only u vs Away Message
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
only u
Send and receive personalized notes and messages directly to your lock screen. Stay connected with friends through fun, low-key updates that appear whenever you check your phone. It's a unique way to share quick thoughts and vibes.
- Personalized lock screen notes
- Receive messages from friends
- Fun and low-key connection
- Customizable widget updates
- Share quick thoughts and vibes
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Keep your lock screen fresh with cute notes from your friends. With only u, you can get personalized messages right on your lock screen. It's like a mini love letter or a quick laugh every time you check your phone. Stay connected in a fun, low-key way! Some features may require a premium subscription, which is auto-renewable. Terms: https://joinonlyu.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://joinonlyu.com/privacy
Away Message
Share your current activity or availability with friends through temporary digital notes. Add locations, photos, or music to your updates, which automatically disappear after a set time. Connect privately with a unique code to keep your circle informed.
- Expiring status updates (30 min - 24 hours)
- Customizable themes, fonts, and layouts
- Location, photo, and music sharing
- Private connections via shareable codes
- Scrapbook-style note design
- Emoji reactions on status cards
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Away Message is a status app that lets you tell friends where you are, what you’re doing, or when you’ll be back. It’s meant for quick, low-effort updates that keep people in the loop without turning into full conversations. If you’re stepping out for coffee, going out for the night, or focusing on work, you can post a short note so your friends have context. You can attach a location, a photo, or a song you’re listening to. There are no likes, comments, or feeds to manage. The point is simply to share what’s going on. Each status lasts from 30 minutes to 24 hours and then disappears. You can change the look of your updates with different fonts, colors, themes, and layouts. You can also add photos, drop a pin, or share music from Apple Music. Friends can drop an emoji on your status cards. People connect through simple 6-character codes. You approve who joins your circle and control who can see your updates. Features: • Statuses that expire after 30 minutes to 24 hours • Custom fonts, colors, themes, and layouts • Photos, locations, and Apple Music sharing • Scrapbook-style design for your notes • Private connections using shareable codes • No ads or algorithmic feeds Away Message is for friends, coworkers, and small groups who want to stay aware of each other’s day without constantly messaging. You leave a note, and people see it when they check. Sometimes a quick “brb” really is all that’s needed.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Away Message at none against only u's 4. Away Message also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and device support (3 vs 1). only u's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. only u sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Away Message asks for nothing beyond the download.
Away Message holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
only u ships an update every 9 days, Away Message every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | only u | Away Message |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (12 ratings) | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 58 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Health & Wellness Apps Limited | Colin Weir |
Customer experience
only u
Away Message
In-app purchases
only u
- Lock Screen Widget Weekly$2.997 Days
- Lock Screen Widget Monthly$4.991 Month
- Premium: lock screen widgets$4.997 Days
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- annual only u for lock screen$24.991 Year
Away Message
No in-app purchases









