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Show HN: Generate a fake app to replace any addictive app

117 points by sandoche 7y ago

farbodsaraf 7y ago
We would like to hear you feedback so keep them coming:)
- skrebbel 7y ago
  I don't understand what this does.
  - faeyanpiraat 7y ago
    It can put an icon on your homescreen looking like an app that you want to stop using. Then when you try to instinctively open for example twitter, a simple page comes up that counts how many times you tried opening it. To make it work open the page, click a popular app click the install button then follow the instructions.
    - playpause 7y ago
      That's a technical description of what it does. But what is the benefit, compared to just uninstalling the real app? Edit: I can kind of see how it might work for some people: just uninstalling a 'toxic' app like Twitter doesn't always work for long, as you can usually still go on the website, or even reinstall it absent-mindedly (e.g. when drunk or low on willpower). Having a fake app on your homescreen might help as a sort of reinforcement tool in those situations. For example, when you want to go on Twitter, you open the fake app, and because it's missing the usual toxic notification dopamine hit, you can gradually unlearn the association. Maybe. Edit 2: I made the above edit before seeing the replies :)
      - mapcars 7y ago
        You can measure your addiction to different apps :)
      - farbodsaraf 7y ago
        I used to remove apps but I'd end up re-installing them after a while. Unlearning a habit (aka forming a new habits to replace the old one) is about having a proper cue (referring to the habit loop from the "The Power of Habit" book). The fake app acts as a cue/signal to remind you about your goal and boost learning the new habit of not visiting the app randomly based on the habit. By installing the fake app, you'll be surprised how many times you unconsciously you open them, although you are aware that they are fake apps. It feels like our brain is on auto-pilot, once we're hooked/addicted to instinctively open addictive apps.
    - skrebbel 7y ago
      Ahhh, it's about mobile apps. Nothing on the site made that clear to me. Thanks!
- crispsquirrel 7y ago
  Do you collect any data from use of this app?
  - farbodsaraf 7y ago
    We don't store anything, everything is in the localstorage. We only use Google Analytics without any custom code, we don't use it to track specific metrics. The app is open-source, you can have a look at the code.
arcturus17 7y ago
How does this help with addiction as opposed to uninstalling said apps?
- farbodsaraf 7y ago
  I used to remove apps but I'd end up re-installing them after a while. Unlearning a habit (aka forming a new habits to replace the old one) is about having a cue. The fake app acts as a cue/signal to remind you about your goal and boost learning the new habit of not visiting the app randomly based on the habit. By installing the fake app, you'll be surprised how many times you unconsciously you open them, although you are aware that they are fake apps. It feels like our brain is on auto-pilot, once we're hooked/addicted to unconsciously open addictive apps.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- crispsquirrel 7y ago
  I think the idea is that out of habit people will open the app and be greeted with a reminder of there habits. Uninstalling can just leave you searching for the app before you remember. I don't really know if it will help any more than just uninstalling but I suppose for some it could.
- scotty79 7y ago
  I was addicted to TV when I was in high school. After school I alwys lied down in front of a tv for few hours. Switching channels, getting a little bit entertained but more and more tired. When I wanted to break that routine I asked my mom to put a parental lock on the TV. Even though TV showed jo channel for me I still lied down in front of it, twiddled with remote. Sometimes for many minutes. My dumb brain gradually learned that TV is not fun anymore (not that it was much fun in the first place). I think similar mechanism might help you shake off your app addiction. Not sure if this tool does this but maybe you could even have you fake facebook app show you static screenshot of facebook and let you scroll up and down a bit. You might have additional twists like scrolling locking up after few minutes forcing you to abandon or restart. Or maybe screenshot might be blurred a bit.
SaturateDK 7y ago
If you reload the page 3 times, it blurs out the counter and message. While I see that this is to make people donate, it would be pretty nice to state, that in order to see it again - you must donate. I was thinking it was a bug at first.
- sandoche 7y ago
  Thanks I updated the message with "For us, in order to be able to cover our server costs, we ask our users to contribute a tiny amount if they find the app useful. Donate to see the detox counter again." I basically added "Donate to see the detox counter again." what do you think ?
  - namanyayg 7y ago
    What server costs are you talking about? How much does hosting this run you? $5/mo?
    - johnydepp 7y ago
      Dont be a jerk. There must be some other costs involved. It's a nice way for asking the donation.
      - namanyayg 7y ago
        They should say that then, I'm not sure how a simple app like this could cost more than a few dollars per month on hosting. PWAs are offline first and there's one database with the number of opens. I'm not saying that they don't deserve money, but should they ask disingenuously?
        stackola 7y ago
        > one database You mean one field in local storage [1] Using github pages or similar, this could be completely free to run. [1] https://imgur.com/JKSo6lP.png https://imgur.com/JKSo6lP.png
kuu 7y ago
How does it work? There is no clear message about how it works or how it's supposed to help.
- farbodsaraf 7y ago
  @faeyanpiraat described it very well: "It can put an icon on your homescreen looking like an app that you want to stop using. Then when you try to instinctively open for example twitter, a simple page comes up that counts how many times you tried opening it. To make it work open the page, click a popular app click the install button then follow the instructions." We're far from having a good UX, so please feel free to provide your suggestions, or contribute directly to the repo (it's open source).
  - kuu 7y ago
    That should be written in the website (even on about page or similar, just an opinion/idea)
namanyayg 7y ago
Is it inspired by this [0] xkcd by any chance? [0] https://xkcd.com/2183 https://xkcd.com/2183
- amelius 7y ago
  Has this study been replicated?
  - pixelbath 7y ago
    This isn't a study; it's a web comic.
  - halfjoking 7y ago
    Has a bot been exposed?
- x1798DE 7y ago
  That appears to be the current xkcd comic (published 2019-07-31), but the github for this application has commits going back a month, with the domain registered on 2019-07-06, so I think it is likely a coincidence or the inspiration goes the other way.
masthead 7y ago
What's the privacy policy around this? Will the count be used later?
- farbodsaraf 7y ago
  We don't store anything, everything is in the localstorage. We only use Google Analytics without any custom code, we don't use it to track specific metrics. The app is open-source, you can have a look at the code.
  - xwdv 7y ago
    Missed opportunity IMO, I would pay good money to get access to that kind of data, especially as it acquired more users.
    - debaserab2 7y ago
      gross
    - ShamelessC 7y ago
      So it's a missed opportunity to make money without regard to the ethics of user privacy? Thanks for being part of the problem I guess?
      - xwdv 7y ago
        It’s anonymous data. I don’t see how getting data on which applications are getting hits and around what times they occur is violating anyone’s privacy.
ImJasonH 7y ago
I made something similar as a weekend hack: https://quit.social https://quit.social It helped me quit my Instagram habit, so it's already more than paid for itself. Next is Twitter. :( Detoxify looks a lot better though, and definitely has clearer instructions!
- maxwellito 7y ago
  It has clearer instructions for sure, but you got the icons right (at least for Instagram, the borders are rounded). It's enough to make me use it! Because the ones from detoxyfy are pure square on my home screen, and just because of that I know there's something wrong and I don't tap. Plus on yours I still get stats after 2 openings ;-)
Tepix 7y ago
Doesn't work for me, the counter remains at 1 on iOS 12.4
givinguflac 7y ago
Somebody reads xkcd
throwaway13000 7y ago
I asked a related question 2 days ago. This is a great idea. But how does one make money selling such ideas/apps? Do we make partnerships? Do we list the app on appstore for a small amount? Any other ideas?

117 points by sandoche 7y ago

farbodsaraf 7y ago

We would like to hear you feedback so keep them coming:)

skrebbel 7y ago
I don't understand what this does.
- faeyanpiraat 7y ago
  It can put an icon on your homescreen looking like an app that you want to stop using. Then when you try to instinctively open for example twitter, a simple page comes up that counts how many times you tried opening it. To make it work open the page, click a popular app click the install button then follow the instructions.
  - playpause 7y ago
    That's a technical description of what it does. But what is the benefit, compared to just uninstalling the real app? Edit: I can kind of see how it might work for some people: just uninstalling a 'toxic' app like Twitter doesn't always work for long, as you can usually still go on the website, or even reinstall it absent-mindedly (e.g. when drunk or low on willpower). Having a fake app on your homescreen might help as a sort of reinforcement tool in those situations. For example, when you want to go on Twitter, you open the fake app, and because it's missing the usual toxic notification dopamine hit, you can gradually unlearn the association. Maybe. Edit 2: I made the above edit before seeing the replies :)
    - mapcars 7y ago
      You can measure your addiction to different apps :)
    - farbodsaraf 7y ago
      I used to remove apps but I'd end up re-installing them after a while. Unlearning a habit (aka forming a new habits to replace the old one) is about having a proper cue (referring to the habit loop from the "The Power of Habit" book). The fake app acts as a cue/signal to remind you about your goal and boost learning the new habit of not visiting the app randomly based on the habit. By installing the fake app, you'll be surprised how many times you unconsciously you open them, although you are aware that they are fake apps. It feels like our brain is on auto-pilot, once we're hooked/addicted to instinctively open addictive apps.
  - skrebbel 7y ago
    Ahhh, it's about mobile apps. Nothing on the site made that clear to me. Thanks!
crispsquirrel 7y ago
Do you collect any data from use of this app?
- farbodsaraf 7y ago
  We don't store anything, everything is in the localstorage. We only use Google Analytics without any custom code, we don't use it to track specific metrics. The app is open-source, you can have a look at the code.

arcturus17 7y ago

How does this help with addiction as opposed to uninstalling said apps?

farbodsaraf 7y ago
I used to remove apps but I'd end up re-installing them after a while. Unlearning a habit (aka forming a new habits to replace the old one) is about having a cue. The fake app acts as a cue/signal to remind you about your goal and boost learning the new habit of not visiting the app randomly based on the habit. By installing the fake app, you'll be surprised how many times you unconsciously you open them, although you are aware that they are fake apps. It feels like our brain is on auto-pilot, once we're hooked/addicted to unconsciously open addictive apps.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
crispsquirrel 7y ago
I think the idea is that out of habit people will open the app and be greeted with a reminder of there habits. Uninstalling can just leave you searching for the app before you remember. I don't really know if it will help any more than just uninstalling but I suppose for some it could.
scotty79 7y ago
I was addicted to TV when I was in high school. After school I alwys lied down in front of a tv for few hours. Switching channels, getting a little bit entertained but more and more tired. When I wanted to break that routine I asked my mom to put a parental lock on the TV. Even though TV showed jo channel for me I still lied down in front of it, twiddled with remote. Sometimes for many minutes. My dumb brain gradually learned that TV is not fun anymore (not that it was much fun in the first place). I think similar mechanism might help you shake off your app addiction. Not sure if this tool does this but maybe you could even have you fake facebook app show you static screenshot of facebook and let you scroll up and down a bit. You might have additional twists like scrolling locking up after few minutes forcing you to abandon or restart. Or maybe screenshot might be blurred a bit.

SaturateDK 7y ago

If you reload the page 3 times, it blurs out the counter and message. While I see that this is to make people donate, it would be pretty nice to state, that in order to see it again - you must donate. I was thinking it was a bug at first.

sandoche 7y ago
Thanks I updated the message with "For us, in order to be able to cover our server costs, we ask our users to contribute a tiny amount if they find the app useful. Donate to see the detox counter again." I basically added "Donate to see the detox counter again." what do you think ?
- namanyayg 7y ago
  What server costs are you talking about? How much does hosting this run you? $5/mo?
  - johnydepp 7y ago
    Dont be a jerk. There must be some other costs involved. It's a nice way for asking the donation.
    - namanyayg 7y ago
      They should say that then, I'm not sure how a simple app like this could cost more than a few dollars per month on hosting. PWAs are offline first and there's one database with the number of opens. I'm not saying that they don't deserve money, but should they ask disingenuously?
      - stackola 7y ago
        > one database You mean one field in local storage [1] Using github pages or similar, this could be completely free to run. [1] https://imgur.com/JKSo6lP.png https://imgur.com/JKSo6lP.png

kuu 7y ago

How does it work? There is no clear message about how it works or how it's supposed to help.

farbodsaraf 7y ago
@faeyanpiraat described it very well: "It can put an icon on your homescreen looking like an app that you want to stop using. Then when you try to instinctively open for example twitter, a simple page comes up that counts how many times you tried opening it. To make it work open the page, click a popular app click the install button then follow the instructions." We're far from having a good UX, so please feel free to provide your suggestions, or contribute directly to the repo (it's open source).
- kuu 7y ago
  That should be written in the website (even on about page or similar, just an opinion/idea)

namanyayg 7y ago

Is it inspired by this [0] xkcd by any chance? [0] https://xkcd.com/2183 https://xkcd.com/2183

amelius 7y ago
Has this study been replicated?
- pixelbath 7y ago
  This isn't a study; it's a web comic.
- halfjoking 7y ago
  Has a bot been exposed?
x1798DE 7y ago
That appears to be the current xkcd comic (published 2019-07-31), but the github for this application has commits going back a month, with the domain registered on 2019-07-06, so I think it is likely a coincidence or the inspiration goes the other way.

masthead 7y ago

What's the privacy policy around this? Will the count be used later?

farbodsaraf 7y ago
We don't store anything, everything is in the localstorage. We only use Google Analytics without any custom code, we don't use it to track specific metrics. The app is open-source, you can have a look at the code.
- xwdv 7y ago
  Missed opportunity IMO, I would pay good money to get access to that kind of data, especially as it acquired more users.
  - debaserab2 7y ago
    gross
  - ShamelessC 7y ago
    So it's a missed opportunity to make money without regard to the ethics of user privacy? Thanks for being part of the problem I guess?
    - xwdv 7y ago
      It’s anonymous data. I don’t see how getting data on which applications are getting hits and around what times they occur is violating anyone’s privacy.

ImJasonH 7y ago

I made something similar as a weekend hack: https://quit.social https://quit.social It helped me quit my Instagram habit, so it's already more than paid for itself. Next is Twitter. :( Detoxify looks a lot better though, and definitely has clearer instructions!

maxwellito 7y ago
It has clearer instructions for sure, but you got the icons right (at least for Instagram, the borders are rounded). It's enough to make me use it! Because the ones from detoxyfy are pure square on my home screen, and just because of that I know there's something wrong and I don't tap. Plus on yours I still get stats after 2 openings ;-)

Tepix 7y ago

Doesn't work for me, the counter remains at 1 on iOS 12.4

givinguflac 7y ago

Somebody reads xkcd

throwaway13000 7y ago

I asked a related question 2 days ago. This is a great idea. But how does one make money selling such ideas/apps? Do we make partnerships? Do we list the app on appstore for a small amount? Any other ideas?