r/roastmystartup • u/sumshetty • 3d ago

I built a meditation app that blocks your distracting apps and forces you to do breathwork instead.

I spent 2 years doomscrolling until 1:47am, telling myself "just five more minutes," then hating myself in the morning. Tried deleting Instagram. Reinstalled it 11 hours later. Tried Opal. Bypassed it. Tried willpower. Willpower doesn't exist at midnight.
So I built the thing I actually needed.

What it does

Bliss auto-blocks your distracting apps 30 minutes before bed and 30 minutes after you wake up.

Then — instead of staring at a wall — it gives you a 60-second breathwork session (box breathing, 4-7-8, physiological sigh). There are also structured Vipassana, Anapana, and Yoga Nidra / NSDR courses if you want to go deeper.

The whole thing is rooted in the Buddhist & Yogic tradition, not celebrity bedtime stories.

The thesis: every other blocker fails because of the vacuum it creates. You block the app, your brain panics, you reinstall it. Bliss blocks the app AND fills the silence. That's the entire product.

iOS only. Launched. Early users. No outside funding — bootstrapped. Still figuring out positioning, onboarding, and whether the "block + breath" concept is instantly clear or confusing. Pricing is 99$ for lifetime for early users - no subscription is what I’m thinking. No Android yet.

Why me
I've sat multiple meditation retreats. This isn't a wellness-influencer cash grab — I built the daily practice I wanted after I came home from a 10-day retreat and couldn't maintain it. The app is an attempt to bring Anapana and Vipassana into a format that fits between your alarm and your commute.

Link: getbliss.app

Where does this thesis crack? Is "blocker + breathwork" a wedge or a confusion? What's the most obvious thing I'm getting wrong? Any and all feedback will be greatly appreciated.

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u/roberthcmn 19h ago

One observation and one question:

  1. If I don't want to doom scroll late at night or first thing in the morning is because I don't want to use the phone that much, not to replace certain apps with other apps thus still being on the phone.

  2. What would stop me to block certain apps with any other competitors offering similar things and then open any other meditation app from the thousands that are out there?

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u/sumshetty 13h ago

Thanks for asking

On 1 - it’s a very valid concern and one of my biggest paradoxes - my intent is not to force the breathwork in the evening as such as an alternative

The goal is for the screen blocker to block distractions - whether it’s replaced by breathwork/meditation is optional. The idea though is that there needs to be a replacement activity especially when you’re weaning off screen time initially

Does that make sense ? Also the science begind habit change usually strongly suggests replacing bad habits with good vs removing habits completely as the latter never works

On 2- so unlike other meditations apps we have a strong focus on pedagogy - our goal is to help you build reps and not by giving you a 1000 options to do the same. But the alternative you suggests works too - I think it’s just cheaper and better to do it in one.

I’m curious - what would make it something attractive for you to replace option 2? UX, price or something else ?