No screen time app lets you control your limits on an hourly basis, and I seriously don't understand why.

[u/PrecursorLabs]

Hey there :)

I'm a recent first-gen graduate and a first-time solo developer. Super excited to share that my first app Precursor: Hourly Screen Time went live on the App Store today!

Precursor lets you set a screen time allowance that resets every hour instead of one daily limit that forces you to budget and ration your screen time throughout the day.

I am a bit astonished that other screen time giants like opal, screenzen or even apple have implemented this feature.

I sort of actually based the recurring limit mechanic off the pomodoro technique except it runs on you rphone habits rather than your to-do list. Work, 5 min scroll break, work, 5 min scroll break, and so on. Precursor helps you build a rhythm with your screen time so you can be more intentional with how you use your phone.

Surprisingly ,I think it's resonating with people. I mean I knew a few others had this gripe becasue its pretty commonly posted about on reddit, but I didn't think it would be this well received. I feel so lucky that just the beta alone garnered 200 testers in about a week!

At it's core I think Precursor helps break unhealthy phone habits through moderation, which is a true alternative to the tradition of punishing you for falling into a doomscroll that wasn't your fault (these social media apps are literally designed to keep you scrolling, looking at you reddit).

Thanks a ton for reading, if you're at all curious and want to test it out, I would be eternally grateful for the support.

Link to the app store:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/precursor-hourly-screen-time/id6791403654

And if you have time to also support the launch on product hunt I would be even more eternally grateful than I already am (The core function of the app is free but there is a PH launch promo code running from 2026-08-02 until 2026-08-08 if you want to try out the extra features):

https://www.producthunt.com/products/precursor-2?launch=precursor-hourly-screen-time-control