Another Way to Focus - Randomize the App Icon's Location - Make You Work More to Find it - Add Friction

Now, be honest in the comments - where would you go to get this built? I asked the oracle:

You can get most of what you want, but not the exact “randomize its icon location after each use” part. iOS does not let Shortcuts move app icons around automatically. The best practical version is: hide the app so Search can’t find it, then make opening it require a deliberate dig through App Library → Hidden folder → Face ID/passcode.

Best setup: iOS 18 “Hide and Require Face ID”

For a downloaded app:

1. Go to the Home Screen.
2. Find the app.
3. Long-press the app icon.
4. Tap Require Face ID.
5. Tap Hide and Require Face ID.
6. Authenticate.
7. Tap Hide App.

Apple says hidden apps no longer appear on the Home Screen or App Library and can’t be found with Search. They are only reachable through the Hidden folder in the App Library, after authentication.

To open it after that:

1. Swipe left past all Home Screen pages to App Library.
2. Scroll to the Hidden folder.
3. Authenticate with Face ID / Touch ID / passcode.
4. Open the app.

That gives you friction without any extra app.

Also turn off Siri/Search suggestions for that app

Even if you hide it, I’d still do this for belt-and-suspenders:

Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri / Siri → Apps → [the app]

Turn off things like:

• Show in App
• Show on Home Screen
• Suggest App
• Suggestion Notifications

Apple documents these per-app Siri Suggestion controls.

Add a hard time gate too

Use Screen Time:

Settings → Screen Time → App Limits → Add Limit → choose the app → set a low daily limit

You can set limits for individual apps, not just categories.

For stronger friction, set a Screen Time passcode that you do not know—have a spouse/friend set it. Otherwise, you’ll just hit “Ignore Limit,” because Apple notes Screen Time limits can be ignored by default unless configured more strictly.

What you probably cannot do

You probably cannot make iOS automatically move the real app icon to a random Home Screen page after each use. Shortcuts can open apps and add shortcut icons to the Home Screen, but Apple’s Shortcuts documentation does not provide an action for rearranging Home Screen icons.

The Email Client that Trillion Dollar Corporations Cannot Provide

 Not MSFT, not AAPL, not GOOG. Facebook? Maybe? Soon?

You're looking at a thread in Outlook - maybe for the first time and the the most recent replies are on top. Wouldn't it be nice to have a button so you can read the thing from top to bottom starting with the earliest message?

Simple text and formatting hacking that the big boys can't/won't do because they're so busy trying to figure out how they can better monetize your data.

AirBnB Home Upgrade Financing

How has something so basic eluded these "geniuses"?

In the early days, before "data science" was a byword, they figured out that what really mattered was the quality of the photographs on the listing. Good. They sent out pro photographers to the homes free of charge.

Now, today, with the benefit of DS, can't they *easily* figure out, based on what actual guests write and what correlated guests have written about correlated homes that maybe such and such listing would benefit from an upgraded toilet, room-darkening blinds, kitchen upgrades, drinking water supply, etc? Can't they then reach out to hosts and make it happen with financing?

I know..

Taj Outpost

 What : You're doing a day's journey to some exotic location - and you need a place to stay. Your base of operations is a big name hotel in a big town - you know, 2-3 hours from the destination. You'd like to spend the night (or two) at the destination. You're flush. 

So, you tell the Taj X this and they say, no problem. We have a few AirBnB superhosts in that area we can tap. The menu will be limited, but for about $600, they'll send a cook there to have a meal in the slow-cooker waiting for you. Towels, etc courtesy of Taj too. 

How about that?

Is Google Just Not Hacking Widgets Anymore?

 A simple one - really, but, guess what, no can do.

They can scrape our emails to serve us relevant ads. But..

Sees an email with a vaccine appointment and wants to set the snooze to two days before - but, can only do some (in this case) useless pre-cans - like tomorrow, weekend, etc..

Why, why, why, why, why big brother?

Now Wouldn't That Be Cool On Google Maps

You're driving and you want to know what kind of cell-phone coverage you're going to be getting on the road ahead - see, there's a 5 mile sketchy "short" cut where you have sketchy service - meaning, if it's dark and something happens, you'd wish you were safe and home in bed, and there's the longer 22 mile road around the farms with reliable service.

Wouldn't you want that standing out on the map?

F.Lux++

Can you provide an option to dim/warm based on total bright area - that is, yes, flux is great, much better than nothing. But, now, when I have a blank Word doc or PPT slide taking up the entire screen, EVEN the dimmed/warmed screen is too much - it needs to be dampened further.

See to it, will you, Luke!

https://justgetflux.com/