36%
of the time, people closed an app again when a short pause asked them first.
Grüning et al., PNAS 2023
A short pause stops about 1 in 3 mindless app opens. Read the research →
Make a move first. Then scroll.
TacticLock locks the apps that pull you in. To open one, solve a short chess puzzle at your level. You get your break, and a little sharper every day.
Get it onGoogle Play
App StoreComing later
InstagramLocked
Break earned30 minutes
How a lock works
01 / 03
-
01
It’s locked.
TacticLock steps in before the feed does. Emergency access is always one tap away.
-
02
You make a move.
One short puzzle at your level. Find the move, or take a hint.
-
03
It opens for a break.
15 or 30 minutes, the length you set in your lock group. Then it locks again.
Why it works02
A pause that takes a little effort and teaches you something, instead of a wall you learn to click through.
A puzzle is a micro-learning pause. The small effort breaks the swiping reflex and switches on the thinking part of your brain, so you choose instead of react. And you leave a little sharper than you came.
What the research says
−37%
attempts to open those apps after six weeks with the pause in place.
Grüning et al., PNAS 202330 min
of social media a day, for three weeks, lowered loneliness and depression.
Hunt et al., J. Social & Clinical Psychology 2018Friction
beats willpower. Habits run on ease, so a little effort in the way makes you do them less.
Wendy Wood, habit research, USCThese studies tested pause and limit tools in general, not TacticLock itself. Read the full story →
The path03
A path, not just random puzzles.
Eight chapters take you from first checkmates to master level. Each lesson teaches one idea, like sacrifices or deflection, then you use it. Start at your level and skip what you already know.
- 8chapters, beginner to master
- +classic-game puzzles from legendary players
Your stats04
See what you won back.
Every stopped open and every solved puzzle is counted on your phone, day by day.
Locks stopped you this week
19times
Rating
2182
+18 after today’s puzzle. It adapts as you solve.
Time back
2 h 43
a day, if you keep your goal. About 41 days a year.
An example week from the app. Counted on your phone, never sent anywhere.
Daily puzzle05
One puzzle a day, on your home screen.
Add the widget and a new position waits for you each morning. Keep your streak going, no lock needed.
Safe and private06
Emergency access is always free and instant.
TacticLock slows you down. It never locks you out.
On every lock screen
Emergency – open now
One tap opens the app. No puzzle, no daily limit.
Always allowed
Phone, messages and maps stay open by default.
Calls
Never blocked.
Emergency calls always go through.
Vacation mode
Locks come back Fri, 6 Nov.
Pause every lock. Your streak is frozen, not lost.
Which apps you use never leaves your phone.
- No account
- No sign-in
- No tracking
Only two permissions
Usage access
Lets TacticLock see which app you open, so it can pause the ones you chose.
Notifications
Keep protection running and show your break timer.
Everything stays on your phone.
Make a move first.
Get it onGoogle Play
App StoreComing later
Free to start. Pro unlocks more lock groups, schedules and puzzle packs.