touchgrass.now
Productivity
screen time habit blocker
SHOW HN2025
1,203points
268comments
#8of 3,837 in 2025
Top 1%of 2025 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
39 positive, 62 neutral or asking, 5 mixed, 21 critical, out of 127 comments about the project. Thread score +0.17.
Idea: 27 for, 16 againstDesign: 2 for, 1 againstExecution: 0 for, 3 againstPrivacy: 1 for, 1 againstPerformance: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Good design and execution
From 2 comments
Love the idea and the app looks great! Originality and artsy-smartsy, kudos!
nosmokewhereiam on HNGreat concept, solid privacy policy and terms of service, and an excellent use of premium purchases to support rewilding projects. Absolutely love it!
stego-tech on HN
Objections
Snow-covered or no-grass locations make it unusable in winter
From 4 comments
I have a user issue: there is currently 3 feet of snow outside and no grass to be seen :P
freeone3000 on HNthree's 2 feet of snow on the ground. there's no grass. what do i do? can we get an update to touch snow?
benfarahmand on HNApp not recommended for Canadians. Unless someone makes a 'touch snow' plugin.
yssrnjm on HNThis is going to be rough up north where I am, too much snow.
duxup on HN
Fake grass or photos could be used to cheat
From 3 comments
People are just going to carry a patch of fake grass around with them to bypass the checks. So I suspect the reviews will be astroturfed.
pcthrowaway on HNWhat if someone tries to cheat and just touch a picture of grass? You need to understand that the no-touch-grass people are Machiavellian.
bloomingkales on HNGreat concept! However my mind started already coming up with ideas how to circumvent this like printing out a color picture of grass! Hope you can detect these fake attempts! :)
baxtr on HN
Asking for location data is questionable
From 1 comment
Why does the app need to collect location data?
woadwarrior01 on HN
Requests
Add a touch snow option
From 5 comments
Can I touch snow instead? There is no grass in sight in Canada this time of the year
zawaideh on HNI live in Finland. Any chance I can get a "touch snow" option? Thanks.
izhak on HNPlease add a "touch snow" feature for those living in the north ;)
weebao on HNNeeds a mode where touching snow counts.
tibbetts on HNThis is great! A mode for snow would be awesome, haha. Up here in Canada there isn't always grass around in winter.
lukeinator42 on HN
Android version
From 3 comments
Is there an Android version coming soon? Also it would be better if you kept Instagram uninstalled... I see it installing on the screenshot!
simondanerd on HNThis is fire. Sent it to a few people. I don't use an iPhone as my daily, unfortunately. Android port? I'd pay you €0.99 at least!
theodric on HNThis is great, OP. For someone like me who is addicted to my phone in the house, it would be nice if there was some arbitrary object at the opposite side of the house I could…
Yhippa on HN
Customisable items to touch
From 2 comments
I plan on letting the user select what they have to touch, for launch it's just grass but customisation is on the way!
risquer on HNThanks man! I plan on letting the user set what they have to touch, it's on the roadmap!
risquer on HN
Questions
Why does the app need location data?
From 1 comment
Why does the app need to collect location data?
woadwarrior01 on HN
How does the app block other apps?
From 2 comments
How is it blocking other apps? Is it creating apple shortcuts which go through this app as a launcher?
moontear on HNHow is it that an app can block access to other apps?
kayson on HN
Why does it require iOS 17?
From 1 comment
Very nice, but why does it require iOS 17 ? Jailbreakers are stuck on iOS 16 (and some are stuck even lower than that.. )
popol12 on HN
Alternatives named
Geostreaks check-in app for walking outdoors
From 1 comment
Very cool concept! I wanted to make a similar thing a few years ago, but for a slightly different purpose: force myself to walk more. I built an iOS app called Geostreaks [1]…
freetonik on HN
One Sec app for breaking social media habits
From 1 comment
One sec was great for breaking my YouTube shorts habit but the safari plugin only works 90% of the time and in some way the "gambling nature" of hitting reload and getting in…
etothepii on HN
Pokemon Go for getting people outside
From 2 comments
This is very cool. Congrats! I love it when apps force you to step outside. Pokemon Go was such a brilliant game in this regard! Wish we had more apps like this.
linklater12 on HNReminds me of Pokémon go
tsunego on HN