# Friction: Stop Impulse Buying — Shopping Blocker, Save Money

> Shopping Blocker, Save Money (iPhone/iPad app by Adrian Coulibaly.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/friction-stop-impulse-buying/id6778643699 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Adrian Coulibaly](https://appshunter.io/developer/6778643701)
- Category: Finance, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 5 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-07-22
- Data updated: 2026-08-10
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/friction-stop-impulse-buying/id6778643699/reviews.md

## What is Friction?

Friction blocks shopping, food delivery, and buy now, pay later apps behind a journal entry, a typed commitment phrase, and a cooldown timer — so impulse purchases die in the pause, not in your bank account.

Buy now, pay later is engineered to make overspending feel painless. If Klarna, Afterpay, or Affirm checkouts keep pulling money you didn't plan to spend, this vault was built for you. Seal your spending apps behind real friction: when the urge to order hits, the app simply won't open. And by the time you've earned your way back in, the urge is usually gone.

That's the science of friction: impulse purchases live in a 10-minute window. Add a barrier, and most of them never happen.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Pick your trigger apps with Apple's private Screen Time picker.
2. Seal the vault for 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, or a full 7 days.
3. Blocked apps show a shield instead of opening.

Changed your mind? Unblocking is possible — but it costs you real effort. Name your trigger, journal one honest sentence about why (and see a better alternative to try instead), type an exact commitment phrase, then sit through a cooldown you chose — 30 seconds to 5 minutes — while the timer ticks. Force-quitting the app won't skip it. Most people close the app instead of finishing. That's the point.

SET YOUR OWN RULES

• Pick your cooldown: 30 seconds, 1, 2, or 5 minutes
• Cap your unblocks per week and attempts per day — the app enforces it
• Live counters show what you have left before the vault stops negotiating

SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAVING

• Estimated money saved, hours sealed, and total blocks — on a dashboard built like a bank vault, not a budgeting spreadsheet
• Insights into your spending patterns and when your impulses strike
• A home-screen widget showing your vault status and countdown
• Notifications when a block expires — so YOU decide what happens next
• A shareable "vault sealed" card for keeping yourself publicly accountable

PRIVATE BY DESIGN

Friction uses Apple's Screen Time technology, which means we never see which apps you block or when you open them — Apple keeps that on your device. No account is required. Everything works offline. If you do create an account for backup and multi-device sync, your data is yours: export it or erase it completely, any time, right from Settings. Analytics are strictly opt-in.

FRICTIONAPP PRO

Start with a 7-day free trial — no account needed. Then $6.99/month or $39.99/year. One skipped delivery order pays for the month.

Your future self already thanked you. Seal the vault.

—
Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > Subscriptions.
Privacy Policy: https://inno1223.github.io/friction-app/privacy.html
Terms of Use: https://inno1223.github.io/friction-app/terms.html

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Pro Yearly | $39.99 | per year |



## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.0.1 — 2026-08-03

• Fixed: subscribing during the free trial now unlocks Pro immediately — the trial countdown no longer hides an active subscription
• Settings now correctly shows your plan after purchase

### 1.0 — 2026-07-23

No release notes.

## Related topics

[friction](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/friction)

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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 2026-08-10.*