BEFORESCROLL STUDIO

Prayer First

Before the scroll, the light.
A Scripture-first app blocker on Google Play and the App Store.
Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store
Read the manifesto
Android · Google Play iOS · App Store
§ I   Manifesto

The first thing you reach for in the morning becomes the shape of your day.

Most of us reach for the feed. The thumb knows the way to Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook — before the eyes are open. Twenty minutes gone, and the day has begun in someone else's noise.

Prayer First is the gate. A small lock on the apps that own your mornings — Instagram, TikTok, Reels, the rest. Try to open them, and Prayer First asks one thing first: scripture. Open your Bible app, read from a physical Bible, or write a short journal line. Then the world is yours again.

Not a guilt machine. Not a screen-time scold. Just a door, with a small key shaped like a verse.

a gentle gate, before the feed
§ II
How it works

Four small steps,
between you and the feed.

i.

Pick the apps

Instagram, TikTok, Reels, X, Facebook, YouTube — anything you'd rather not open first. Set them and forget the list.

ii.

Reach as usual

You wake, you grab the phone, your thumb finds Instagram. Prayer First steps in — a still screen instead of a feed.

iii.

Scripture first

Open your Bible app — YouVersion, Olive Tree, the one you already use — or start a quiet physical Bible timer. Prayer First counts either as your morning.

iv.

The gate opens

The lock lifts. Scroll if you must — but the first word of your day was God's, not the algorithm's.

§ III
What's inside

A small lock
with a beautiful key.

Blocks the feed

Instagram, TikTok, Reels, X, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat. Pick the apps your plan allows; Power Pack removes the app-slot limit.

Bible-app aware

Use YouVersion, Olive Tree, Logos, or the Bible app you already love. Meet your configured reading threshold; Prayer First counts it as your key.

Or read your physical Bible

Have a paper Bible? Start the timer, set the phone down, and read. When the timer finishes, the gate lifts.

The lock follows your plan

Free access starts with a whole-day rule. Power Pack adds custom windows; once you complete the rule, the gate opens for that day or active window.

A verse for the day

A single line of scripture on the lock screen. Quiet, direct, and never a substitute for the reading itself.

Private by design

Normal journal use stays on your device. Optional Power Pack requests only send the note or photo you choose after consent.

§ IV
Trust & privacy

What Prayer First can see,
and what stays yours.

Prayer First asks for powerful phone permissions because blocking apps is powerful. The rule is simple: use those permissions for the morning gate, keep intimate data on-device, and say plainly where each platform behaves differently.

No hidden feed of your journal. No server copy of selected apps. No web tracker on this site. The product has to earn trust before it asks for discipline.

Local first

Your private pieces stay on your phone.

The shield list, lock window, unlock state, and journal entries are designed as local app state, not a remote profile of your morning.

  • Journal text and photos stay local during normal use; optional Power Pack requests send only what you choose after consent.
  • Selected blocked apps are not uploaded as a readable list.
  • Email is used for launch updates and referral access.
Android

Android can enforce the firmest gate.

Android lets Prayer First detect when a chosen app opens and place the Prayer First shield in front of it during your lock window.

  • Requires Accessibility and usage-access permissions.
  • Can block ordinary apps you choose.
  • You can disable the rule in Android settings.
iOS

iOS uses Apple's Screen Time path.

iOS does not allow arbitrary foreground-app interception. Prayer First uses FamilyControls, DeviceActivity, and ManagedSettings instead.

  • Requires Apple's Screen Time authorization.
  • Uses opaque app/category tokens, not readable app names.
  • Requires Apple entitlement approval before public release.
Limited anonymous mobile analytics may be used to understand onboarding and paywall health. Prayer First does not collect journal text, photos, selected app lists, foreground app names, Screen Time tokens, email inside analytics events, or raw referral codes.
§ V
A look inside

What the lock
actually looks like.

What you see
when you reach for the feed.

You tap Instagram. Prayer First intercepts. A single still page, a verse, and three quiet doors — a Bible app, a physical Bible timer, or a short journal entry. Pick one; the lock lifts.

  • block The app you tried to open, gently held.
  • verse A line of scripture for today.
  • key Open a Bible app, read physically, or write a short entry.
  • open The feed unlocks for the window you set.
8:42● ● ●
Prayer First · Instagram held
A small gate before the feed
Scripture first.
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118 : 24
✦
Choose your key
Bible app · physical Bible · journal
§ VIII
From the testers

The first words
are still being written.

✦

Honest line: we don't have testimonials yet. Store downloads are open.

Tester #001 — reserved for you
Download from the store buttons or subscribe below; tell us how it goes.
✦

When you've used Prayer First for a week, write us a line. The good ones live here.

Tester #002
Reserved — radiansnail@gmail.com
✦

Until then — our promise. No fake reviews, no astroturfed quotes. Real testers, real words, or none.

A rule we keep
BeforeScroll Studio
§ IX
Frequently asked

Questions, gently.

So Prayer First doesn't have its own readings or prayers?
Right. Prayer First isn't another Bible app — it's the small lock between you and the feed. We send you to your Bible app (YouVersion, Olive Tree, Logos, the one you already love), or let you use a physical Bible timer. The verse on the lock screen is a small daily nudge, not a substitute for the real thing.
Which apps can it block?
On Android, ordinary apps you choose. We pre-list the usual suspects — Instagram, TikTok, Reels, X, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads — and you can add other apps you want held until you've opened scripture. On iOS, app shielding follows Apple's Screen Time path and may behave differently.
How does the physical Bible unlock work?
Start the physical Bible timer, set the phone down, and read. When the timer completes, Prayer First marks the morning done and opens the feed for the day.
Which Bible apps does it detect?
YouVersion is the big one; the current Android source list also includes ESV Bible, Olive Tree, Logos, Dwell Bible, Lectio 365, and Hallow. If you use one we miss, tell us — requests drive the next additions.
Can I just bypass the lock?
If you really want to, yes — Prayer First is a gentle gate, not a prison. You can turn it off, change apps, or shorten the rule. The point isn't to trap you; it's to make scripture the easier reach than the feed.
How do Android and iOS differ?
Android has the firmest blocking path because it can use Accessibility Service and Usage Access for selected app detection. iOS is listed on the App Store and follows Apple's Screen Time APIs, so shielding behavior depends on Apple's permissions and entitlement review.
How do I get the app?
Use the Google Play or App Store buttons, or scan the QR code to open the current download links.
Is my data private?
Normal journal use stays on your phone. Optional Power Pack requests only send selected text or photos after you choose them. Selected blocked apps are not uploaded as a readable list, and foreground app names are not sent in analytics. We use email for launch updates and may use limited anonymous mobile analytics for onboarding and paywall health. We don't sell or share your data.
§ X
From the maker

A note on why
this exists.

portrait
of the founder
· coming soon ·

I built Prayer First because I couldn't stop scrolling. I'd wake up, reach for Instagram before the eyes were open, and lose forty minutes to a feed I didn't enjoy and didn't remember by lunch. I tried screen-time apps. I tried hiding the phone in another room. I tried sheer willpower. None of it stuck.

What worked, eventually, was a tiny rule. Before Instagram, scripture. Even a page. Even a verse. After a few weeks, the order of my morning had quietly flipped. So I built the rule into the phone — a small lock with a small key, so the right thing was easier than the wrong thing.

I'm one person, building this slowly. If you sign up, you'll hear from me directly — not a marketing team, not a chatbot.

With care, in the early hours — BRIAN
§ XI
Mentions, kindly

No one has written
about us yet.

An open invitation

Writing about morning habits, the attention economy, or the quiet church of small software? We'd love a conversation.

Product facts, platform status, privacy posture, and contact details now live on the press page.

Open the press page →