Social screen time · Android
Breathe first. Then scroll.
Before you open TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, offCrew asks one quick thing: Why? Plus a small breathing pause. All distraction apps share one time pot per day. When it's empty, they're locked – and with your crew it's easier to stick to it.
- No account
- No email
- No tracking
- End-to-end encrypted
- EU servers
How it works
Three steps, no outside force: you set the rules for yourself.
Fill the pot
Pick your distraction apps and choose how many minutes per day go into the pot. All chosen apps draw from the same pot.
Why?
When you open one of those apps, offCrew stops you briefly: breathe, pick a reason. Then you open it on purpose – or say “Nope” and celebrate yourself.
Pot empty = locked
When the daily pot is used up, your distraction apps stay locked until tomorrow. Phone, messages and emergency calls are untouched: offCrew only locks the apps you chose yourself.
With friends
Your crew. Your pot.
Invite 2 to 6 friends by link or QR code. You share one pot: the more one person uses, the less is left for the others. When it's empty, it's empty for everyone.
- The crew sees who opened what – you control how much you share (e.g. hide app names). A “totals only” mode is coming soon.
- Nudge someone who scrolls too long.
- Beg for more time – the crew approves or denies. Whoever gets extra time takes it from the others.
- New members only get in after approval by the crew admin.
- Streaks, a leaderboard and confetti for everyone who says “Nope”.
offCrew is not parental control and not a medical product. It's a voluntary tool among friends, for ages 14 and up.
Privacy first
Your usage stays on your phone.
offCrew evaluates how long you used which app on the device. Only what you choose to share with your crew leaves the phone – encrypted.
No account, no email
Install and go. No sign-up, no profiles, no ads, no tracking, no analytics services.
End-to-end encrypted
Crew data is encrypted (AES-GCM) and signed (ECDSA P-256) on your phone. The server only stores and relays ciphertext and sees neither names, apps, reasons nor times.
Servers in the EU
The crew service runs at Cloudflare with EU jurisdiction. Events are deleted after 48 hours, dissolved crews are removed.
Honest about metadata
Technically visible remain pseudonymous IDs, timestamps and how often messages are sent – that shows when someone is active, not what they do. Full details in the privacy policy.
Questions & answers
Is offCrew parental control?
No. offCrew is self-control with social backing: you choose which apps go into the pot and can quit the app at any time. Minimum age is 14.
Which permissions does offCrew need – and why?
- Usage access: so offCrew knows which app is open and for how long. The evaluation stays on the device.
- Display over other apps: for the “Why?” prompt and the lock in front of a distraction app.
- Foreground service: so monitoring runs reliably in the background (with a visible notification).
- Notifications & autostart: for crew alerts, and so the service keeps running after a reboot.
No accessibility service, no location, no access to contacts or messages.
What does my crew see of me?
Name and emoji, your limit and time used, streaks, and events such as “app opened” (with the reason you enter), “Nope”, longer scrolling or a request for more time. You can hide the app name. Don't put anything sensitive in the reason – the crew reads it.
What does the server see?
Ciphertext, pseudonymous IDs and public keys, timestamps and sizes. No plaintext. There is no account database with names, emails or phone numbers.
Can I get around the lock?
Yes, by quitting or uninstalling offCrew. That's on purpose: offCrew relies on awareness and crew backing, not coercion.
Is there an iPhone version?
Android only for now, because of the system features it needs.
How do I delete my data?
In the app under Settings “Delete everything”, leave the crew, or uninstall. Details and email request on the Delete data page.
When is the app available?
offCrew is coming to Google Play soon. This page will be updated with the link.
Ready for less doomscrolling?
offCrew is coming to Google Play soon. An invite to a crew reaches you before that via a link.
Android 8 or newer. Google Play is a trademark of Google LLC.