kael
reclaim your attention
before you scroll, kael asks why.
we stand between you and reflex.
✦iOS and mac
✦context-based judgement
✦apps + browsers
✦calendar + schedule sync
scroll to see it in action ↓
the stakes
Your reflex is winning. Quietly.
Distraction is choosing you, not the other way around.
144×
phone unlocks per day
that's roughly once every 6 minutes you're awake
4:37
average daily screen time
70 days of your year, on your phone
23min
to refocus after each distraction
Gloria Mark, UC Irvine
89%
of Gen Z say they feel addicted to their phone
multiple surveys, 2023–2024
How you actually spend a lifetime.
76 years on earth. Sleep + work take half. Your phone takes another chunk.
76
years
sleep + work38 years· ~8 hrs sleep + ~5d × 6h work, for a lifetime
phone15 years· ~4h 37m/day for a lifetime
everything else23 years· food, friends, fun
Your phone steals 40% of your free time (life). Kael stops that.
how it works
A four-step loop. Designed to be uncheatable.
01
You reach for the app.
Tap Instagram or TikTok. Kael steps in first.
02
You type why you need it.
Just a short reason. “I'm bored” gets denied instantly.
03
Claude weighs it against your day.
Schedule, deadlines, and goals are the context. Claude returns yes or no.
04
Approved? Time-limited. Denied? You reflect.
Approved access is time-boxed. Denied means a 20-word reflection.
features
see kael on iPhone
swipe →
YOUR FOCUS HQ
See everything at a glance.
Today's intercepts, blocked apps, and approvals — all on one screen.
four modes
Kael adjusts itself to your day.
Four modes. Kael switches between them automatically.
🌙
Night
lenient
10 PM – 6 AM. Empathetic, but does the sleep math.
☀️
Ease
lenient
Weekday evenings. Kael leans toward yes.
⚖️
Balanced
normal
Default daytime. Standard judgment.
🔥
Focus
strict
Class, work, deadlines. Tight grants only.
who it's for
App addiction
- Pause before reflexive opens
- See how often you reach for it
- Build resistance over time
Students
- Activates during class hours
- Apps require justification
- Compete on streaks with friends
Professionals
- Deep work blocks on schedule
- Location bubbles for focus
- Weekly focus report
Teams & Schools
- Deploy across organization
- Set shared focus policies
- Track engagement and impact
for teams & schools
Deploy Kael across your organization.
Focus policies for your team or campus. Admin, insights, seat pricing.
explore kael for institutions →why we built kael
We were tired of losing hours to our phones.
Built by Raj (Princeton) and Ceferino (Amherst). The focus app we wished existed.
read our story →ready to reclaim your focus?
free download. 2 months of Pro on us.