In Check+

iPhone app · Screen Time

Your apps are in check+

In Check is a minimalist home screen for iPhone. The apps you pick stay locked until you solve a chess puzzle, answer a few questions or take a breath. Then they're yours for 15 minutes.

See how it works +

Coming soon to the App Store

The In Check home screen: the date, then a plain list of apps (Phone, Messages, Maps, Music, Calendar, Notes, Books, Settings) and a Puzzle button.

How it works

Three moves to a calmer phone

In Check uses Apple's Screen Time, so the locks hold even when you close the app. Nothing about your usage leaves your iPhone.

  1. 1.

    Choose what to lock

    Pick apps, whole categories or websites. Everything else stays one tap away on a quiet, text-only home screen.

  2. 2.

    Pick how to unlock

    Chess puzzles, flashcards, language practice, math, a breathing pause or a set of squats. Stack up to four if one isn't enough.

  3. 3.

    Earn your time

    Open a locked app and In Check asks for its task. Finish it and every lock lifts for 15 minutes, or however long you set.

Unlock methods

Fourteen ways to earn a few minutes

Choose the one that fits your day. Each has its own settings, and the cards and questions use spaced repetition, so you keep what you learn.

  • Chess puzzleLichess

    Puzzles from lichess.org at your rating, with 500 built in for when you're offline.

  • GeographyFlags · maps

    Countries, capitals and flags from the Ultimate Geography deck.

  • Anki SyncAdd-on

    Meet today's Anki goals first. A free add-on for desktop Anki reports your progress.

  • Language practice10 languages

    Sentences to read, hear, build and say, from German and Spanish to Japanese and Farsi.

  • VocabularyWords

    Learn a few new words at a time, with an example sentence for each.

  • Trivia24 categories

    Over 5,000 questions on film, science, history, sport and more.

  • MathEasy to hard

    Mental arithmetic in three levels.

  • Times tables60 s

    Twenty facts up to 12 × 12 against the clock.

  • Intention checkNotes

    Write down why you're opening the app before it opens.

  • Breathing pause4 in · 6 out

    A short, guided breathing break.

  • WalkingSteps

    Take a short walk, counted by your iPhone.

  • SquatsCamera

    A set of squats, counted on the device by the camera.

  • Push-upsSensor

    A set of push-ups, counted by the proximity sensor.

  • Custom Anki deck.apkg

    Import your own deck and study it right in the app.

Screens

Black, white and one red plus

The red plus is the chess sign for check. It marks what needs your attention, and nothing else gets a colour.

A chess puzzle with the prompt Find the best move and a Hint button.
A puzzle at your levelChess · Lichess rating
A geography question asking which country is highlighted on a map, with Central African Republic marked.
Learn the world mapGeography · 10 right
A trivia question about video games with four answer choices.
Keep answering, or goTrivia · goal met
An Anki goal screen showing 0 cards left and Done for today, with a button for the next requirement.
Finish your Anki reviewsAnki Sync · step 1 of 2
A list of unlock methods with short descriptions and Chess puzzle selected.
Pick your methodSettings · requirement 1
Settings with a Choose what to lock button and counts for apps, categories and websites.
Lock apps, categories or sitesSettings · Screen Time

Also inside

The details

Your Lichess rating
Sign in with Lichess and solved puzzles count toward your puzzle rating. You can switch that off.
Beat the computer
Win a game against the built-in engine for a longer unlock, at Lichess time controls.
Home screen widgets
Put the minimal home screen, your essentials or a clock with your locks on the iPhone home screen.
Nine languages
English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese and Japanese.
Light and dark
Follows your iPhone's appearance, with a classic icon if you prefer it.
Backups in your iCloud
An optional daily copy in your own iCloud, or a file you export yourself.

Privacy

Data Not Collected

What you do stays on your iPhone

There's no account, no analytics and no advertising. Your answers, notes and settings are stored on your iPhone. Which apps you lock is handled by Apple's Screen Time, so In Check never sees your usage history.

Read the full privacy statement

Support

Questions, bugs or ideas

Email yo@incheck.life. Tell me which iPhone and iOS version you have, and add a screenshot if something looks wrong.