PuzzleGate.
A little pause for your Android

Would you solve
this to open
Instagram?

Give your brain the first move. PuzzleGate puts a puzzle between you and the apps you open on autopilot.

Meet the puzzles See how it works

Coming to Android. A little pause is on its way.

Solve before you scroll.
YOUR NEXT SCROLL CAN WAIT.
PuzzleGate chess practice screen showing a mate-in-one puzzle
One move. Then your next move.
A real puzzle from the app’s practice mode.
Choose your appsPick your puzzlesSet your access timeStay in control
A better kind of screen time

Less autopilot.
More “aha”.

Make the pause your own. Sort out who tells the truth, fill a Sudoku grid, or look for checkmate. Pick the challenges and difficulty that suit you.

01 / Knights & Knaves

Who tells
the truth?

Knights always tell the truth. Knaves always lie. Use the clues to decide who is who.

Optional one-time purchase
PuzzleGate Knights and Knaves logic puzzle with four statements and a grid to assign each personView screenshot ↗
02 / Sudoku

Trade a feed
for a grid.

Fill a 9 × 9 Sudoku before continuing. A more thoughtful pause, at your chosen level.

Included free
PuzzleGate Sudoku practice screen with a 9 by 9 gridView screenshot ↗
03 / One-Move Chess

Checkmate
the habit.

Find mate in one. Give your next app opening a little more intention.

Optional one-time purchase
PuzzleGate One-Move Chess practice puzzleView screenshot ↗

Actual screenshots from practice mode. When blocking is enabled, puzzles appear over your selected apps.

More ways to pause

Quick Maths · Crossword Clues · Anagrams · Word Ladder · Ring Maths · Anki Cards · KenKen / Killer Cage

Quick Maths, Sudoku, Crossword Clues, Anagrams and Word Ladder are free. The other five categories, including Knights & Knaves, are optional one-time purchases.
A pause, on your terms

Three steps between
you and autopilot.

  1. 01

    Choose the apps.

    Select the distracting apps you want to pause. Nothing is selected for you.

  2. 02

    Choose the challenge.

    Pick your puzzle categories, difficulty and access time. Enable blocking after reviewing the permission disclosure.

  3. 03

    Solve. Then decide.

    Open a selected app and solve a puzzle to continue. Or leave the app and get back to your day.

You’re in charge. Pause blocking whenever you want. Essential phone, Settings, home and keyboard controls are excluded from blocking.

Your phone. Your choices.

A thoughtful pause.
A transparent app.

Puzzles and imported Anki text cards are processed on your device. PuzzleGate doesn’t keep a history of the apps you open or upload your puzzle answers to a developer server.

App detection uses Android accessibility window-change events with your consent. It doesn’t read screen text, messages or passwords. Google Play handles optional purchases.

Read the privacy policy
Before your first puzzle

A few good questions.

What is PuzzleGate?

PuzzleGate is an Android app blocker that adds a puzzle before you can use an app you’ve selected. It helps you pause before automatic scrolling rather than relying only on a timer.

Can I use it with Instagram or other social apps?

You choose which installed apps to block, including supported social apps such as Instagram. It’s a separate focus app, not affiliated with Instagram or Meta. Behaviour can vary by device and Android version.

Do the puzzles work offline?

The bundled puzzles and imported supported Anki text cards work offline. Google Play purchases and restoring purchases may require a connection.

Can I use my Anki cards?

Yes. The optional Anki Cards category can import supported Basic text cards from an .apkg export. It’s a local puzzle feature: it doesn’t sync to Anki or update its review schedule. Cloze, media and complex templates aren’t supported.

Can I turn blocking off?

Yes. Pause from the app, remove selected apps, withdraw consent, disable the accessibility service, or uninstall. PuzzleGate is a voluntary focus tool.

Is PuzzleGate available yet?

PuzzleGate is coming to Android. The Google Play link will appear here when the app launches.

A little puzzle. A more deliberate scroll.

Your brain deserves
the first move.

Meet the puzzles