GratitudeLock — Mindful Lock

Gratitude Lock puts a 30-second writing prompt in front of Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and any other app that takes your attention.

Every time you tap one of your chosen apps, a card slides up instead. Two fields: what you're grateful for, and why. Filling both — about 30 seconds — unlocks the app for the rest of your session.

That's the whole loop.

─ WHY IT WORKS ─

Across four decades of research, one pattern holds: specific gratitude — one moment, one reason — moves the needle on mood and sleep. Generic lists don't. Gratitude Lock enforces the specificity that makes the difference.

Based on Seligman's "Three Good Things" protocol (2005), validated in 64 randomised clinical studies. Participants were measurably happier and less depressed after one week. The effect held at three and six months.

─ WHAT GRATITUDE LOCK DOES ─

• Locks any app you choose using Android's Usage Access and Accessibility Service. Nothing bolted on — we use the same system your phone already has.
• Shows a writing prompt when you try to open a locked app. You write one moment you're grateful for, and why. Then it unlocks.
• Saves every entry to a private journal, encrypted on your device. Only you can read it.
• Tracks your streak. Miss a day, it resets. Simple.
• Every evening, or after 45 minutes on social media, a longer 5-minute guided session appears — three moments, three reasons. Based on Seligman's protocol.

─ THREE TIERS, CHOOSE YOURS ─

FREE — Lock one app. Daily prompts. Last 30 entries. One small ad on the unlock screen.

PLUS (€3/month) — Unlimited locked apps. Full journal history and search. Weekly AI reflection on your patterns. PDF and Markdown export. Zero ads.

LIFETIME (€89 once) — Everything in Plus, forever.

The lock runs entirely on your phone, via system APIs. Upgrading is about comfort and insight, not access.

─ YOUR PRIVACY ─

• Journal entries are encrypted before they leave your phone (AES-256-GCM). Our server cannot read your writing.
• We collect your email for sign-in and nothing else. No advertising identifiers. No location. No contacts.
• Delete your account any time from Settings. All data is permanently erased within 7 days.

─ PERMISSIONS ─

Gratitude Lock uses Android's Accessibility Service to detect when you open an app you've chosen to lock, so it can show a brief gratitude reflection before you continue. It only reads which app is in the foreground — never your screen contents, text, or keystrokes — and this data never leaves your device. You can disable it any time in Settings.

If you prefer not to grant them: Journal-Only mode works without either permission — no locking, just the guided gratitude journal.

─ A NOTE FROM THE MAKER ─

Gratitude Lock doesn't want to become another app you feel guilty about ignoring. It wants to be in front of the apps you already open too much — turning that moment into something real.

One specific moment you're grateful for. And why.

That's it.