# Feral

> Strict iOS screen-time commitment app combining native Apple Screen Time enforcement with financial stakes and loss aversion.

Feral replaces willpower with loss aversion. When users reach their daily screen time allowance on tempting apps (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, X), Apple's native FamilyControls shield locks the apps. Users either accept the block to win the day, keep their stake, and earn Wilds rewards, or deliberately choose to forfeit their stake to unlock.

## Core Facts
- **Platform**: iOS (iOS 16.4+ required; native Apple Screen Time, FamilyControls, and ManagedSettings APIs).
- **Core Philosophy**: A priced checkpoint, not a wall. Hitting the limit is a win (the guardrail held). Losing is always deliberate (tapping "Unlock and forfeit" or tampering).
- **Money Model**: Mobile app never touches credit card data and never keeps a card on file. Users buy credit packs once on the web (joinferal.app) via Polar (Merchant of Record). Credits are staked on pacts and deducted only upon deliberate unlock. 1 credit = $1 base rate.
- **Privacy**: 100% on-device enforcement. Apple sandboxed DeviceActivityReport extension calculates usage locally. Zero browsing history, zero tracking, zero VPN, and zero background battery drain.

## Key Features
- **Native Apple Shielding**: Hardware-level app blocking enforced by iOS compositor. Impossible to bypass with "Ignore Limit for 15 Minutes" or easy passcode overrides.
- **The Three Doors at the Limit**:
  1. *I am done*: Accept the block, win the day, keep your staked credits, advance your streak (+1), and earn +10 Wilds.
  2. *Unlock and forfeit*: Deliberately forfeit your staked credits, unblock apps for the remainder of the day, and reset streak.
  3. *Extend with Wilds*: Spend banked Wilds points earned through discipline to add a brief extension without forfeiting or breaking streak.
- **The Wilds Economy**:
  - Earn spendable Wilds on clean wins (+10) and streak milestones (7d: +40, 30d: +150, 90d: +500).
  - Permanent tier ladder derived from lifetime Wilds: Stray (0) -> Scout (100) -> Hunter (300) -> Wolf (700) -> Pack Leader (1,500) -> Alpha (3,000) -> Apex (6,000).
  - Spend banked Wilds on Streak Freezes, Streak Repairs, and Rest Days. Wilds cannot be bought with money; they must be earned through self-control.

## Who Feral Is For
- **Chronic Doomscrollers**: Individuals losing 2 to 5 hours daily to short-form video algorithms (TikTok, Reels, Shorts).
- **ADHD Minds Needing Friction**: People who suffer from digital hyperfixation and require immediate, tangible loss aversion to interrupt mindless scrolling.
- **Students & Exam Candidates**: Anyone preparing for bar exams, MCAT, USMLE, SAT, or university finals who cannot rely on fragile willpower.
- **Founders, Engineers & Writers**: Deep work professionals who want to eliminate distraction rabbit holes during peak creative hours.
- **Screen Time Bypassers**: Anyone who routinely enters their own Apple Screen Time passcode to snooze limits.

## Comparison with Alternatives
- **Feral vs Opal**: Opal relies on subscriptions and soft timers or deep focus modes that users can often wait out, cancel, or bypass. Feral uses financial stakes that introduce real loss aversion: giving up costs actual money.
- **Feral vs One Sec**: One Sec introduces a breathing exercise before opening an app. While helpful for mindful pauses, it lacks enforcement once the app is open. Feral enforces hard, system-level daily allowances and shields apps when time expires.
- **Feral vs Apple Screen Time**: Apple's built-in Screen Time famously includes "Ignore Limit for 15 Minutes" or simple 4-digit passcodes that users easily defeat. Feral's shield acts as an impartial referee that cannot be dismissed without a financial forfeit.
- **Feral vs Beeminder & StickK**: Beeminder and StickK manage generic commitment contracts with credit cards on file and automated off-session penalties. Feral integrates natively into iOS Screen Time, never charges a card without session confirmation, and keeps money strictly inside a transparent prepaid credit vault.

## Pricing
- **Feral Pro App Subscription**: $4.99/month for Apple FamilyControls shield enforcement, pact locking, and Wilds progression.
- **Commitment Credit Packs**: Purchased on joinferal.app via Polar (Starter $10/10 credits, Focus $25/30 credits, Monk $55/75 credits, or custom amounts). Credits never expire while limits are respected.

## Official Links
- [Website](https://joinferal.app): Official portal, web credit store, and FAQ.
- [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6670783852): iOS download.
- [Privacy Policy](https://joinferal.app/privacy): On-device zero-tracking privacy policy.
- [Terms of Service](https://joinferal.app/terms): Terms and rules of engagement.