Built for ADHD
The focus app that enforces itself — so you don’t have to
Most focus apps require you to activate them before the impulse hits. Ravelo works differently: it turns screen time into a balance you bank. Distracting apps are locked by default through iOS Screen Time; you earn access through productive use and spend it on purpose. There is nothing to remember, no moment of weakness to navigate.
Why ADHD makes phone addiction uniquely hard
ADHD is not a discipline problem. It is a dopamine regulation problem. ADHD brains have chronically lower baseline dopamine, which pushes them to seek stimulation as a way to self-regulate. Social media, short-form video, and games provide the fastest, most reliable dopamine hit available — which is why ADHD and compulsive phone use so often go together.
ADHD also impairs executive function — the mental capacity to pause, evaluate a decision, and override an impulse. Every app blocker that asks you to “start a session” or “set a limit” is asking you to use the exact cognitive resource that ADHD directly impairs, at the exact moment the impulse is strongest.
ADHD also comes with time blindness — the inability to feel time passing. Fifteen minutes of scrolling becomes two hours without any subjective sense that time has moved. A system that blocks by default removes the decision before time blindness can operate.
Why most app blockers fail for ADHD
They require you to activate before the impulse
Session-based blockers like Opal and Freedom work only during the session you started. If you didn't start one, there is no protection. ADHD impulsivity typically fires before any protective behavior is in place.
They leave a bypass option
Apple Screen Time's 'Ignore Limit for Today' button is the most common failure point. ADHD brains are expert rationalizers — 'just one minute' is always available, and the executive function to resist it is exactly what ADHD impairs.
They rely on sustained motivation
Apps that require daily intention-setting or manual scheduling demand consistent executive function. ADHD makes this inconsistent by nature. A system that works without your active participation is structurally more reliable.
How Ravelo addresses each failure point
No activation required
Ravelo's blocking is enforced at the iOS level through Screen Time at all times, not just during sessions. The moment you unlock your phone, the block is already in place.
No bypass
There is no 'Ignore Limit' button. The only way to access a blocked app is to spend Time Currency you earned. Hardcore Mode (Pro) removes even Quick Peek, the one-minute access option.
Positive reinforcement, not just restriction
The Time Currency system rewards productive behavior with access rather than punishing distraction with guilt. ADHD brains sustain engagement with systems that provide immediate, concrete rewards — the 1:1 earn rate (10 min of reading = 10 min of YouTube) creates this loop.
Works when your job is off-phone
If your real work is on a laptop, at a gym, or in a class, a 15–120 minute Focus Session earns the same Time Currency as on-phone productive use. You don't have to touch the phone to earn iPhone access.
Weekly enforcement with hard limits (Pro)
Hardcore Mode converts Weekly Goals from a soft recommendation into an absolute rule. Hit your weekly entertainment limit and blocked apps stay locked until the week resets. No negotiation, no emergency override.
See how Ravelo compares to other iPhone focus apps: Ravelo vs Opal · Ravelo vs Freedom