Updated 9 November 2026 by Spencer Lay, who makes FocusFlow.
How the photo check works
- You add a task, like "Problem set 4", "Clean my room" or "Run 2 miles".
- When it's done, you take a photo in FocusFlow: the finished worksheet, the tidy room, your watch at the end of the run.
- An AI model looks at the photo and the task together and decides whether it shows the task done.
- If it does, you earn 15 minutes by default on the apps you locked. If the AI is unsure, you can retake the photo or count the task yourself.
- The same picture can't be used twice, so an old photo won't unlock anything.
Why a photo
Most blockers let you back in when a timer ends or when you tap a button that says you're done. Both rely on your willpower at the exact moment it's weakest. A photo asks for evidence instead, which is easy when the work is finished and awkward when it isn't.
The check is meant to pass real, finished work, messy handwriting and lived-in rooms included. It rejects a photo only when it's unrelated to the task or the task plainly isn't done.
What happens to the photo
Your photo is sent to Anthropic's Claude for the check. FocusFlow doesn't keep it afterwards: it stores the result, plus a fingerprint so the same picture can't be reused. Photos are never sold or used to train models.
On the family plan, parents choose which of their kids' tasks need a photo, and they see those photos before the time is given.
What it costs and what you need
FocusFlow is free to download from the App Store. The family plan, for parents setting it up on their kids' devices, is $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year after 7 days free.
FocusFlow needs an iPhone on iOS 17 or later. Kids on a family plan can use an iPhone or an iPad.