Choose what stays alive

"What stays alive?" is the most important question in AuraLock. It shifts how you think about your phone, from blocking distractions to deciding what you need.

The mindset shift

Most focus apps ask: "What should I block?" AuraLock asks a different question: "What do I need?"

That change in wording makes a real difference. Instead of fighting your phone, you are designing an environment. You keep a short, deliberate list of tools that support your purpose, and everything else stays outside by default. You no longer maintain a growing list of distractions to block.

How selection works

Follow the walkthrough below, or read the summary that follows:

Open the Aura you want to edit

Open an existing Aura, or create a new one, to reach the app selection step.

Tap What Stays Alive

This is the whitelist step — the heart of AuraLock. Everything you do not choose waits outside the Aura.

Search your installed apps

Search your installed apps or scroll the full list to find what you need.

Tap each app to add it

Tap each app to add it to the Aura — tap again to remove. A live counter always shows how many apps stay alive.

Stay intentional

Ask "does this app help me right now?" If the answer is not a clear yes, leave it out. You can always add it back mid-session. Your Focus Level sets how many apps you can keep alive — five to begin with, rising to eight and then twelve.

Examples by purpose

Deep Work

• Notes — for capturing ideas
• Calendar — for scheduling
• Browser — for research
• Music — for focus playlists

Study

• Calculator
• Dictionary or translation app
• Browser — for academic sources
• Timer — for pomodoro sessions

Family Time

• Camera — for memories
• Messages — for coordination
• Maps — for directions
• Music — for shared listening

Personal Time

• Notes — for capturing thoughts
• Reading app — for a good book
• Music or podcast app — for unwinding

System apps always stay available

Essential functions — phone calls, emergency access, alarms, and system settings — are always protected, even when you don't add them to an Aura. AuraLock never compromises safety or accessibility.

Changing apps mid-session

Your needs can change while you work. Open the session controls during an active Aura and select Change allowed apps to add or remove apps without ending the session. The update applies immediately.

Review regularly

Your needs change over time. Periodically review what stays alive in each Aura and adjust it. A quick weekly check works well: ask yourself whether you used everything you kept alive. Apps you kept "just in case" are usually the ones you can leave outside next week.

Prebuilt templates

If you are not sure where to start, AuraLock ships templates that come pre-filled with common app choices:

• Everyday Essentials — phone, messages, and maps stay alive
• Deep Work — just the basics, no distractions
• Study Mode — notes and messages within reach
• On the Go — maps, camera, and music for travel
• Wind Down — music and photos for the evening

These templates resolve against the apps actually installed on your device, so the same template works on any Android phone. Tap one to start, then adjust what stays alive to your liking.

How many apps you can keep alive

The number of staying-alive apps is part of AuraLock’s progression, so the ceiling grows as your Focus Level does:

• Levels 1–2 — 5 apps per Aura
• Levels 3–8 — 8 apps per Aura
• Levels 9+ — 12 apps per Aura

If you try to select one more than your level allows, the picker tells you exactly which level raises the limit rather than silently refusing. Launchers, keyboards, and system components never count toward it — they are excluded before the count is taken.

What can never be blocked

Some things are excluded before AuraLock decides what to block, which is why a blocked app can never leave you stranded on an unusable phone:

• Launchers — your home screen and app drawer keep working.
• Keyboards and input methods — you can always type, in any app that is alive.
• System components — the parts Android needs to remain a working phone.
• AuraLock itself — the app holding the boundary is never treated as a blocked app.

If you forgot an app mid-session

In a Standard Aura you can open the app picker while the session runs and add what you missed — the boundary updates immediately, with no need to restart. In a Strict Aura the set is fixed once you start, which is why the review screen before you enter is worth reading.

If you keep adding the same app to the same Aura, that is a signal: edit the Aura (or its schedule) once instead, so you stop paying the same tax every day.