FAQ
Everything you need to know about BreakAway — features, privacy, and getting started.
Core Features
When you open a blocked app, BreakAway plays a voice message from your chosen coach. You can pick from 8 unique voices — Johnny, David, Alex, Soul Food, Frank, Phoenix, Amore, and Hope — each with a different style and energy level. Voice coaching is currently available in English.
Scroll Guard is Android-only smart doom-scroll detection. It monitors Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, and YouTube to detect when you're mindlessly scrolling through feeds or watching endless reels. The key feature: it knows the difference between intentional use (checking DMs, searching) and passive consumption — so it only intervenes when you're truly wasting time.
Just talk to the AI naturally. Say things like "remind me to call mom tomorrow at 3pm" or "add gym workout every Monday" and the AI creates tasks automatically. You can also type if you prefer.
Tasks appear directly on your blocking overlay — so when you reach for Instagram, you see your task list instead. That's the core idea: replace the urge to scroll with something you actually want to do.
Tap the unlock icon in the Focus Blocks tab header. Choose how long you want access (3 minutes to 1 hour), then complete a brief Reality Check conversation with the AI — you explain why you need it, and it grants a timed unlock.
During the unlock, all blocking and Scroll Guard pause. A countdown badge shows how many minutes remain, and you can end early anytime. The unlock button is only active when a block is currently running.
Yes. BreakAway blocks websites across all major browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, and Samsung Internet. Add any distracting site to your time block and it's blocked just like an app.
Add a BreakAway widget to your home screen to see your tasks at a glance. Check off completed tasks without opening the app — it stays in sync and updates instantly.
Streaks & Rewards
Stay under your daily usage limit to count as a successful day. As your Total Days milestone climbs, you earn free subscription days that are automatically applied before your next renewal. For example: 30 total days earns 2 free days, 180 days earns 8 free days, 360 days earns 15 free days.
Over time you can earn 60+ free days — more than 2 months free. Your consistency literally reduces what you pay.
Stay under your daily limit to maintain your streak. Each successful day adds to your count, and you'll unlock milestone badges like Week Warrior (7 days), Century Streak (100 days), and Year Legend (330 days).
There's also a small forgiveness buffer — going slightly over your limit won't break your streak immediately.
Invite a friend and earn 30 free days per referral — 3 days when they sign up, and 27 more after their first 3 active days. There's no limit on how many friends you can refer.
Customization
Yes. Two modes:
Block All Time Wasters — automatically blocks every app you've categorized as distracting.
Block Specific Apps — choose exactly which apps and websites to block per time block.
You categorize apps once during setup, and can change any app's category at any time.
Yes. Create multiple Time Blocks with different schedules, apps, and settings. For example: a "Work Hours" block for weekdays 9–5 with Strict Mode, and an "Evening Wind Down" block for nights with Reality Check AI. Each block gets its own color, emoji, voice coach, and unlock method. Blocks can even span midnight (e.g. Mon 22:00 → Tue 02:00).
Privacy & Platform
Yes. We identify users only by a nickname and an anonymous hash — no email, phone number, or personal information required. Your usage data stays on your device. We only sync what's strictly necessary for features like streak tracking and rewards, and it's all anonymized.
BreakAway is available for Android (5.0+) and iOS (15+). Most features work on both platforms. Scroll Guard and some advanced blocking features use Android's Accessibility Service and are Android-only.
Android:
Usage Access — tracks which apps you use and for how long.
Accessibility Service — detects blocked apps and enables Scroll Guard.
Display Over Apps — shows the blocking overlay when you open a restricted app.
iOS:
Uses Screen Time API (no Accessibility Service needed). You grant access through iOS Screen Time settings.
All data stays on your device — permissions are only used locally.
Subscription
BreakAway is free to download with a 7-day free trial. Pricing varies by country to reflect local purchasing power — see your local price in the App Store or Google Play. No credit card is needed to start the trial.
On top of that, consistent users earn 60+ free subscription days through Total Days milestones — the more disciplined you are, the less you pay.
Android: Google Play → Subscriptions → BreakAway → Cancel.
iOS: Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions → BreakAway → Cancel.
Premium features remain active until the end of your current billing period. Any earned free days are still applied.
Join our community for support, feedback, and updates from the team.
