Hank Green’s Focus Friend App Soars on App Store – Adorable & Effective
▼ Summary
– Focus Friend is a productivity app by Honey B Games and Hank Green that helps users stay focused by blocking distracting apps, featuring an anthropomorphic bean whose knitting project depends on the user’s focus.
– The app recently gained popularity, reaching No. 4 among free apps and No. 2 in productivity apps on the App Store, likely due to promotion by Hank and John Green.
– Users set a timer to block apps (via iOS screen time settings) and earn in-game points (socks) for completing focus sessions, which can be used to decorate their bean’s room.
– Similar to apps like Finch, Focus Friend leverages users’ attachment to virtual companions (like the bean) to motivate productivity and healthy habits.
– The app is free but offers paid skins (e.g., cat or jelly bean) and a subscription for premium decorations, aiming to avoid ads while supporting its development team.
Staying productive just got a whole lot cuter thanks to Hank Green’s latest creation, Focus Friend. The app, developed by Honey B Games, combines time management with adorable motivation, your focus directly impacts a charming little bean’s knitting progress. If you stray to social media or games, your bean’s project suffers. But if you succeed, you’re rewarded with in-game socks to decorate its cozy space.
Since its quiet launch last month, Focus Friend has climbed to No. 4 among free apps on the App Store, thanks in part to promotion by Green and his brother, author John Green. It’s also secured the No. 2 spot in productivity apps, proving that gamification and emotional engagement resonate with users. Available on both iOS and Android, the app integrates standard focus timers but stands out with its playful twist.
Unlike traditional productivity tools, Focus Friend assigns you a customizable bean companion, name it anything from Garbanzo to Susan Bean Anthony. The bean’s knitting progress depends entirely on your ability to resist distractions. Complete a session, and you earn socks to personalize its room with posters, plants, or even a tiny bookshelf. The concept mirrors apps like Finch, where nurturing a virtual pet encourages real-world habits, tapping into the same nostalgia as Tamagotchis.
While the core features are free, optional paid upgrades let you dress your bean in fun skins, like a cat-themed “Kitt-ney Bean” or a colorful jelly bean. A subscription unlocks extra perks, including scarf-knitting abilities for premium decor. Hank Green emphasized on Bluesky that the app avoids intrusive ads, calling the mobile ad ecosystem “kinda blows.” Instead, monetization supports the team behind the beans, making it a win for users and developers alike.
Whether you’re easily distracted or just love a good bean, Focus Friend turns productivity into a heartwarming game. It’s proof that sometimes, the simplest ideas, like helping a pixelated friend knit, can make the biggest impact.
(Source: TechCrunch)
