GmCat Apps · In development
Paws
Take a Paws.
Ever opened an app for “just a minute” and looked up half an hour later, feeling worse? Paws helps you notice the scroll, take a break, and build habits that give your time back. No lectures, just a friendly cat in the corner.
Take a Paws?
You've been scrolling for 25 min.How it will work
- 1
Choose what to change
Pick the apps and moments that tend to eat your time, like late nights, work breaks or first thing in the morning.
- 2
Get a gentle Paws
When you're deep in a scroll, Paws offers a friendly break with a quick alternative to try.
- 3
See your progress
Watch your screen time trend down and celebrate the time you won back.
Planned features
Gentle check-ins
Friendly “take a Paws” moments when you've been scrolling a while.
Technique library
Bite-sized, research-informed tips you can try in under a minute.
Personal plans
Build simple if-then plans for the moments you most want to change.
Progress you can see
Weekly trends and streaks that reward time spent offline.
Quiet hours
Wind-down reminders that help protect your evening and your sleep.
Kind by design
No shaming and no guilt, just encouragement from a cat who believes in you.
Techniques you can try today
You don't have to wait for the app. These ideas are a preview of what Paws will help you build into habits.
Add a little friction
Move tempting apps off your home screen or into a folder. A few extra taps give you a moment to choose.
Batch your notifications
Turn off non-essential alerts and check the rest at set times, so your phone stops calling you back every few minutes.
Try grayscale
A black-and-white screen is a lot less eye-catching. Many people find it makes endless scrolling less tempting.
Charge outside the bedroom
Keeping your phone out of reach at night helps protect your sleep and your morning.
Make an if-then plan
Decide ahead of time: “If I reach for my phone when I'm bored, then I'll stretch for a minute.” Simple plans like this are a well-studied way to change habits.
Ride out the urge
When the urge to check hits, pause and take three breaths. Urges rise and fade, and noticing that is half the battle.
Set app limits
Give your most time-consuming apps a daily budget, and let a gentle reminder tell you when it's used up.
Replace, don't just remove
Pick something to reach for instead, like a book, a walk or a call with a friend. It's easier to swap a habit than to delete one.
Questions
When will Paws be available?
There's no release date yet. It's in active development. Follow @GmCatIO or the GM Gazette for news.
Will Paws block my apps?
Paws is designed to nudge rather than nag. Exactly how it works with each phone's screen-time features will be shared closer to launch.
Is this based on real research?
Yes. The techniques draw on well-studied ideas like habit friction, notification batching, and if-then planning. We'll link to sources in the app.
Which phones will it work on?
Supported platforms will be announced closer to launch.
Will it cost money?
Pricing hasn't been decided yet. We'll share details before launch.
Paws is a working title. Features and design may change before launch. The screen above is a concept preview with example values, not real results.