IRIS

Rest your eyes. Automatically.

a macOS app that makes you look away every 20 minutes, not out yet

no spam, one email when it ships

See how it works ↓

What Iris does.

Red train through a green forest
01

Blocks what pulls you away

Apps and sites you pick, blocked while you work. Not just your eyes. Your attention. Every other break app stops at your eyes, every blocker stops at your attention, and nothing else does both.

02

Sees you slouch

On-device posture detection using Apple's Vision framework. Off until you turn it on. The frame is never stored and never uploaded, so nothing leaves your Mac.

Breaks
  • 20-20-20 timer
    A break every 20 minutes.
  • Full blackout
    Across every connected display.
  • Waits for a natural gap
    Holds the break if you are typing or in a fullscreen app, up to 2 minutes.
  • Warning pill
    Arrives before each break, on the notch where there is one.
  • Ambient sound during rest
    Optional.
  • Sound cues
    Optional.
Body
  • Posture detection
    Uses the camera and Apple's Vision framework, entirely on device, off until you turn it on.
  • Posture nudges
    A quiet line in the menu bar when you start to slump.
  • Wrist relief
    After long typing sessions.
  • Scroll fatigue detection
    Notices when you have been scrolling for a long stretch.
  • Stand up reminders
    A nudge to get out of the chair.
  • Water reminders
    A nudge to drink something.
  • Stretch prompts
    During longer breaks.
  • One nudge budget
    All body nudges share it, so reminders never pile up.
Cream and red train on a track through a green valley
Focus
  • Blocks distracting apps
    The apps you pick, closed off while you work.
  • Blocks distracting websites
    The sites you pick, closed off while you work.
  • Schedule blocks
    For meetings, lunch, quiet hours.
  • Steps aside for calls
    Pauses automatically when your camera is in use, so it never lands mid-call.
Day
  • Morning challenge
    Movement before your Mac unlocks.
  • Late night guard
    Shortens your interval after dark.
  • Brightness check
    A reminder to turn the screen down in the evening.
  • Wind down
    A closing sequence at the end of the day.
  • Desk reset
    A short checklist for the desk around you.
Progress
  • Stats and streaks
    So you can see whether any of it is sticking.
  • Launch at login
    Starts with your Mac, lives in the menu bar.
  • Automatic updates
    Iris keeps itself current.
Green and orange train below snowy mountains
0
MINUTES BETWEEN BREAKS
0
SECONDS OF REST
0
TO FOCUS YOUR EYES

How it works.

01

Install

Lives in your menu bar. No Dock icon.

02

Warning drops

A pill grows from your notch before each break.

03

Screen goes dark

Every display. Twenty seconds. Look out a window.

04

Reset

Fades back. The timer starts again.

See it in action.

Join the waitlist →

Protect your eyes.

Iris is not out yet. Leave your email and you will hear the day it is.

Iris

macOS 13 or later

Questions.

Why is there no skip button?

a skip button is a patch for badly timed breaks, so iris fixes the timing instead. it holds a break while you are typing or in a fullscreen app, and only lets it land once you stop. by the time the screen goes dark, you were between things anyway. that is also why the 20 seconds actually happen.

Does it work with more than one monitor?

yes. the break covers every connected display, not just the one your cursor is on. a dark laptop screen next to a bright external one would defeat the point.

Does the camera thing send anything anywhere?

no. posture detection runs on your Mac through Apple's Vision framework. the frame is never stored and never uploaded, and there is no server on the other end of it. it is also off until you turn it on.

What makes this different from other break reminders?

it also blocks the apps and sites that pull you away while you work. every other break app handles your eyes, every blocker handles your attention, and nothing else does both. that is the whole reason iris exists.

Will it interrupt me during a meeting?

no. it pauses when your camera is in use, which covers calls in a browser tab as well as the usual apps. for anything else, meetings without video, a lunch break, quiet hours, you can set a schedule block and iris stays out of the way.

When can I get it?

it is not finished, so there is no date to give you. the waitlist above is the whole plan: you leave an email, and you get one message on the day it is ready to download. no newsletter in between.