Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

I made my phone slow on purpose

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Intentionalthrottling to create friction
Users note that deliberately slowing a phone—via low‑power mode, VPN caps, or hardware limits—makes scrolling less tempting.

"There's a kind of throttle for your phone so you can't doomscroll too much." — andai

2. System‑level restriction via MDM/Configurator
Many point to Apple Configurator or Screen‑Time policies as the most reliable way to block or limit addictive apps.

"I use Apple Configurator to straight up disallow a bunch of apps and websites (tiktok, Reddit, YouTube, etc.)" — Version467

3. Pause‑before‑open tools (One Sec, ScreenZen)
Several contributors highlight apps that insert a short delay or confirmation step, breaking the impulse loop.

"It uses iOS shortcuts to interrupt you when you open them, and make you wait for some time — optionally with the selfie camera open — and confirm you really want to open it." — chatmasta

4. Behavioral/log‑out mindfulness
A recurring thread is adding friction at the point of entry (logging out, grayscale, deleting accounts) to force conscious choice. > "I log out of every social media website/app because the act of logging in is just enough friction for me to be mindful: do I really want to do this?" — herbertl


🚀 Project Ideas

SlowPhone Configurator

Summary

  • Uses Apple Configurator to permanently lower a device’s performance on first run, creating a “slow‑phone” baseline.
  • Makes intentional slowdown persistent and hard to bypass.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Power users, digital‑detox seekers, and parents wanting to curb kids’ screen time.
Core Feature Profiles that cap CPU, GPU, and display refresh rate; optional whitelist of essential apps.
Tech Stack macOS Apple Configurator CLI, Swift, Property List manifests.
Difficulty High
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Directly addresses “Brilliant. Too bad there's apparently no built‑in way to do it.” from HN.
  • Users appreciate the idea of “slow‑phone” as a deliberate design choice rather than a hack.

FrictionBrowser

Summary- Browser extension that injects latency and greyscale after a set usage threshold to make mindless scrolling less appealing.

  • Low‑friction alternative to full app blockers.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Web browsers on desktop and mobile who seek subtle behavioral nudges.
Core Feature Detects time spent on a site; after 2 min adds 3 s network delay and switches to greyscale; toggleable per‑site.
Tech Stack Chrome/Firefox WebExtensions (JavaScript, CSS filters), background service worker.
Difficulty Low
Monetization Revenue-ready: one‑time $5 license for premium features.

Notes

  • Echoes HN sentiment: “Slowness creates the conditions for pausing and being mindful.”
  • Easy to adopt; users can start with a free version and upgrade for finer controls.

PulseBlock

Summary

  • Physical NFC dongle that must be tapped to unlock predefined “addictive” apps, forcing a deliberate action.
  • Combines hardware barrier with iOS Shortcuts automation for near‑unbypassable friction.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Users who want a tactile, irreversible lock on social or streaming apps.
Core Feature NFC tag reads trigger a Shortcut that prompts a micro‑task (e.g., answer a quick quiz) before the app launches; failing the task blocks the app for the session.
Tech Stack iOS Shortcuts, CoreNFC, custom Android companion app (optional).
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: hardware kit $29 + optional app subscription $2/mo.

Notes

  • Directly references HN discussions about needing “something user can control” yet making it hard to disable.
  • Physical element adds a “real‑world” barrier that many commenters found appealing.

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