Hold the door

Offcat uses Android's accessibility service only so a watched app can wait a moment before it opens. You choose the apps. You can turn the pause off any time in system settings.

Why accessibility?

Android does not let a normal app know when you switch to another app. The accessibility service can listen for window changes — which app is in front — without reading what is on screen.

Offcat is not marketed as a general accessibility tool. It is a screen-time companion that needs this one signal to show the pause.

What Offcat notices

  • Which app came to the foreground, compared with the list you chose
  • When to show the pause screen and today's credits on that pause
  • When a visit in a watched app has run long enough to stretch the line

What Offcat never does

  • Read text, messages, or passwords on screen
  • Record taps, typing, or scrolls inside other apps
  • Click buttons or change settings in other apps
  • Send anything off your phone (no network permission)

In the app

Before you open Android accessibility settings, Offcat shows a short disclosure. You must tap I understand and agree before the Turn on the pause button appears.

That same text is what we submit to Google Play's accessibility declaration.

Turn it off

Android Settings → Accessibility → Offcat → switch off. Or uninstall Offcat. The pause stops immediately; your local data is removed if you clear storage or uninstall.