Documentation

Installation

1. Download the APK from the site's Download section.
2. On the phone, allow installation from external sources when prompted (Settings → Security).
3. Open the app and complete onboarding: goal, motivations, apps to protect, plan.
4. Enable the accessibility service when asked: it's the blocking engine. Android shows a standard warning — Argine cannot read screen content (the configuration forbids it technically).

Requirements: Android 8.0+. Play Protect may warn about apps from outside the Play Store: that's normal, confirm to proceed.

The Gate and micro-sessions

Open a protected app and the Gate appears: 5 seconds of breathing while the ring closes, then you choose.

• Use now: starts the active plan's micro-session (e.g. 1 minute on the Argine plan).
• Quick Actions: jump straight to a section (Messages, story camera…) with a tailored timer.
• Close: back to home. No penalty — you won.

The timer counts only real in-app time: leave and it pauses; return and it resumes. When the session ends, the cooldown starts.

Plans

| Plan | Rhythm | For | |---|---|---| | Sentinel | No blocking, nudge every 10 min | Pure awareness | | Breathe | 5 min every 30 | Getting started | | Window | 3 min every 15 | Frequent but contained | | Argine | 1 min every 20, 90-min cap | The recommended default | | Bastion | Short sessions, 30-min cooldowns | Serious study & work | | Monastery | 30 sec every 45 min | Almost nothing |

Every app can carry custom overrides from Apps → tap the app → expand.

Anti-Scroll

Anti-Scroll recognizes sustained feed scrolling (many rapid gestures without reading pauses) on TikTok and Instagram and stops the session. Scrolling messages or a searched profile stays free.

Four levels, adjustable from Profile → Preferences or during onboarding: Tolerant, Balanced, Strict (default), Relentless.

Argine Pro & licenses

Free: 3 protected apps, Sentinel and Breathe plans, anti-scroll, realtime timer. Pro: unlimited apps, all plans, Argine before PIN.

Pro activates in two ways:

1. From the website: buy in the Pricing section and instantly receive an ARGINE-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX code. In the app: Profile → ARGINE PRO → "Have an invite code or license?" → paste. Works offline too.
2. From Google Play (once the app is published): classic in-app subscription.

Invite codes (e.g. from a friend) unlock a bonus: +1 free app slot.

Privacy & permissions

• No account, no server: logs and rules stay on the phone.
• The accessibility service observes only which app is in the foreground plus TikTok/Instagram scroll events. It reads no messages, passwords or content.
• Notifications power the countdown and Sentinel nudges; adjust them from Profile.
• Uninstalling: always possible, no locks. Disable the accessibility service first, then uninstall normally.