Unpluq

Unpluq is a Dutch digital-wellbeing company that builds tools to reduce smartphone screen time. Its core product combines a mobile app with the Unpluq Tag, a keychain-sized NFC device: users select which apps to block (social media, games, news) and set schedules, and blocked apps can only be opened by holding the physical Tag against the back of the phone or by completing one of several digital "distraction barriers" such as shaking the phone until a meter fills or scanning a code. The company positions this as intentional friction rather than outright blocking, and the app also tracks screen-time statistics. The app supports iPhones (iOS 16+) and Android devices, and up to seven digital barriers are available with a Premium subscription.

The product line consists of the Unpluq Tag, a Premium Subscription (sold in 3-, 6- and 12-month terms, with or without a Tag), and Unpluq Family, a version aimed at helping parents manage children's phone use. Company materials state that the approach saves users an average of 1 hour 20 minutes of screen time per day, and that more than 250,000 people use Unpluq, with a 4.49 average rating across 2,803 iOS and Android ratings.

Unpluq began as a hardware-first product — the Unpluq key, a physical device that removed distracting apps from a smartphone — before shifting mainly to software for scalability, then reintroducing hardware as an optional add-on to the app.

Founding story

Co-founders Tim Smits and Jorn Rigter met while studying Industrial Design Engineering at TU Delft, where they found themselves easily distracted by apps on their smartphones. They began working on a solution during a university course and then joined a six-month "Build Your Startup" program, interviewing people about their smartphone habits to validate the problem. The result was a physical key that stripped distracting apps from a phone unless the key was plugged in.

Business model

Unpluq sells consumer hardware and software directly through its own online shop. The Unpluq Tag is listed at $26.50, the Premium Subscription starts at $29.00 for a three-month term (bundles with or without the Tag are offered in 3-, 6- and 12-month lengths), and Unpluq Family starts at $79.95. A Premium subscription is required to use the Tag. The company states it does not sell user data or run advertising. It has also described intentions to sell to employers who want to offer the tool to employees.

Direct-to-consumer sales of a physical NFC tag bundled with a paid subscription to the Unpluq app, sold in three-, six- and twelve-month subscription terms, plus a family-oriented package; a 30-day money-back guarantee is offered.

Traction

Company materials cite more than 250,000 users, a 4.49 average rating from 2,803 iOS and Android ratings, and an average reduction of 1 hour 20 minutes of daily screen time. An early Kickstarter campaign met its EUR 10,000 goal, with most physical keys initially sold in the Netherlands.

Latest developments

Unpluq Family has been launched and is available alongside the Unpluq Tag and Premium Subscription, with a promotional three-month Premium summer offer running on the website.