I built an app that blocks social media until you read Quran daily
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Hey HN,I'm a solo developer from Nigeria. I built Quran Unlock - an app that blocks distracting apps (TikTok, Instagram, etc.) until you complete your daily Quran reading.The idea came from my own struggle with phone addiction. I wanted to read Quran daily but kept getting distracted. So I built this for myself, then shared it.Some stats after 2 months: - 123K+ users - 64.9% returning user rate - 31M events trackedTech stack: - React Native - Firebase (Auth, Firestore, Analytics, Cloud Messaging) - RevenueCat for subscriptions - iOS Screen Time API + Android UsageStatsApp Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/quran-unlock/id6754449406Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.quranu...Would love feedback from the HN community!
HN · launched Jan 9, 2026 · 7 upvotes (top 65%) · 1 view
Niche: distraction and screen time blockers · 257 launches, 30 in the last 7 days ▲ +7% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Horizontal
- Workflow automation
- B2C
- Not AI
- Commercial product
More like this: all 257 launches in distraction and screen time blockers →
Could you build this?
Partial The app interface, Quran reader, and streak tracking are easily vibe-coded, but enforcing system-level app blocking on iOS and Android requires strict OS-level permissions and framework expertise.
What it would actually take: Built with Swift (iOS) and Kotlin (Android) or React Native with native modules. The hard part is navigating platform-specific restrictions: Apple's FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, and DeviceActivity frameworks on iOS, and AccessibilityServices / UsageStatsManager / foreground services on Android. These APIs have strict entitlements, convoluted lifecycles, and Apple App Store review hurdles that require native platform engineering experience to configure and get approved.
Discussion
1 comment analyzed.
Concerns raised: distraction is an issue
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 306 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #146 of 307 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 68 days after the earliest competitor.
- I built an app that blocks social media until you read Quran daily · hn · 2026-01-25 · 9 upvotes · similarity 1.00
- I built a Bible verse feed to replace doomscrolling · hn · 2026-11-04 · 8 upvotes · similarity 0.56
- Distraction Free · ph · 2026-09-19 · 2 upvotes · similarity 0.52
- Quran Habit App · ph · 2026-09-27 · 2 upvotes · similarity 0.52
- release version 2.0.1 · ph · 2026-09-14 · 2 upvotes · similarity 0.50
- Bible Plan: Verse Alarm & Lock · ph · 2026-10-10 · 2 upvotes · similarity 0.48
- PrayerShield · ph · 2026-09-12 · 2 upvotes · similarity 0.48
- SimranLock · ph · 2026-11-05 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.47
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