Frequently Asked Questions

What is Before You Scroll?

Before You Scroll is a mindfulness app that helps you create deliberate pauses before using your phone. You select apps to lock, set a schedule, and when it’s time to unlock, you complete a check-in—whether that’s a personalized mood quote, a breathing exercise, or both—before you scroll. See How Before You Scroll works for the full flow.

How does app locking work?

Before You Scroll uses Apple's Screen Time API to lock selected apps. When your scheduled lock time arrives, the apps you've chosen (like social media, games, or others) become temporarily blocked until you complete a mindful check-in.

What happens during a check-in?

When your apps are locked, open Before You Scroll and tap Check In & Unlock Apps. You’ll follow the steps for the check-in style you chose: logging how you feel, reading your personalized quote and/or doing a breathing exercise, and (in most flows) seeing the daily quote. If the app asks you to, you’ll confirm when your apps should lock again—then they unlock. Details match the in-app guide: How Before You Scroll works.

What check-in options are available?

Change your style anytime: Main Menu → Reset My Mind → Unlock after mood check-in.

Mood quote only: Log how you feel, read an AI-personalized quote, then optionally open today’s daily inspiration before you unlock.

Breathing exercise only: Log your mood, then complete a guided breathing exercise. You can pick which exercise under Check-in exercise in Reset My Mind. You’ll usually see the daily quote next, then confirm your next lock and unlock.

Quote and breathing exercise: Log your mood, reflect on your personalized quote, then do your breathing exercise. After that you’ll see the daily quote and finish unlocking.

Is there a free version?

Yes. The free version includes limited check-ins and basic features. Premium unlocks unlimited check-ins, lock-on-reminder, urgent notifications, usage thresholds, Mood Trends & Mood Letters, and more.

How much does Premium cost?

Premium is $2.99 USD per month or $29.99 USD per year when billed through the App Store. Apple processes payment; price may vary by country, currency, or taxes. You can subscribe or change plans in the app or under your Apple ID subscriptions. See the Manage Subscription page for links to Apple’s subscription settings.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. New subscribers can start with a one-time 7-day free trial of Premium when they choose a paid plan in the app. The trial is offered through Apple: you’ll see the exact terms on Apple’s subscription sheet before you confirm. If you decide Premium isn’t for you, you can cancel anytime during the trial in your Apple ID subscription settings so you aren’t charged—Apple shows the renewal date so you know when the trial wraps up. You only get this introductory trial once (per Apple’s rules for your account).

How do I manage my subscription?

Subscriptions are managed through your Apple ID. Go to Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions, or use the Manage Subscription link on our website.

Is my data private?

Yes. Most of your data stays on your device. We only send mood and optimization answers to AI services for personalized quotes—we never use this for advertising or sell it. See our Privacy Policy for details.

What lock schedules can I set?

You can schedule locks as one-time, daily (same time each day), or recurring (e.g., every few hours). Your apps lock automatically at the times you choose.

What is the Intent Library?

The Intent Library lets you set intentions with reminders—like "Call Mom" or "Finish the report." You can add recurring reminders, overdue reminders, and optionally sync to Apple Calendar. Premium includes urgent (alarm-style) notifications.

What is Brain Dump?

Brain Dump is a place to capture thoughts, notes, and ideas. Organize them in folders and optionally convert notes into Intent Library items. It helps you clear your mind without losing ideas.

What are Mood Letters?

Mood Letters are monthly or annual summaries of your check-ins and mood patterns. They help you see your journey over time and spot trends in how you're feeling.

How do streaks work?

Build a streak by checking in on consecutive days. Streaks motivate you to stay consistent. You get one free streak recovery per year if you miss a day.

What are breathing exercises?

Before You Scroll includes guided breathing exercises to help you reset and refocus. Use them when you need a quick mental break or before unlocking your apps.

What are usage thresholds?

Usage thresholds (a Premium feature) help you notice when you’ve spent a lot of time in selected apps or categories. You choose a time budget—for example, per day, week, or month—and pick what to track. When Apple’s Screen Time reports that usage has reached that budget, Before You Scroll can send a gentle reminder notification suggesting it might be a good time to pause and reflect.

Thresholds are not the same as app locking: they don’t block apps or control how often you can unlock. They’re nudges based on usage data only.

Reminders rely on Screen Time, so timing is approximate—they may be a little early or late and won’t always line up with an exact minute on the clock. Thresholds also require a minimum of one hour per limit, which avoids very short limits that tend to feel noisy or unreliable with how iOS reports usage.

Which devices are supported?

Before You Scroll is available for iPhone and iPad. App locking uses Apple's Screen Time API, which is built into iOS.

Can I unlock my apps early?

Normally, once your apps are locked, you need to complete a check-in to unlock them—this ensures you take that intentional pause before scrolling. For true emergencies, go to Settings and use Emergency Unlock to unlock all apps immediately without a check-in. This clears any outstanding lock schedules. Use it sparingly; the check-in is designed to help you stay mindful.

When is the Android version available?

Before You Scroll is coming soon to Google Play. Sign up for updates or check our website for the latest news.

What is Quote of the Day?

Quote of the Day gives you a fresh, inspiring quote each calendar day. It's separate from your mood-based check-in quotes—think of it as a daily dose of reflection. You can favorite quotes to revisit later.

How are personalized mood quotes and Quote of the Day generated?

Both use an AI language model (Google Gemini) through our secure backend—not on your device. Prompts are designed for short, supportive, family-friendly text: no financial, medical, or legal advice.

Personalized mood quotes (after you check in): The app sends your mood, name (if you’ve entered one), and optional profile details (like age range and gender, if you provided them). If you use optimization questions, those answers can be included so the quote fits your situation better. The model returns a brief encouraging line tailored to you.

Quote of the Day: Each date gets one shared quote for all users. It’s chosen or created to stay positive and appropriate for a general audience and may be attributed to a real figure, a proverb or traditional saying, or a well-known fictional character and work when that fits the format.

Offline use: Fetching or generating these quotes usually requires an internet connection. If the request can’t complete, the app may show a simple fallback quote so you can still finish your check-in.

What are achievements?

Achievements are badges you earn by using the app—checking in, building streaks, using breathing exercises, creating notes in Brain Dump, and more. Some are visible from the start; others are secret and reveal themselves when you earn them. They're a fun way to track your progress and stay motivated.

What languages does Before You Scroll support?

Before You Scroll is available in English, Spanish, French, and German. You can change the language in the app's Settings.

How do I get a push notification before my apps lock?

When you have a lock scheduled, you'll receive a push notification shortly before your apps lock, reminding you which apps will be locked. This is part of the standard lock flow. Premium users can also use lock-on-reminder with Intent Library for more flexible notifications.

Can I favorite or share quotes?

Yes. You can favorite quotes from check-ins and Quote of the Day to save them for later. You can also share quotes—the shared text includes a watermark and a link to our website.

What is the Lock Now feature?

Lock Now lets you lock your selected apps immediately, without waiting for a scheduled time. Useful when you want to create an instant pause. You'll still need to complete a check-in (or use emergency unlock) to access your apps again.