Break your social media addiction. A friend decides when you get more time.

Compos locks the apps when your daily limit runs out. To get back in, you ask a friend or family member you trust.

They can answer your request in two taps, right from their lock screen. Not ready to tell anyone? You can start on your own.

Coming to iPhone and Android.

You know you're on your phone too much. Knowing hasn't helped you stop.

It rarely feels like much at the time. Instagram before you get out of bed. A quick look at lunch that turns into forty minutes. By the evening it adds up to hours, and you're not sure where they went.

You've probably tried to stop. Maybe you set a Screen Time limit and tapped Ignore when it popped up. Maybe you deleted the app and had it back by the evening, or downloaded a blocker app and then found the setting that turns it off.

The trouble is that you can switch off every one of these tools yourself. When the urge hits, you do.

How Compos works

  1. Set a daily limit.

    Pick the apps that pull you in, like Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, and decide how long you get each day. The limit covers their websites too.

  2. Choose an accountability partner.

    A friend or family member you trust. Send them a link. They can accept without downloading anything.

  3. Ask when your time's up.

    When your daily time is used up, the apps lock. To get more time, you send them a request. They can give you 15, 30 or 60 minutes, or the rest of the day, or say no.

You can still switch Compos off. Your accountability partner will know if you do.

What your accountability partner sees

Only what they need to answer your request.

They see:

  • Your requests for more time, and your reason if you give one
  • How long you've used your limited apps today
  • An alert if Compos is switched off

They never see:

  • Your messages, posts or what you watched
  • Where you are
  • Anything about apps you haven't limited

Answering takes two taps from their lock screen. You can have more than one accountability partner, so it doesn't all fall on one person.

Not ready to tell anyone?

You can use Compos without an accountability partner. When your time runs out, you can get 15 more minutes by waiting 20 minutes and writing a sentence about why you want them. It's slower than asking a friend, on purpose. You can add one whenever you're ready.

What Compos can't do

No app can make itself impossible to remove, and Compos doesn't claim to. You can delete it, or turn off its Screen Time access in your phone's settings. If you do, your accountability partner gets a message. On iPhone, you can also give them your Screen Time passcode. Then you can't remove Compos without them.

Compos also won't fix the reasons you reach for your phone. What it does is make you stop and ask someone before you carry on scrolling. For a lot of people, that's the step that's been missing.

Why we're building this

We're building Compos because we couldn't put our phones down, and neither could people close to us.

Most of it happened in small bits through the day. Instagram before getting out of bed. TikTok between tasks, where a quick look could turn into forty minutes. None of it felt like much at the time. Added up, it was hours, every day.

We knew it was a problem. So did everyone we talked to about it. What none of us had was a way to stop that didn't rely on the same willpower that kept giving out.

With Compos, you set the limit and someone you trust decides when you get more time.

The Compos Team

Questions

Won't this be annoying for my friend?

Answering a request takes two taps from their lock screen. They can set quiet hours, you can have more than one accountability partner, and they get one short weekly summary instead of a stream of notifications.

What if nobody answers?

You can wait 20 minutes, then give yourself 15 more minutes. Your accountability partner will see that you did. For real emergencies, you get three emergency unlocks a month.

Can my accountability partner see my messages or what I'm watching?

No. They see your requests, how long you've used the apps you've limited today, and an alert if Compos is switched off.

Is this parental control?

No. You set limits on your own phone. Nobody can set them for you, and you can always see exactly what they see.

Won't I just move to another app?

You can put several apps, and their websites, under one daily limit. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube can share the same 45 minutes.

iPhone or Android?

Both. Your accountability partner can have either kind of phone. They don't even need the app, because they can answer from a link.

How much will it cost?

There'll be a free version with one daily limit and one accountability partner. Being someone's accountability partner is always free.

Does it work for gambling?

Yes. Compos can block betting apps and sites completely, and lifting the block takes much longer. Read how it works for gambling.

When can I use it?

We're building it now. Join the waitlist and we'll email you when it's ready for your phone.

Get Compos when it's ready.

Join the waitlist. We'll email you when it's ready on your phone, and that's it.