9 + 4:5.

8,000 steps

summit-climb · 35mm from slightly below, climber on the last rocks against a dawn sky. Pink-orange horizon, cool shadowed valley. 4:5.

45 min workout

phone-down · 50mm top-down. iPhone face down on an oak table, running shoes and keys beside it, hard window light, long shadows. Warm, quiet. 4:5.

0 notifications

Features

Built for the moment
you reach for it.

On every screen you own.

The same vessel on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, widgets and the Lock Screen. A glance tells you how far you are.

62%Deactivated

Earn the next ten minutes.

Splits break your time into rounds: 30 minutes as 3 × 10. A moment of movement opens each next round, counted privately on your device.

  • No back doors.

    Tightening is instant. Loosening waits 24 hours, so a weak moment can't overrule you.

  • Haggle.

    Ask for more time. The on-device model counters with a task. Hard limits always win.

  • All on-device.

    Health, camera, motion and AI are processed on your device. No account, no server.

  • Totems.

    Any NFC tag works, even one you already own. Put it at the far end of the house: the next round opens when you walk over and tap it.

iPhone · iPad · Apple Watch

Fills with light
as you move.

One vessel for today's goal, on every device. When it's full, your apps are Activated.

screen: home-ipad
iPad
screen: home
iPhone
screen: watch
Apple Watch

Specification

Less screen.
Nothing else.

Goals
  • Exercise minutes
  • Workouts
  • Sleep
  • Mindful minutes
  • Daylight
  • Rings
  • Stairs
  • Distance
  • Steps
Blocking
Screen Time. Notifications silenced.
Rounds
Earned with a moment of movement
Loosening
Waits 24 hours
Emergency
6 unblocks
Devices
  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Apple Watch
Data
On-device
AI
Apple's on-device model
Account
None
Ads
0
Trackers
0

Price

One purchase.
Everything included.

No subscription and no in-app purchases. You buy it once in the App Store.

  • Every featureEverything in the app is included.
  • No accountNothing to sign up for, nothing to cancel.

Questions

Fair
questions.

Which devices does it work on?

iPhone and iPad, with a companion app for Apple Watch, plus widgets, the Lock Screen, Control Center and Siri. One purchase covers all of them, and your activations sync through your own iCloud. The minimum iOS version will be on the App Store page at launch.

Does it work without an Apple Watch?

Yes. Your iPhone records steps, stairs, distance, workouts you start, sleep and mindful minutes. Some goals, daylight in particular, usually need an Apple Watch. If your devices can't record a goal, De:activate tells you so instead of silently staying Deactivated.

Why does it ask for Screen Time access?

Apple only lets apps block other apps through Screen Time. You allow it for yourself, with Face ID or your passcode. Apple hands the app hidden tokens for the apps you pick, so we never learn which apps they are or how long you use them. You can withdraw access in iOS Settings at any time; that switches blocking off.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. Health data, camera frames for push-ups, motion for Hands off and challenges, and your voice when you describe an activation are all processed on your device and never sent anywhere. There is no account and no server. Your activations sync between your own devices through your private iCloud, which we can't see.

Where does the AI run?

On your device, with Apple's on-device model (Apple Intelligence). It drafts an activation from a sentence you say, writes your weekly reflection from your own numbers and plays the other side in Haggle. Nothing goes to a server, and the model only suggests: your hard limits always decide. Without Apple Intelligence those features fall back to simple, fixed versions.

How loud is the Hands off alarm?

Loud on purpose, like an alarm clock. On iOS 26 it uses Apple's alarm system, so it also sounds in silent mode and Focus. It goes off only if you pick your iPhone up before the time is over.

What if I need an app urgently?

You get six unblocks for real emergencies. One opens everything straight away, no waiting. They are limited on purpose, so they stay meaningful.

Can I cheat by typing steps into Health?

Steps you type in by hand don't count unless you allow it, and that switch takes 24 hours. Making any activation easier takes 24 hours too, so you can't quietly loosen a goal in a weak moment. It's a tool for your own intentions, not a lock against you.

What happens to my data if I delete the app?

Nothing is stored on our side, so there is nothing for us to delete. Deleting the app removes what it kept on your device. Apple Health data stays in Apple Health.

Waitlist

Be early.

One email on launch day. Nothing else.

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