# [092] Observation: the “unlock by doing something” variant of screen-time / app-blocker apps (rest, push-ups, scripture reading). Big companies are buying installs, and indie devs earn very little. New entrants rely on mechanic differentiation and organic Google Play traffic. > Source: https://stringers.io/en/o/092.html (Stringers / 什么值得做, generated 2026-11-08) > Stringers answers one question every day: what small product can one or two people build in a few months and actually make money from. Numbers come from 15 databases we collect daily, each with source and date. > For agents: these verdicts and the underlying databases (verified revenue, App Store / Google Play charts, ad libraries, GitHub, Product Hunt…) are queryable live over MCP — tools today / hot / products / directions / direction / data. Setup: https://github.com/komako-workshop/stringers (the user logs in at stringers.io → "配置 agent" to get a personal URL). Site index: https://stringers.io/llms.txt > Grouped by store. Each group starts with the charts that can be graphed (real curves, data dates below the chart), then the scanner's original notes and source links. [Home](https://stringers.io/worth/) / [092] # Watching: screen time / app blocker variants that unlock apps by completing a task (rest, push-ups, scripture reading). Big companies are buying installs and indie devs earn little; newcomers rely on mechanic differences and organic GP traffic. Watching Worth exploring · crowded category, variant mechanics First seen 2026-11-06 · last updated 2026-11-07 Status Watching (leaning against) Confidence Low. ## Evidence Grouped by store. Each group starts with the charts that can be graphed (real curves, data dates below the chart), then the scanner's original notes and source links. ### Qualifying list 1 pieces of evidence · 2 products with curves [MinuteBack: Screen Time](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.minute.back) FocusOnSharing Google Play · Launched 2026-09-16 · 11-06 installs 231,396 Global cumulative installs Data 2026-10-29 → 2026-11-06 (9 days, 5 observations). Google's detail page only refreshes install counts every other day, so a flat day doesn't mean nobody installed. Ratings (total) Data 2026-10-29 → 2026-11-06 (9 days, 5 observations) [MinuteBack](https://apps.apple.com/ai/app/minuteback/id6812306067) Jiarong Li App Store · launched 2026-09-20 · VE grade 2 · charted in 11-08 of 10 stores Top Free chart rank · by store Data 2026-11-01 → 2026-11-06 (6 days, 6 observations). Lower rank is higher; gaps mean it wasn't charted that day Stores where it made the overall chart (top 200 on any chart) Data 2026-11-01 → 2026-11-06 (6 days, 6 observations) - Crossed the threshold (11-06): MinuteBack: Screen Time (GP com.minute.back, developer FocusOnSharing, site minuteback.fit, launched 9-16). Today's new ratings were 899, 5 times the usual rate. Cumulative 226,542 installs, 7 days +35,123. Rating 9,617, 4.79★. Free with ads, no in-app purchases. It's also on the App Store (6812306067) but has only 2 ratings, so growth is almost all on Android. It's not in the Google ad library, and the Meta keyword table doesn't cover it, so whether they're buying ads is not visible. ### Google Play1 evidence items · 1 products with curves [BePresent](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bepresent.android) Screen Detox Inc Google Play · Launched 2026-04-03 · 11-07 installs 266,229 Global cumulative installs Data 2026-10-29 → 2026-11-07 (10 days, 10 observations). Google's detail page only refreshes install counts every other day, so a flat day doesn't mean nobody installed. Ratings (total) Data 2026-10-29 → 2026-11-07 (10 days, 10 observations) - Same direction (GP, 7-day installs): BePresent (Screen Detox Inc, the same company behind [016] BibleScroll) +29,096, 266k cumulative; Opal +24,163 (#84 in gb Productivity Top Grossing); Push Up Time: AI App Blocker (unlock by doing push-ups) +9,408, 530k cumulative; ScrollFit (same mechanic, launched 9-02) +4,887; Earnie (kids) +5,324. On Product Hunt, Orbit's “Earn every app unlock” placed #4 on the 10-27 daily chart with 225 votes. ### Indie product revenue (TrustMRR)1 evidence · 2 products with curves [KeepFocus](https://trustmrr.com/startup/keepfocus) TrustMRR · 30-day revenue $419 (+23%) · MRR $276 · 138 subscriptions Monthly revenue (verified by payment platform) 2026-02 → 2026-11 (10 pts). Light bars = current month, not yet complete Daily revenue (UTC day) Data 2026-09-29 → 2026-11-06 (39 days, 39 observations). Single-day swings are big, so look at the trend in the monthly breakdown above. [Shutout](https://trustmrr.com/startup/shutout) shutout.app TrustMRR · 30-day revenue $390 (+85%) · MRR $234 · 59 subscriptions Monthly revenue (verified by payment platform) 2025-11 → 2026-11 (13 pts). Light bars = current month, not yet complete Daily revenue (UTC day) Data 2026-09-29 → 2026-11-06 (39 days, 39 observations). Single-day swings are big, so look at the trend in the monthly breakdown above. - Paying examples: on indie, the only comparable paid products are KeepFocus at $419 and Shutout at $385 (30 days). One German iOS screen-time app listed for sale self-reports MRR of $6.7–7.5k (no data source; see [067]). ### Other sources (official sites, press releases, web pages) 1 pieces of evidence - BePresent's approach is to graft “put down your phone” onto another need (BibleScroll: “read scripture instead of scrolling”), and it runs on influencer-driven Meta ads, 300+ of them. ## My take The top players in this category (Opal, BePresent) are venture-funded companies that hold iOS positions with the Screen Time API and paid acquisition. Two openings look available to indie developers. One is Android: iOS has the Screen Time API and a concentrated competitive field, while MinuteBack grows almost entirely on GP, with Android blocking built on accessibility services. The other is the “what you trade for the unlock” mechanic (exercise, scripture, vocabulary, chores). Each mechanic maps to a specific audience, and it could combine with the widget-learning angle in [022] or faith-based angles in [016]. The revenue evidence is weak, though: MinuteBack monetizes through ads, and indie comparables each make only a few hundred dollars. ## What would upgrade it Either an indie or listed app in the “unlock by doing something” mechanic hits $3k+ within 30 days, or MinuteBack adds in-app purchases and reaches a Top Grossing chart in any store. Kill signal: MinuteBack's 7-day installs fall below 10k within two weeks. ## Who it's for An indie developer who can build an Android accessibility service or an iOS Screen Time API integration, paired with a specific audience (students, churchgoers, fitness people). ## Should every product builder know this? No. ## Change log 2026-11-07 MinuteBack GP 7-day +39,977 (cumulative 231,396). Today's rating 899 → 212, a dip. BibleScroll (same company as BePresent) 7-day +31,960. 2026-11-06 First recorded (MinuteBack crossed the threshold; GP and App Store data both match. Same-direction BePresent, Opal, and Push Up Time were rising over the same period). Original: Scanner opportunity library #092 (updated daily, 06:00); this page was generated on the 2026-11-08 edition.