Dopamine Detox vs the boring app.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dopamine Detox
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your attention span dropped from 12 seconds to 8. You reach for your phone 150+ times a day. You can't finish a movie without checking Instagram. This dopamine detox timer helps you rawdog boredom and reclaim your focus. No meditation. No guidance. No content. Just you and your thoughts. "just sit there." is the anti-app. ——— WHAT IT DOES Nothing. That's the point. Set a timer. Put your phone face-down. Sit with your thoughts. That's it. Start with 15 minutes. Work up to an hour. Share your results. ——— WHY BOREDOM WORKS The rawdogging boredom movement isn't a meme—it's backed by science. People are taking flights without entertainment, walking without podcasts, sitting without scrolling. What happens when you stop overstimulating your brain: dopamine receptors regenerate within 2 weeks, gray matter density increases in areas linked to focus, and creativity spikes during periods of stillness. The cure for overstimulation isn't better content. It's no content at all. ——— INTENTIONALLY MINIMAL Simple timer with no complicated settings. Session history to track your growing tolerance for stillness. Daily stats without gamification pressure. No audio, no music, no guidance—the silence is the feature. ——— IS THIS FOR YOU? You can't read a book chapter without checking your phone. You feel phantom vibrations. "Doing nothing" feels uncomfortable. You've tried meditation apps but they're just more content. You want to reclaim your attention span, not consume another wellness product. ——— THE 30-DAY CHALLENGE Days 1-3: Extreme discomfort and fidgeting. Days 4-7: Boredom peaks, anxiety spikes. Days 8-14: First glimpses of mental clarity. Days 15-21: New habits form. Days 22-30: Deep stillness emerges. Start with 5 minutes. You'll be surprised how hard it is—and how transformative it becomes. ——— PRIVACY FIRST No account required. No data collection. No ads. No upsells to premium calm sounds. Your stillness is yours. ——— Download now. Put your phone down. Just sit there.
the boring app.
This app is designed to break the habit of constantly checking your phone. It offers no reward each time you use it, weakening the reflex with every interaction. Enjoy a distraction-free experience with no accounts or data harvesting.
- Breaks reward loop
- Weakens checking reflex
- No accounts required
- No data harvesting
- Distraction-free
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your phone is hard to put down. You pick it up without deciding to, open something, set it down, then reach for it again a minute later. That is not really a decision anymore. It is a habit, and habits run on payoff. Most times you check, something is waiting: a message, a new post, something you haven't seen. Rewards that arrive unpredictably are the kind that stick hardest, which is how checking became a reflex you barely notice. This app takes the payoff out of that moment. You pick which apps to block. When you go to open one, you come here first and solve a math problem. It is dull, it costs a little effort, and it gives you nothing back. The reflex still fires, but it meets a small wall instead of a reward, and a reflex that stops paying off slowly loses its grip. The cost also rises the more you lean on it. Unlock once and the gate is short; come back again the same day and it asks for more problems and gives less time. Leaning on it harder will make the app push back. You can set locked hours, when the blocked apps do not open at all and there is no problem that will let you in. Strict mode protects that: while a locked window is running, you cannot quietly widen your list, trim your hours, or shut the app off without solving your way through first. The watch app can remind you when a block is lifted, so a few earned minutes do not quietly turn into an hour. No accounts, no sign-in, no email, no data leaving your phone. Boring.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Dopamine Detox at every 8 days against the boring app.'s monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Dopamine Detox ships an update every 8 days, the boring app. monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and June 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dopamine Detox | the boring app. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Balazs Norbert Horvath | christopher woods |
In-app purchases
Dopamine Detox
No in-app purchases
the boring app.
No in-app purchases





