InstaDetox
Press: InstaDetox at a glance
Last updated: 6 October 2026
Everything you need for a story about InstaDetox is on this page: texts you can copy straight into your piece, the key facts, the research, logos and photos. You are free to use the texts and images here for editorial coverage of InstaDetox. For questions, interviews and test access, you can reach us directly.
- InstaDetox in two sentences
- InstaDetox in detail
- Facts
- What sets InstaDetox apart
- The research behind it
- How InstaDetox started
- Logos and images
- Press contact
InstaDetox in two sentences
InstaDetox is an Android app made by Shortcut IT GmbH, a company based near Hanover, Germany. It shows selected apps such as Instagram or TikTok in grayscale and adds a short breathing pause before they open, so people get stuck on their phones less often and for less time, without any app being blocked.
InstaDetox in detail
Feeds and short videos are built to hold as much attention as possible: bold colours, constant motion, rewards at unpredictable intervals. That is how a quick glance turns into half an hour.
InstaDetox tackles this at two points. As soon as a selected app comes to the foreground, the whole screen switches to true grayscale. When the user leaves the app, the colour comes back, so the camera, photos and maps stay in colour. Before a selected app opens, a short breathing exercise appears and asks whether the user really wants to open it. Both mechanisms have been studied independently: in a randomised field experiment, grayscale cut screen time by 17.6%, and in another study a short pause before opening led people to abandon 36% of their attempts to open an app.
Unlike an app blocker, InstaDetox does not lock anything. Every app stays within reach; it simply loses its pull. The app works without an account, servers, tracking or ads, and all usage data stays on the device. The grayscale overlay and the stats are free for good. Full system grayscale and the breathing pause come with an annual subscription, and each can be tried free for 14 days.
Facts
- App
- InstaDetox, on Google Play as "InstaDetox: Grayscale & Focus"
- Platform
- Android 8.0 and newer, no iOS version
- Category
- Productivity (Google Play)
- Languages
- German, English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil)
- Price
- Free download. Annual subscription for full system grayscale and the breathing pause: EUR 4.99 in the first year, then EUR 9.99 per year (Germany and Austria; the price shown on Google Play applies)
- Free trial
- 14 days for each subscription feature, no payment details needed, counted from the first time the feature is actually used
- Privacy
- No account, no server, no tracking, no ads
- Publisher
- Shortcut IT GmbH, Lehrte, near Hanover, Germany
- Managing director
- Stephan Hötger
- Download
- Google Play
- Website
- instadetox.app
What sets InstaDetox apart
- Grayscale only for the apps that distract. Android's own setting always drains the colour from the whole screen, including the camera, photos and maps. InstaDetox switches on true grayscale automatically, and only for the apps you choose.
- A moment of choice before the app opens. The breathing pause interrupts the automatic reach for the feed. Anyone who really wants the app can still open it.
- Friction instead of bans. In everyday life, blocks tend to get bypassed. InstaDetox does not lock anything; it simply takes away the pull these apps have.
- Data stays on the device. The stats show attempts to open an app, cancelled opens and time won back, all calculated and stored on the phone alone.
The research behind it
Grayscale and a pause before opening an app have both been studied independently. Here are three findings you can cite:
- In a randomised field experiment with 112 students, the grayscale group had 17.6% less screen time than the control group, around 50 minutes a day (Zimmermann & Sobolev, 2023, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking; DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2022.0027).
- Among 84 Android users, time spent in highly visual apps such as social media fell by 11.1% with grayscale (Dekker & Baumgartner, 2024, Mobile Media & Communication; DOI: 10.1177/20501579231212062).
- In a field study with 280 participants, people abandoned 36% of their attempts to open an app when a short breathing exercise came first (Grüning, Riedel & Lorenz-Spreen, 2023, PNAS; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2213114120).
You will find all the studies, with context and worked examples, on our page Does grayscale really work?
How InstaDetox started
InstaDetox did not come out of a marketing department. The app is made by Shortcut IT GmbH, a small, independent software company with no investors. The team had the same problem as so many people: the phone was always in hand, evenings disappeared into feeds, and good intentions did little to change that.
So managing director Stephan built himself a tool. At first, InstaDetox was just a project on the team's own phones: take the colour out, add a brief moment before an app opens. After two weeks, their screen time had dropped noticeably. That project became the app you can find on the Play Store today. Its only source of revenue is the subscription, never ads or usage data. There is more on our About us page.
Logos and images
You may use all of these files for editorial coverage of InstaDetox. Please do not change the colours or shape of the logos.
- Logo, PNG with transparent background, 2048 × 2048 pixels (for print)
- Logo, PNG with transparent background, 512 × 512 pixels (for web)
- App icon, PNG, 512 × 512 pixels
- Preview image, PNG, 1200 × 630 pixels
- Photo of Stephan, managing director, JPG, 640 × 640 pixels (credit: Shortcut IT GmbH)
Current screenshots of the app are in our Google Play listing. We are happy to send you larger formats on request.
Press contact
For questions, interviews and test access, email us at instadetox-support@shortcut-it.com. For reviews and demos, we can unlock every feature for you with a code on request.
Full company details are in our Imprint.