# Ctrl: Attention on Purpose — Swap Screen Time for Real Life

> Swap Screen Time for Real Life (iPhone/iPad app by You're In Ctrl, Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ctrl-attention-on-purpose/id6797585409 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [You're In Ctrl, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797585411)
- Category: Health & Fitness, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 62 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-10-26
- Data updated: 2026-11-13

## What is Ctrl?

Replace screen time with real life. The psychology of why you scroll. The science of what to do instead.

When your phone pulls you in, Ctrl offers something better.

Ctrl is for people who want their time back. You set your own goals for phone use and pick the activities you'd rather be doing. When you drift past a goal, Ctrl steps in with one of those activities, without ever needing to open the app.

DESIGNED BY A PSYCHOLOGIST
Ctrl was co-founded by Scott Kollins, PhD, a clinical psychologist who has spent more than 20 years studying attention, habits and addiction. As a professor at Duke University, he led the clinical research behind the first video game treatment authorized by the FDA. That research points to something simple: locking yourself out of apps rarely sticks, but people can change their own habits when they get the right help at the right moment. Ctrl is built to be that help.

HOW IT WORKS
• Set your goals. Limit all phone use, specific apps, or chosen apps during part of your day, such as evenings or the first hour after you wake.
• Pick your "Replace". Choose from six categories: Move, Outdoors, Creative, Social, Calm and Focus. Pick as broadly as "anything outdoors" or as narrowly as a single run, creative writing, or a simple focus block.
• Get an offer at the right moment. When Ctrl detects usage of screen time flagged by you, Ctrl offers three of your picks. For each goal, choose a gentle Nudge notification or a Shield that covers the app.
• Do it. Every Replace Activity runs on a timer on your Lock Screen.

YOUR CTRL SCORE
One daily number from 0 to 100 that shows whether you kept the goals you set. It measures you against your own goals, not anyone else's idea of healthy. Tougher goals are worth more, and every Replace you complete adds to your score.

THERE WHEN YOU NEED IT
Ctrl works entirely outside the app: Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, Live Activities, shields and notifications. Open the app to see your history, adjust your picks, or do the Sunday check-in, a short weekly review to tune your goals for the week ahead.

CIRCLE (OPTIONAL)
Invite a few friends to cheer each other on and take on challenges together. Invites go from your own Messages app, and Ctrl never contacts anyone for you. Circle is entirely optional, and everything else works without it.

GROUNDED IN RESEARCH
Goals and activities come with a short note on their benefits and the published study behind it. Where no study exists, we say so.

CTRL PREMIUM
Premium adds more goals, Circle challenges and your full set of personal insights. It's available as a monthly or annual subscription, each with a free trial for eligible new subscribers.

Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm your purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless you turn it off at least 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage or cancel it in your App Store account settings.

Terms of Use: https://youreinctrl.com/terms
Privacy Policy: https://youreinctrl.com/privacy

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ctrl Premium (Yearly) | $49.99 | per year |
| Ctrl Premium (Monthly) | $6.99 | per month |


## Is Ctrl safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Ctrl.

## Is Ctrl legit?

Ctrl: Attention on Purpose has limited verification signals. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Ctrl is 58 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 0.9.7 — 2026-11-12

Minor fixes to the Replace completion moment.

### 0.9.6 — 2026-11-10

Your Ctrl score is now set against a real sea with a sky that shifts from day to night, plus you can redeem offer codes from the paywall, and Today loads more smoothly. Includes a few other very minor fixes and improvements.

### 0.9.5 — 2026-11-05

Minor improvements to onboarding and goal setting instructions.

### 0.9.4 — 2026-11-03

Minor fixes and improvements to the Archipelago and Circle feed.

### 0.9.3 — 2026-10-29

Where supported, Replace now opens your workout app right where you need it, and any workout tracked by Apple Health counts as Replace time.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-13.*