Pauza is a screen time app for iPhone that rewards you for spending less time on your phone — every minute off social earns tokens you can bet against a friend, where the lowest screen time wins the pot.
Every minute off social media becomes tokens, streaks, and a growing Aura.
Instagram, TikTok, X — fully automatic via Apple Screen Time.
Every minute off social = tokens. Streaks multiply them.
15 levels, from Dust to Lumen. Each a milestone worth keeping.
Commit tokens. Less scrolling wins. Loser pays the winner.
Your daily score follows you across devices — scrolling on the big screen counts too, and blocks stay in sync.
Timers annoy you, blockers get deleted, willpower runs out by day three — nearly half of people feel they're on social too much, and 44% have already tried to cut back.1 So Pauza flips it: the less you scroll, the more you earn. You don't fight your phone — you outgrow it.
Your phone, your tempo. Three modes. Flip any time.
1 Pew Research Center, “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024” — 45% feel they spend too much time on social media; 44% have tried to cut back. 2 Estimate based on the global average of 2h 23m on social media per day (DataReportal · GWI, Digital 2024) and the range of reductions reported in friction-based screen-time research. Individual results vary.
Both commit tokens. Less scrolling wins the prize. ×5 more effective than solo goals.
You grind for every token by staying off social. Lose and it hurts. Win and you double up.
No self-reporting. Exact numbers from Apple Screen Time. Cheating is impossible.
Send a 1v1 challenge in 3 taps. Live bars show who's ahead in real time.
Social accountability multiplies habit formation by 5×. Willpower breaks. Pride doesn't.
Choose your opponent, duration (1 / 3 / 7 / 14 days) and commitment.
Both commitments are locked into escrow. Challenge starts at midnight.
Both of you see live scroll-time totals. Dynamic Island shows who's winning.
When it ends, whoever scrolled less wins the full prize — 2× their own commitment in tokens.
15 levels — an artistic map of your journey. Tap one and watch it color the whole page.
Each transition releases bonus tokens.
The full experience is free. PRO lifts the caps — unlimited Hard Mode, unlimited challenges, auto-claim, and weekly & monthly analytics.
No. It adds gentle friction and rewards you for staying off — so it doesn't trigger the rejection reflex that kills blockers.
No. Tokens have no cash value — spend them on Hard Mode, the shop, and challenges. Intrinsic motivation, not cashback.
Apple's DeviceActivity API (iOS 26+). Raw data never leaves your phone — we only sync the aggregates needed for tokens.
If blocking ever stops working, go to Settings → Screen Time, confirm Pauza has access, then reopen the app.
Your committed tokens move to the winner. No cash — but you earned them by staying off social, so it stings. That's why it works.
Yes, the core experience is completely free. There's a Pro tier with unlimited Hard Mode, unlimited challenges and weekly & monthly analytics — but most features work without it.
iOS only for now. Android is on the roadmap — but only once we can match the tracking quality Apple's DeviceActivity API gives us.
Dumb down your iPhone with these practical steps to reduce screen time, cut distractions, and regain focus—ideal for anyone seeking a calmer digital life.
Gen Z quitting social media is on the rise. Explore verified screen time statistics, why it’s happening, who’s most affected, and practical steps to take.
Discover digital minimalism: what it means, how it works, what science actually says, and how to start using your devices more intentionally.
