A pause between you and the apps you open without deciding to.

Set a daily limit on an app. When you reach it, Deelay shows a break screen for as long as you choose — then gives you a fresh allowance and starts again.

Join the beta

Android. Testing now, by invitation.

Deelay's home screen showing today's screen time and the limits in place
Today, at a glance
Deelay's break screen counting down over an app whose limit was reached
The break itself
Deelay's statistics screen showing a curve of when the phone was used
Where the day went

What it does

Set a limit in seconds

Deelay reads your own screen time and suggests a starting number, so you are not guessing at what is realistic. Adjust anything you like.

Group apps that are one habit

Put several apps in a category and they share a single budget, so switching between them does not buy you extra time.

A pause, not a punishment

The break lasts as long as you set it. When it ends your allowance starts fresh — the limit is minutes between breaks, not a wall you hit once a day.

See where the day went

A curve of when you actually used your phone, not just how long, alongside the apps that took the day.

Stays on your phone

No account, no sign-up, no analytics. Deelay makes no network requests at all — everything it reads stays on your device.

Never reads your screen

Deelay is told which app came to the front, and nothing else. It cannot see the text, images or fields on your screen, and does not ask to.

How it works

  1. Pick an app Choose one you open without thinking, or group a few of them together.
  2. Choose the numbers How many minutes before a break, and how long that break lasts.
  3. Reach the limit Open the app past your allowance and the break screen appears over it.
  4. Start again When the countdown ends the app opens as normal, with the allowance reset.

Join the beta

Deelay is in closed testing on Google Play. Places are limited to 100 testers, and the link below only opens for accounts that have been added to the list — so send your address first.

  1. Send me your Google address The one your phone's Play Store is signed in with.
  2. Wait for the go-ahead I add you to the tester list and reply. It can take a few minutes for Play to catch up.
  3. Open the invitation Accept, then install from Play as normal.

Already added? Open the invitation · Or just email hello@deelayapp.com

About the permissions

Deelay needs three things from Android to do its job: usage access to know how long an app has been open, display over other apps to draw the break screen, and an accessibility service to be told which app just came to the front. It reads no screen content, and it sends nothing anywhere. The privacy policy spells out exactly what is read and what is stored.