Doom Saver

About

About Doom Saver

A screen time app for Android, made by one person who lost too many evenings to a feed.

Updated

The short version

Doom Saver is a screen time app for Android. When you open a social app you have chosen to track, Grim, a small hooded knight, appears on top of it with a live timer for how long you have spent in that app today. He decays as the total climbs: worried at 30 minutes, dead eyed at 60, unmasked at 90. He never blocks anything.

It is made by , and it launches on Google Play soon, free.

Who makes it

Samina Jameel builds Doom Saver. She works in product at IBM in Dublin, studied at IIM Tiruchirappalli, and makes small, opinionated apps on the side, including MyMir and SubLeak. Doom Saver is an independent project, not an IBM product.

She has lost more evenings to a feed than she would like to admit, which is why Grim exists.

Why it exists

Most screen time apps either block apps or report your totals after the fact. Blocks get switched off, and a weekly report arrives long after the evening is gone. Doom Saver takes a third route: it puts the number in front of you while you are still scrolling, in the app where the time is going, and lets you decide what to do about it.

That choice is backed by research on self-monitoring and on interrupting automatic habits, summarised on the home page. None of that research tested Doom Saver itself, and we do not claim it did.

What it will and will not do

  • It shows a live timer and a decaying knight on top of the apps you choose, from a list of twelve: Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Threads, Tumblr and BeReal.
  • It never blocks or delays an app. You can always keep scrolling.
  • It cannot see your screen. It uses Android's Usage Access permission, which reveals only which app is in front and for how long. What Usage Access can see.
  • It is Android only. iOS does not let third party apps draw over other apps or watch the foreground app in real time, both of which a live overlay timer needs.
  • It is free. Two tasks at a time and the full Stats screen are free too. An optional Pro tier adds custom timings for how often Grim speaks and for how long, your own phrases, unlimited tasks and a photo behind the visor. Google Play sets the price for each country, in local currency; in the US it is $14.99 once or $1.49 a month.

How it is paid for

The free app is not a trial; Grim, the timer, Stats and every tracked app stay free. Pro is an optional purchase through Google Play. Your information is not sold to anyone, and your per app totals are never sent to us. The full detail is in the privacy policy.

Contact

Email doomsaver.support@gmail.com. For setup problems, the support page covers the common ones first.