Focus Modes is finally live.
I’ve wanted to write that for a while.
The app has been sitting in my head for months. It grew out of LessScreen, an older app I built because I was trying to get a healthier relationship with my phone. While working on it, I kept running into the same thought: reducing screen time was only part of the problem.
My phone felt the same no matter what I was doing.
Work. Sleep. Driving. A slow Sunday afternoon. Different parts of the day, same grid of apps staring back at me.
That started to feel wrong.
So I built Focus Modes, an Android launcher that lets your phone change based on your context.
You can create different setups with their own:
- apps
- widgets
- wallpapers
- notification rules
- distractions
A work setup can keep the useful stuff close and hide the apps I know I’ll regret opening. A sleep setup can feel quiet. A driving setup can stay minimal. You can switch manually, or let triggers like time or location do it for you.
I think this is one of the coolest things I’ve made.
I also think it has taken a few years off my life.
Android launcher development gets weird fast. Some behaviour depends on the Android version. Some depends on the device maker. Some depends on whatever mood your phone woke up in that morning.
My OnePlus 15 has humbled me more times than I want to admit.
Pixels and Samsungs have behaved much better, but I already know people are going to find bugs on devices I’ve never touched. That’s part of building something this close to the system. You can test a lot and still get surprised.
I’m proud of it anyway.
There were plenty of moments where Focus Modes could have stayed as a half-finished side project in a private repo. It nearly did. The only reason I kept coming back was that I still wanted the thing to exist.
I wanted my phone to stop putting me in the same mental space all day.
Since the first production release, I’ve already pushed a few updates based on early feedback. I’ve learned more from this launch than I did from my first app, mostly because I’m watching more closely this time.
I’m seeing where people get confused. I’m seeing which parts feel too heavy. I’m seeing which assumptions only made sense because I had been living inside the app for months.
That last one hurts a little, but it’s useful.
Right now I’m working on better performance for some OEM devices, improved notification filtering, combined triggers, and new trigger types like activity detection for driving or gym sessions.
I also want the app to get simpler.
Some parts still ask too much from the user. Some screens explain things that should probably be obvious from the design. The best version of Focus Modes should feel powerful without making you study it first.
If this sounds useful, I’d love for you to try it.
I built Focus Modes because I wanted my phone to behave more like the day I was actually having. I’m hoping it helps other people feel that too.
Mujeeb