InstaDetox

We wanted our time back.

InstaDetox is not a product from a marketing department. It grew out of a problem we had ourselves, and out of the conviction that our attention should belong to us and not to those who sell it.

Why InstaDetox exists

We are a small software company with no big profits and no investors behind us. And we had the same problem as most people we know: the phone was permanently in our hands without us ever consciously pulling it out of our pocket. Evenings disappeared into feeds. The plan to "just have a quick look" lasted until the first reality TV meme or dance reel.

The uncomfortable part: we are grown adults, we knew better, and it still did not help. Good intentions lose against a system that has been optimised with the help of AI to undermine exactly those intentions.

So we built ourselves a tool. At first InstaDetox was nothing more than a DIY project on our own phones: colour out, a short moment before opening. It worked for us, noticeably so. After two weeks our screen time was waaay lower than before we used the grayscale filter. And because it worked, we did not want to keep it to ourselves. That is exactly why the app is on the Play Store today.

What we push back against

We are critical of the direction our digital everyday life is taking. The big platforms do not earn money from us being well, they earn it from us spending time on them. And the more life time we give them, and the more advertising we consume, the richer they get.

That has consequences beyond lost hours: content that polarises gets played out preferentially. Opinions narrow. And the decision about what we spend our time on shifts imperceptibly away from us. Towards an algorithm that none of us ever chose.

A small app cannot stop the flow of time or this mega trend. But it can give the individual back the power to decide over their own life time. That is our hope, our mission.

What we stand for

This is not about people spending less time on their phones. It is about what the time is there for instead:

We would honestly be glad if InstaDetox also helps people who find a conscious approach to their phone particularly hard, for example because they live with ADHD or struggle with neurodivergence. That is our hope, but it is not something we can promise. InstaDetox is a tool for everyday life, not a therapy and not a medical product. Which apps you turn grey is entirely up to you, whether social media, shopping or something else altogether.

What we earn from, and what we do not

InstaDetox is sold as a subscription. We actually wanted to make it a one-time purchase, but that would commit us to decades of technical support, which we cannot guarantee with constantly changing Android systems. With the low subscription cost we want to give as many people as possible access to our app, while still covering the cost of technical support, the website, further development and the bureaucracy that comes with running a company.

What matters to us is what we earn from. Our source of income is the app itself, no tracking, no advertising, no marketing of usage data. That is not only a stance but also a question of independence: whoever earns money from screen time will eventually have to create screen time. And that is precisely what we do not want. We would be delighted if, in a few weeks or months, you looked at your screen time report and were no longer embarrassed by it but proud of it.

What we do not collect, and why the app still needs deep permissions

This is the point where we ask for the most trust. So we explain it as precisely as we can.

InstaDetox needs an accessibility service. That sounds like a lot, and it is: Android does not grant this permission lightly. The app needs it for exactly one reason: it has to know which app is currently in the foreground. Only then can the grayscale filter switch on at the right moment and the breathing pause appear at the right moment.

What the app does not do:

Everything InstaDetox knows about your usage is calculated on your device and stays there. It only leaves your phone if you write to us yourself and explicitly attach your usage and settings data: voluntarily, visible beforehand and deselectable at any time.

That data helps us in two ways. First, we can support you specifically with technical problems when we know your app configuration. Second, we would like to see whether InstaDetox actually has a reducing effect on your screen time. If you send us the key figures from your report, we are very glad. And if you would rather keep them to yourself, that is just as fine.

For the analysis we separate the data from the sender, so that it can no longer be assigned to any person. We delete your message including the attachment as soon as your request is resolved, at the latest 90 days after it arrives. You can request deletion earlier at any time. The details are in the privacy policy.

For us, the data security of the people who use InstaDetox is not an optional extra. It is sacred to us, a cornerstone we will not touch.

Who is behind InstaDetox?

Behind InstaDetox is us, Shortcut IT GmbH, a small company from the Hannover region in Germany. The managing director is Stephan, whose phone the very first version came from.

Stephan, managing director of Shortcut IT GmbH, smiling in front of a snowy forest.
Stephan in his favourite place: outside, without a phone.

The full company details (address, commercial register entry and VAT ID) are in the imprint.

Contact

Write to us. We read every message and reply about problems, questions, suggestions for improvement and also when there is something about the app you do not like.

instadetox-support@shortcut-it.com

Specific questions about using the app are usually already answered in the Help & FAQ.

Journalists will find texts, facts and images on our press page.

Get it on Google Play Free download for Android 8.0 and newer