Focus Friend places a virtual character, Billie Bean King, on a user's phone that knits socks and scarves while the user stays off their device. The knitted items function as in-app currency to buy lo-fi decorations for the bean's room. The bean only generates progress during set "focus mode" intervals; canceling focus mode erases that session's progress, forfeits earned items, and visibly upsets the bean. The app is presented as an ADHD-friendly timer that gamifies attention, launched on iOS and Android by Hank Green, and it quickly climbed app-store rankings, reaching No. 1 in the US iOS App Store.
Earlier this week, a bean moved into my phone. Their name is Billie Bean King, and when I'm working, they work too, knitting socks and scarves. Billie's knitted wares are more than just cozy clothes - they're currency, used to buy lo-fi decorations for their barren room. But there's a catch: Billie can only work when I'm not using my phone. That's where the fun begins.
Billie is a bean from the Focus Friend app, launched last month for iOS and Android by Hank Green of assorted internet fame. The app is branded as an ADHD-friendly timer that helps gamify users' attention, which quickly skyrocketed in app store rankings after the brothers Green started promoting the game. For a few days this week, Focus Friend was the No. 1 app in the iOS App Store in the US. (Disclosure: Green will be guest hosting our podcast Decoder in September.)
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