One Sec App Review: Does It Actually Work?
By John, ScreenBuddy Founder
One Sec works well at what it does: adding friction before you open distracting apps. A breathing exercise pops up every time you tap Instagram or TikTok, giving you a moment to reconsider. Research with the Max Planck Institute found it reduced app opens by 57%. But friction alone doesn't limit how long you scroll once you're in. If you need time limits alongside the pause, One Sec won't be enough on its own.
I used One Sec for a month before building ScreenBuddy. Here's my honest take.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
One Sec's friction-based approach is backed by research showing 57% fewer app opens
The breathing exercise happens every time you open a protected app, which can get annoying
Setup requires the iOS Shortcuts app, which is more complicated than most app blockers
There are no daily time limits, so you can still scroll for hours once you get past the pause
The app shows you how many times you've opened each app, which some find discouraging rather than helpful
Best for people who only need a pause to catch themselves; less effective for people who need hard limits
What One Sec Does Well
The friction is effective. One Sec forces you to take a breath before opening apps like Instagram or TikTok. That pause interrupts the autopilot behavior that leads to mindless scrolling. For some people, that's all they need. The moment of awareness is enough to make them put the phone down.
It's backed by real research. A study with the Max Planck Institute and University of Heidelberg found that One Sec reduced social media app opens by 57%. That's not marketing fluff. It's peer-reviewed research showing the friction approach genuinely works.
It's affordable. The free version works with one app. Pro costs around $25/year or $50 for lifetime access. Compared to competitors like Opal ($100/year), that's reasonable.
Customizable interventions. Beyond the breathing exercise, Pro users can choose other friction types: rotating the phone, following a dot on screen, looking at yourself in the camera, or just waiting a set number of seconds.
What One Sec Doesn't Do Well
No daily time limits. This was the dealbreaker for me. One Sec adds friction before you open an app, but once you're past the pause, you have unlimited access. You deal with a minor interruption and then spend uncapped time on the apps that suck up all your hours. Friction alone wasn't enough to actually reduce my screen time long-term.
Setup is more complicated than it should be. One Sec uses the iOS Shortcuts app to trigger its interventions. You have to create automations for each app you want to protect. It's not impossibly hard, but it's more steps than most app blockers require, and it can feel clunky if you're not familiar with Shortcuts.
The data can feel discouraging. Every time the intervention pops up, it tells you how many times you've opened that app. I get why they included it. But when you're trying to quit and you see "You've opened Instagram 55 times today," it doesn't motivate you. It just makes you feel bad. I already know I have a problem. I don't need the reminder every time.
The breathing exercise gets annoying. It happens every single time you open a protected app. No exceptions. After a few days, it stops feeling like mindfulness and starts feeling like a speed bump you're just waiting to clear.
Who One Sec Is Best For
One Sec is a good fit for people who only need a moment of awareness to catch themselves. If a quick pause is enough to make you think "wait, do I actually want to scroll right now?" and then put your phone down, One Sec will work for you.
It's less ideal for people who need actual limits. If you're the type who will push through the friction and then scroll for an hour anyway, you need something that caps your time, not just delays your entry.
Alternatives to Consider
ScreenBuddy combines friction with daily limits. You get a 25-second countdown before apps unlock (similar to One Sec), but you also set a custom daily budget for how much time you can access them. Once your budget runs out, apps lock for the rest of the day. I built it after realizing friction alone wasn't enough for me. The combination of both finally got my screen time from 7 hours to under 3.
Opal offers stricter blocking with a polished interface and detailed analytics. Its Deep Focus mode is genuinely hard to bypass. The downside is price ($100/year) and the gamification features that some people find excessive.
Freedom blocks apps and websites across all your devices: phone, tablet, and computer. Good for people who switch devices when one is blocked.
Bottom Line
One Sec does friction well, and the research backs it up. But if friction isn't enough to keep you off your phone, you'll blow past the pause and scroll for hours anyway. For long-term screen time reduction, you need limits alongside the friction.
For more options, check out our full guide on apps to stop doomscrolling.
