Turn it over.
Grained is an hourglass for your desk. Turn it over and your iPhone follows your focus. Then comes a real break, without the scroll.
One movement.
Turning it over starts your focus block. No app to open, no button to find. Your iPhone holds whatever you find distracting, straight away.
25 minutes. Or 50.
You pick the rhythm in the app. Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp stay held. Mail, Teams and your authenticator keep working.
Then a real break.
When the block ends, your break starts on its own, 5 or 10 minutes. WhatsApp opens. Your feed stays held, so your break stays a break.
Carry on when you’re ready.
A new block only starts when you turn it over again. No schedule keeps running while you get a coffee.
On its side, time stands still.
Stepping away? Lay it down. Leave it there for 15 minutes and the session ends.
You can stop. Just not from your chair.
Grained comes with a key you hang somewhere else, in the kitchen or by the front door. If you need your apps during a block, walk over and hold your iPhone to it. You get 5 minutes of your break apps, or you end the session.
An impulse lasts a few seconds. Getting up is enough to let it pass.
Made for your desk.
An amber dot display behind tinted glass. It shows how much time is left, and nothing else.
- Size
- 74 × 40 × 143 mm
- Rhythm
- In the app: 25/5 or 50/10
- Charging
- Battery, over USB-C
- Without a phone
- Also works on its own, as a focus timer
Three colours.
A soft rim around tinted glass, with no logo or text. The dots are amber during focus and green on a break, like Graphite here.
- Stone Light stone grey, matte.
- Graphite Almost black, matte.
- Sand Warm sand, matte.
Inside.
A dot display with 211 LEDs, a motion sensor and a battery. Everything Grained needs is inside, even when your phone isn’t around.
- Feels the turn A motion sensor notices when you turn Grained over. There’s nothing to press.
- Its own memory Grained remembers your blocks, even without your phone nearby. Once your iPhone connects, they show up in the app.
- A battery Charge it over USB-C, then it sits on your desk without a cable. Without a session it sleeps, and it wakes as soon as you pick it up.
Small, on purpose.
- No subscription. You buy Grained once. The app comes with it.
- No streaks or points. The app shows how long you focused, and that’s it.
- No to-do list or calendar. The app stays small, so your phone can disappear.
Be the first to know when Grained is ready.
€73expected price
- The hourglass, charges over USB-C
- The Grained Key
- The iPhone app, free
Questions
When can I buy Grained?
There's no date yet. The prototype works and the app is being tested on iPhone. People on the waitlist hear first.
Does it work with Android?
Not yet. The app comes to iPhone first (iOS 17 or later). Choose "No" for iPhone on the waitlist and your vote counts towards Android.
Which apps are held?
Only the ones you choose. You make two short lists: distracting apps, held for the whole session, and break apps, which open during breaks. You can add websites like instagram.com too. Everything else stays open.
Do I need the app?
Not for the hourglass: it also works on its own, as a focus timer, in the rhythm you last picked in the app. Without the app that’s 25/5. You need the app if you want your phone to switch with it. You can join halfway through a block; the app sees how much time is left.
What if I can't reach my key?
There's an emergency unlock in the app. You can use it a few times a week, and Grained makes you wait a moment first.
Can I get an extra key?
Yes, for a second spot or as a replacement. A single key is expected to cost €15. If you want two from the start, there's the Grained Duo: the hourglass with two keys for €83. A key does nothing without the hourglass: a block always starts by turning it over.