Start, manage, and end an Aura

Learn how to start an Aura, manage it with session controls, and end it — including how Strict Aura handles early exit and what happens on restart.

Starting an Aura

From the AuraLock home screen, follow the walkthrough below.

Tap the Aura you want to start

From the AuraLock home screen, tap the Aura you want to run. Saved Auras appear here for one-tap access.

Review what stays alive

Check the apps you selected for this Aura. Adjust if the moment calls for something different.

Set or confirm the duration

Choose a named duration such as Pomodoro (25 min) or Flow (60 min), or confirm the saved one.

Tap Enter Aura

Your Aura becomes active. Only your selected apps remain accessible; everything else waits outside.

Confirm if prompted

A Strict Aura asks for an extra confirmation before it starts, because it is designed to be harder to leave.

Your Aura is now active. Only your selected apps remain accessible; everything else waits outside.

Quick start

If you are in a hurry, use a one-tap preset from the Home screen: Quick Focus (15 min), Deep Work (45 min), or Power Hour (60 min, strict). Each one enters an Aura in a single tap.

During an Aura

While the Aura is active, the overlay shows the Aura name and purpose, the remaining time with a progress ring, the apps that stay alive, and the session controls.

The timer also runs in the background, so you can use a kept-alive app and still see your progress in the persistent notification.

Session controls

Open the session controls to manage your Aura:

• Pause — take a real break; the timer pauses and the boundary relaxes briefly
• Extend time — add 15, 30, or 60 minutes if you are in flow
• Change allowed apps — adjust what stays alive mid-session
• Session settings — review or adjust the current session

Returning to your Aura

If you navigate away from the Aura screen, tap Return to Aura from the notification or reopen AuraLock. When you open an app outside the Aura, a boundary screen appears with a Return to Aura action.

The boundary screen

Opening an app that is not in your Aura shows a calm message: "This app is outside your Aura." It does not shame or punish you. It simply asks you to decide whether this is what you need right now. You can return to your Aura, or leave it.

Ending an Aura

To end a Standard Aura early, follow the walkthrough below.

Open the session controls

During an Aura, open the session controls to manage the session.

Tap End Aura

Choose to end the session early. This is only available in a Standard Aura.

Confirm your choice

Confirm to end the session. A summary shows what you protected and how long it lasted.

When an Aura completes

When the timer reaches zero, AuraLock marks the session as complete and shows a summary: the Aura you protected, how long it lasted, and the apps that stayed alive. From there you can start another Aura, write a quick journal entry about the session, or return to Home.

After a phone restart

If your phone restarts mid-session, AuraLock remembers. When the device comes back, it offers to Restore your Aura, showing how much time remains and which apps stay alive. A reboot does not silently end your focus.

Close the loop

A finished session is a good moment to reflect. Open the Journal and write a line or two about what you worked on and how it went, and attach a mood tag. It takes seconds and helps make the practice stick. See how the journal works.