(NEXSTAR) – The No. 1 app in America last week wasn’t A.I. or some form social media. The hottest new download is a little bean that just wants to knit.
Fans say the simple but effective app actually helps them put down their phones and focus on tasks that matter.
“I spend too much time mindlessly scrolling, mostly tik tok, instead of doing things I actually like to do,” said one review on the Apple App Store. “Just using this app for one day has cut my screen time in half.”
Another reviewer said it helped them focus on cleaning their house for a full hour without taking a “small break” on their phone (which usually turns into a long break, let’s be honest). Another put it simply: “More… I want.. MORE BEAN.”
Last week, it rose to the top iOS app, beating out ChatGPT, Threads and Google, the app’s developer (and mega-popular YouTuber) Hank Green noticed.
Here’s how it works: Once you download the app, you meet your little cartoon bean and give it a name. This bean really loves to knit socks, but it keeps getting distracted when you mess around on your phone. So to give it dedicated knitting time, you can set a focus timer to last anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours.
Once you hit start, the countdown clock is on, and your little bean gets to work with its knitting needles. If the bean knits enough socks, you can trade them in for furniture to decorate its room.
The timer doesn’t actually force your phone into lockdown. Instead, in order to get you to focus, it plays with your heart. Because if you interrupt your bean, it gets really sad, hunched over and mopey. And no one wants to see their little bean like that.
Green said the app is meant to give your attention back to whatever you care about, resisting the temptation to mindlessly scroll. He said he uses it to force himself to stay present with his family at the dinner table or even to watch a movie without distractions.
“We need these tools because all the smartest people in the world are focused on keeping our attention,” he said, referencing the addictive qualities of many other apps and platforms.
“The anti-app is the top app!” he explained excitedly on YouTube. “We’re winning, you guys! We’re going to take our minds back!”
The app is free and doesn’t collect any personal data, Green says. It doesn’t even require a sign-in. There are in-app purchases that allow you to further customize your bean and its room.
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