Why I Built DögEar
I was spending hours every day scrolling through TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. The algorithm was good—too good. It knew exactly what would keep me watching, and I couldn't stop.
But here's what bothered me: I always felt empty afterwards. Worse, I could never remember any of the videos I'd seen. Hours of my life, gone, with nothing to show for it.
I tried the blockers. They either locked down my whole phone — including things I actually needed — or I'd just disable them the moment I wanted back in. Blanket walls didn't fit how the problem actually worked for me.
The real issue wasn't opening an app. It was falling into a session and not climbing out for 45 minutes. So I wanted something that left normal use alone and only stepped in when a session had clearly run away from me.
So I built DögEar—it doesn't care that you opened something. It pulls you out once you've been in the same app for 15 minutes straight, with a manual hard-blocker for when you want a real wall. Free, no subscription, because I'd rather people actually use it.
Just you, the apps you chose to be accountable for, and a way out of the hole.
— Akhil, Creator of DögEar