Launching today
Sentence
Pen is mightier than the algorithm. Write to unlock apps.
12 followers
Pen is mightier than the algorithm. Write to unlock apps.
12 followers
Soft blockers are too easy to bypass. Hard blockers cause anxiety. Sentence sits in the middle. To unlock a distracting app, you must physically handwrite a specific phrase on paper and scan it. It doesn’t trap you; it forces you to pause and decide.
Hey Product Hunt 👋
Controversial opinion: hard blockers don't work long-term because being locked out of your own phone feels like being grounded by someone else. You start resenting the tool instead of the habit.
I sat with that frustration for a while before building anything. I didn't want to make another blocker. I wanted to make something that actually respected the fact that sometimes you genuinely need your phone, while still making the mindless opens harder.
That's Sentence. When you try to open a blocked app, it asks you to handwrite a phrase on paper and scan it. Something you chose — an affirmation, a reminder, even a self-roast. If it matches, you're in. No lockouts, no guilt trips.
What surprised me most while building it: most of the time you don't even bother writing. The moment you look for a pen, you realize you didn't actually want to open the app. You just wanted to escape whatever you were doing. That one physical step of friction is enough to make the choice conscious.
It's the first thing that actually held for me. Would genuinely love to hear if it does the same for you.