Pet a dog to unblock your apps

Our phones are addictive. Dogs are not. Roots uses your camera to make you pet your dog before unblocking distracting apps.

Scroll less, pet more.

Try It Now

Introducing a new way to make you think twice before scrolling...

How it works

1 Set up a block for social media or any app and select dog unblock as friction

2 Explore
challenges

2 When blocked from your app, you have to detect a dog and pet it

3 You can now unblock, or choose to stay in the moment instead..

No dog in sight? Stay tuned. This is just the first in a series of "Speed Bumps" — friction points designed to give you just enough pause to make a better choice.

Why we built this

We scroll to escape — but it’s costing us presence, focus, and real joy. The solution? Not willpower. Just a smarter pause. Pet a Dog adds a playful moment of connection before you open apps like TikTok or Instagram. Instead of doomscrolling, you get a reminder of what actually matters.

Stop the mindless scroll, once and for all