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Think First
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For iPhone · iOS 17 and later

Between the reach and the feed there is a decision.

The hand is faster than the thought.

Think First interrupts the reflex with a calm countdown and one question — do you actually want this right now? Most of the time the answer is no.

Download on theApp Store

Free to use. No account, no ads.

5 out of 5 on the App Store

  • 0accounts needed
  • 2protection modes
  • 100%stored on device

The moment this is about

Nobody opens Instagram as a decision. The hand is faster than the thought. That is where Think First steps in — not into your willpower.

  1. You reach

    Reflex. Your thumb knows where the icon sits better than you do.

  2. It holds

    A countdown, a question, the sentence you wrote yourself earlier. Nothing flashes, nothing scolds.

  3. You decide

    Through or back. Either is fine. Only one of them gets counted for you.

No parental-control tone, no lock you have to defeat. The way out is always there — you just take it less often when taking it has to be deliberate.

What it looks like in the app

Real captures from the app — no dummies, no renderings.

  • Think First wait screen with a countdown and the question whether you really want to open the app.
    The wait screen with countdown
  • Think First focus tab with level ring, daily goal and a running focus session.
    Focus tab with level ring
  • Think First statistics view showing impulses resisted per day.
    Statistics and weekly trend
  • Think First wait-screen builder with countdown length and a custom question.
    Wait-screen builder
  • Think First friends list showing impulses your friends resisted.
    Friends and daily limits

Swipe sideways to browse

Set up in three steps

The fast path takes under a minute.

  1. 01

    Pick your apps

    In Apple's own picker, tap whatever reliably swallows you. Think First only ever sees an anonymous selection, never names.

  2. 02

    Choose a mode

    Per app: an instant shield, or a countdown with a reflection question. Mixing both is the point.

  3. 03

    Carry on as before

    Nothing else changes. You notice Think First exactly in the second it matters.

Two modes, chosen per app

Some apps only need friction. Others need a question. You decide for each one.

Start now

Zero setup

Tap the apps and you're done. Screen Time places a shield over your selection immediately.

  • Active instantly, nothing to configure
  • Built on Apple's Screen Time and Family Controls
  • Toggle it on and off whenever you like

With timer

The one that works better

An animated countdown, your reflection question and a motivating line you wrote yourself.

  • Choose the countdown length and the question
  • Counts as an impulse you let pass
  • One-time setup per app via a Shortcuts automation

To be straight with you: timer mode needs a one-time setup per app through Apple's Shortcuts, because iOS offers no other way to do it. The app walks you through it step by step with annotated screenshots. Budget about two minutes for your first app.

Focus sessions and daily limits

For everything you'd rather not decide in the moment: windows and budgets you set once.

Focus sessions and schedules

"8am–3pm studying", weekday-aware, repeating — or simply starting right now.

  • Repeating schedules per weekday
  • One-tap focus session for right now
  • Several schedules can run side by side

Daily limits

Pick apps, pick minutes per day. When the budget is spent, the apps lock themselves.

  • Minute budget per app or group
  • Resets at midnight
  • Visible before it gets tight

Hard Mode

If you want, a running session or a spent limit becomes unchangeable until it ends. For the moments you don't fully trust yourself.

Studying8:00 – 15:00

5 apps · Hard Mode

Progress that rewards the right moment

What gets counted is not how long your phone stays down, but how often you let an impulse pass.

8 / 10impulses resisted

Daily goal

XP and levels

Every resisted impulse earns experience. Levels rise slowly and honestly.

Streaks

Consecutive days where you hit your goal.

12 badges

For real milestones — not for opening the app.

7-day report

A calm weekly recap instead of a bar-chart indictment.

This week

Impulses resisted per day

  • 6Mon
  • 9Tue
  • 4Wed
  • 11Thu
  • 8Fri
  • 3Sat
  • 7Sun

Friends

Friendships built on mutual consent. You compare resisted impulses and nothing else — no public leaderboards.

Your first five friends are free.

Your data stays on your device

That's not a marketing line, it's the architecture of the app.

  • No account

    No email, no login, no sign-up. You download the app and use it.

  • Local storage

    Statistics, schedules, limits, progress — all of it lives on your iPhone.

  • No tracking, no ads

    No analytics SDKs, no ad networks, no profiles.

  • Only friends talk to a server

    And only a nickname plus a daily counter. Not which apps you use, not when, not for how long.

App selection happens inside Apple's own picker. Not even Think First learns which apps you chose.

Free to use. Premium if you want more.

No trial with an expiry date, no ads in the free version.

Free

€0forever

Everything you need to start.

  • Both protection modes
  • Focus sessions and two schedules
  • Daily limits with Hard Mode
  • XP, levels, streaks and badges
  • Up to 5 friends
  • German and English
Download on theApp Store
Recommended

Premium

€2.99per month

For people who want the details dialled in.

  • Custom countdown lengths and questions
  • All 11 themes and 10 app icons
  • Full statistics
  • Home-screen widget
  • Wait-screen builder
  • Unlimited schedules
  • More than 5 friends

Premium inside the app

Frequently asked

Short answers, no dodging.

  • Does Think First need Screen Time permission?

    Yes. iOS only allows shielding other apps through Screen Time and Family Controls. That permission stays entirely with Apple: it gives Think First no list of your apps and no usage data, only the ability to protect your anonymous selection.

  • Can I bypass it?

    Yes, by design. You can dismiss the wait screen and open the app anyway, and the SOS exit unlocks everything for 15 minutes after a long press on the app icon and three deliberate confirmations. Think First isn't a leash. It just makes sure the decision belongs to you and not to your thumb.

  • Does it work without the internet?

    Completely. Countdowns, schedules, limits and statistics all run offline. Only the optional friends feature needs a connection.

  • What happens to my data?

    It stays on the device. No account, no cloud profile, no tracking, no ads. If you add friends, only your nickname and a daily counter are transmitted.

  • Does it drain the battery?

    No. Protection runs on iOS's own mechanisms, so there's no background service ticking along. The wait screen is only active for the seconds you're looking at it.

  • What happens if I delete the app?

    Protection stops immediately, and everything stored locally — statistics, levels, schedules, limits — goes with the app. There is no backup on our servers, because there never was one. An active subscription has to be cancelled separately in your Apple ID subscription settings. If you used the friends feature, delete your profile inside the app first.

  • Does it work on an iPad?

    Think First is built and tested for the iPhone. It installs on an iPad through iPhone compatibility mode but isn't optimised for it. Protection and statistics apply per device and are not synced between iPhone and iPad.

  • Do I need Shortcuts for timer mode?

    No. Both protection modes run entirely inside Think First; the Shortcuts app isn't required. If you like, you can additionally trigger focus sessions from a shortcut — that's an option, not a prerequisite.

  • Can I cancel the subscription?

    Any time, straight from your Apple ID subscription settings. When it lapses, the free version keeps working and your local data stays intact.