BreathGate vs Key

BreathGate is a calm pause before you open distracting apps — a soft breath between impulse and scroll. BreathGate Premium is a paid subscription. All features described below require a BreathGate Premium subscription (weekly or annual) or the one-time Premium Lifetime purchase. A free trial is available for eligible new subscribers. Not a hard app blocker. Not a multi-minute meditation session. Just enough friction to notice why you reached for your phone. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose the apps that pull you in (Instagram, TikTok, news — your list). 2. When you open one, BreathGate meets you with a quiet breath or cool-down. 3. Optionally tag your intent: Boredom, FOMO, Work, or Habit. 4. Open the app — or walk away. Both choices are yours. Both are logged. KEY FEATURES (included with BreathGate Premium — purchase required) • Soft pause before scrolling — a breath gate, not a lock • Intent chips in one tap (no journaling required) • Walk-away vs open logging so success feels clear • Weekly impulse report with your top triggers • Cool-down option if breath is not your style • Private by default — on-device, no account required • Calm UI: short sentences, no shame, no leaderboards WHY BREATHGATE Most screen time apps either hard-block your day or pile on streaks and scores. BreathGate does one job well: give you a moment to decide. Tagging Boredom, FOMO, Work, or Habit turns each impulse into insight. Your weekly impulse report shows pauses, walk-aways, and which triggers show up most — so you learn patterns, not punishments. PERFECT FOR • Anyone who opens social media on autopilot • People who want digital wellbeing without a digital prison • Users who tried hard blockers and felt trapped • Anyone who wants mindful phone habits with less guilt WHAT BREATHGATE IS NOT • Not a parental-control suite • Not medical treatment for addiction • Not a hard all-day app lock with no way through • Not a long guided meditation app PRIVACY Your pauses, intents, and impulse report stay on your device. No account required to start. You stay in control of Screen Time permissions. Start with a few apps. Take one breath. See how often you walk away. Download BreathGate — a breath between impulse and scroll. SUBSCRIPTION BreathGate requires a paid subscription to use. BreathGate Premium is offered as a weekly or annual auto-renewing subscription, or as a one-time Premium Lifetime purchase. Eligible new subscribers can start with a free trial; after the trial the subscription renews automatically at the listed price unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Prices are shown in the app before you buy. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions are billed and managed by Apple. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions on your device. Terms of Use (EULA): https://breathgate.avunia.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://breathgate.avunia.com/privacy

Key blocks the apps that eat your time. To get them back, you scan a small physical token called a Key, kept somewhere inconvenient on purpose: a kitchen drawer, or a shelf in another room. Locking takes one tap. Unlocking means standing up and walking to wherever you left your Key. That short walk gives you time to change your mind, and most of the time you do. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps and websites you want out of reach. 2. Lock them by holding the button, or by tapping your Key to your phone. 3. To unlock, scan your Key. There is no unlock button on the screen. MODES You probably don't want the same rules at work and in bed. Modes are separate blocklists you can switch between: a Work mode can block social apps while a Sleep mode blocks nearly everything. There is also a Light mode that inverts the idea. It blocks every app except the few you name, which turns your phone into something close to a dumb phone. SCHEDULES A schedule locks the phone for you at a set time. Sleep mode can start at 11 every night, work mode at 9 on weekdays. The lock ends when you scan your Key, or at an end time you choose. EXTRAS Auto-relock arms itself after you scan: once you spend 5, 10 or 15 minutes in your unblocked apps, Key locks them again. If you tend to delete blockers in weak moments, Key can prevent app deletion while a lock is on. Websites can go on the blocklist along with apps. FORCE UNLOCKS Sometimes you need your phone and your Key is at home. You get five force unlocks that open everything without scanning. Five is enough for real emergencies and too few to become a habit. PRIVACY Key runs on Screen Time, Apple's own framework. Apple designed it so that apps like Key receive anonymous tokens instead of app names, which means Key never finds out which apps you chose to block. Your blocklist and your history stay on the phone. The account exists only to identify you; it's an email address, and nothing else syncs. There are no streaks or scores anywhere in the app, and it will never tell you to do better. THE KEY The Key itself has no battery and nothing to set up. There is no pairing step either; any Key works with any phone. Keep one at home and one at the office if you like. The same Key works on multiple phones You pay for the Key once. The app has no subscription. Get yours at trykey.co.