Focus Bear: AuDHD app blocker

Focus Bear

In-app purchases

About this app

Focus Bear blocks the apps that eat your day, right on your phone, and
walks you through your routine one step at a time.

Built by a team with ADHD and autism, for anyone whose brain does not run
on willpower.

BLOCK DISTRACTING APPS AND SITES
- Block distracting apps and websites during focus sessions and routines
- Soft blocking adds a gentle pause instead of a hard wall, so you can
still get through when you genuinely need to
- Choose which apps stay allowed during a specific habit
- Blocking runs on your phone and on your computer, so the hour you saved
does not quietly reappear on your laptop

BUILD ROUTINES THAT ACTUALLY HAPPEN
Most focus apps only tell you what not to do. Focus Bear also tells you
what to do next.
- Morning and evening routines that guide you habit by habit, so starting
is not the hard part
- Custom routines, scheduled or on demand
- Movement and break reminders so you are not welded to the chair
- Streaks and completion animations, because the dopamine has to come from
somewhere

GET STARTED WHEN STARTING IS HARD
- Smart to-do list that prioritises for you, so you are not paralysed by
the list itself
- Add tasks by voice or by screenshot
- Late No More: escalating reminders, visual then spoken, so meetings stop
sneaking up on you

WHY BUILD IT FOR ADHD AND AUTISM
Generic productivity apps assume you can just decide to focus. If that
worked, you would not be reading this. Focus Bear is built around
executive dysfunction rather than around willpower: it reduces the number
of decisions between you and the thing you meant to do, and it removes the
distraction before you reach it rather than asking you to resist it.

WORKS ON YOUR COMPUTER TOO
Focus Bear also runs on Mac and Windows using the same account. On Mac it can check whether a site is actually relevant to what you are working on
right now, rather than relying on one fixed blocklist.

BUILT ON LIVED EXPERIENCE
Focus Bear was started by a late-diagnosed AuDHDer who got tired of hiding
his laptop in a cupboard to stop himself checking email. The team is
largely neurodivergent, and the approach draws on formal research with
university partners.

Free to download, with an optional subscription for full access.

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICE
Focus Bear uses the AccessibilityService API to detect when distracting
apps and websites are opened, so it can block them in real time. This
requires your explicit permission and is not used to collect personal or
sensitive data.

Website: https://focusbear.io
Support: [e-mail]
Privacy Policy: https://www.focusbear.io/privacy-policy

Ratings and reviews

Setup was easy, but the routines are very basic, with just a small countdown timer on a blank screen. And if you exit a routine it pauses the timer, which doesn't seem right to me. It's a faff to set up routines in the first place - why not have some pre-built routines you can edit? And it doesn't seem possible to not have an evening routine. I do like the app blocking though, with a gentle pause.

As a university student I can say that the Focus Bear app has really helped me focus on the tasks that I have, it's not only helped me focus on assignments but other day to day chores. In this digital age there's so many distractions and It's really hard to focus. But with focus bear I can build routines and habits that help me be on track. It helps to block distracting apps in laptop and mobile phone. It's a very friendly app that's easy to use as well

Honestly very useful for someone like me. I am always distracted on my phone so Focus Bear blocking me from getting distracted helps me focus on what I am doing. Not only that, the routine planner allows me to build healthy habits like working out and it also can keep track of my progress of my weight loss journey. Big recommend.

What’s new

• See the apps and websites in your block lists as icons
• Add and edit checklists for habits
• Tap the timer to count up or down
• See a summary of your tasks when a focus session ends
• Type #Project when adding a task, and pick due dates from a calendar
• Meeting Reminders and Focus music are now in the More menu
• Fixes for focus sessions, password rules and large text