Friction Atlas
Not released yetAndroid & Microsoft Store releases are coming soon.
User manual

Use the app without guessing.

Start simple. You do not need every permission or every feature on day one. The core habit workflow works locally without an account.

1. Getting started

Friction Atlas is built around one idea: when a habit does not happen, the miss can become useful evidence. Create a few habits, log them consistently, and add detail only when it helps.

  1. Create your first habit.
  2. Choose the weekdays it should appear.
  3. When it appears Today, mark it Done or Blocked.
  4. If blocked, record the friction and any countermeasure you tried.
  5. After enough history, review Insights and experiments.
The core habit tracker does not require Usage Access, Accessibility, overlay permission or a Friction Atlas account.

2. Habits

Create and schedule

Use clear action names such as “20-minute walk” or “Deep work 45 min” instead of vague goals. Select the weekdays when the habit should be active.

Edit, archive and restore

Habits can be edited, archived, restored or permanently deleted. Archive is useful when you want to preserve history without keeping the habit active.

Daily logging

For each scheduled habit choose Done or Blocked. The goal is reliable evidence, not perfect streaks.

3. Blocked days & friction

When a habit is blocked, select or create the reason that best describes what got in the way. Examples include low energy, no time, forgot, too hard, mood, environment and phone/scrolling.

You can record energy, notes and a countermeasure. Later mark whether the countermeasure helped. This is how the app learns which changes repeatedly work for you.

A blocked log is not a failure score. It is an observation used for patterns and experiments.

4. Seven-day experiments

Use experiments when one countermeasure seems worth testing. Friction Atlas compares the period around the experiment so you can see whether the change appears useful.

Only test one meaningful change at a time when possible. Small, specific interventions are easier to evaluate than broad lifestyle promises.

5. Digital Friction Monitor — Android

Digital Friction is optional and split into separate permissions.

Usage Access

With Android Usage Access enabled, the app can summarize local device-derived information such as per-app foreground time, estimated opens/sessions, total app time and top apps.

Enhanced short-form tracking

A separate, optional Accessibility Service can estimate short-form items viewed in supported apps such as Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels and TikTok-style feeds. It observes relevant scroll/surface events only.

Counts are estimates. Third-party app interfaces change, reverse scrolling can affect events, and Friction Atlas must not present these numbers as exact platform analytics.

The service does not intentionally store messages, passwords, screenshots, images, typed content, raw accessibility trees or screen text.

Turning it off

The Digital Friction master switch is off by default. You can disable it at any time. Delete Everything also removes locally saved digital evidence.

6. Friction Bot

Android

The optional floating companion requires “Display over other apps.” It can be dragged, snap to an edge, remember position, show supported live context and be paused, hidden or stopped.

Windows

The mini companion is an always-on-top app window. It shows local habit progress, experiment context and the selected bot skin. It does not claim Android Usage Access metrics on Windows.

Moods

Companions can use Calm/Idle, Happy, Proud, Curious, Focus, Tired, Concerned and Sleep visual states. Reactions are rate-limited. Reduced Motion keeps the useful state while limiting motion.

7. Habit correlation

Correlation compares logged Done and Missed days against locally available digital-friction summaries. Metrics can include screen time, app opens, observed short-form counts and top-app time.

Friction Atlas requires minimum evidence before presenting a signal: at least 7 matched days, 3 Done days and 3 Missed days. More history increases the evidence label.

Association is not causation. If Instagram time is higher on missed Deep Work days, the app can show that relationship; it should not claim Instagram caused the miss.

8. Backup, lock & data controls

Habit history and supported local evidence can be exported/imported through the app’s backup tools. Optional device/biometric lock can protect local app access where supported.

Delete Everything clears local app data including correlation evidence. Store ownership is different: paid product ownership is handled by the app store and can be restored where supported.

9. Pro Lifetime & Bot Garage

Pro Lifetime is a one-time non-consumable product for eligible premium app features. Paid robot skins are separate one-time products. Buying Pro does not automatically unlock every paid bot.

Atlas Mini is the free default companion. Actual paid bot prices are the localized prices shown by the store at purchase time.

10. Troubleshooting

Digital data is empty

Confirm the Digital Friction master switch is on and Android Usage Access is granted. Usage data can take time to become useful if you just enabled it.

Short-form count does not move

Confirm Enhanced Tracking is enabled and its Accessibility Service is active. Counts remain estimates and supported app UI changes can affect detection.

Bot is not visible

On Android, confirm Display over other apps is allowed and the bot is started. On Windows, reopen the Mini Friction Bot from the app.

Correlation says “Building evidence”

Keep logging the habit. The engine intentionally waits for enough Done and Missed observations instead of inventing conclusions from a few days.

Need more help?

See the Support page for a concise diagnostic checklist.