Question 1

Why did you create Focus Race?

Accepted Answer

I built Focus Race because I was fighting my own screen time addiction and needed something that actually stuck. I have loved space exploration since I was a kid, and I am competitive by nature. Those three threads became one idea: turn using your phone less into a race you want to win. Before this app existed, my wife and I made a weekly bet: whoever used their phone the most that week owed the other a forfeit. We checked Screen Time every Sunday like a scoreboard. It was playful, but it worked. Focus Race is that same spirit with rockets, missions, and leaderboards so you are not doing it alone.

Question 2

Why is the Moon mission 384,400 km long?

Accepted Answer

That is the real average distance from Earth to the Moon. I wanted the race to feel like actual space travel, not a random progress bar. When you finish a Moon mission, you have crossed the same gap Apollo did.

Question 3

Why is Mars 55.7 million km away?

Accepted Answer

Same idea as the Moon: real astronomy, not a made-up number. 55.7 million km is roughly how close Earth and Mars get during opposition, when launch windows actually open. The Mars race follows a real scale, just compressed into a playable timeline.

Question 4

Why is fuel measured in metric tons?

Accepted Answer

Reaching the Moon requires millions of pounds of propellant because the vast majority of fuel is spent escaping Earth's gravity, not cruising through space. The historic NASA Saturn V used about 5.6 million pounds of propellant (roughly 950,000 gallons) just to send an Apollo spacecraft toward the Moon. That scale is why I measure fuel in metric tons instead of coins or gems. It keeps the game tied to how real launches are planned: mass off the pad, not arbitrary points.

Question 5

Why does liftoff cost 36,000 t of fuel?

Accepted Answer

That is exactly one hour of focused time at the earn rate of 10 metric tons per second. I wanted liftoff to feel like a real commitment: roughly one solid focus session before you leave Earth.

Question 6

Why does a perfect Moon day earn 86,400 km?

Accepted Answer

86,400 is the number of seconds in a day. If you use your phone zero minutes that day, you travel one kilometer per second of the day. It is a hidden math Easter egg for anyone who notices the number.

Question 7

Why is screen time compared to 1,440 minutes?

Accepted Answer

1,440 is the number of minutes in 24 hours. The daily distance formula divides your usage by that fixed day length so everyone is ranked on absolute low usage, not a personal baseline.

Question 8

Does the Moon in the app match the real Moon tonight?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The phase follows the real lunar cycle using a 29.53-day synodic month, anchored to a known new moon. It is evaluated at local noon on your calendar day so the phase matches what you would see in the sky tonight.

Question 9

Why does the sky change through the day when my rocket is grounded?

Accepted Answer

I tied lighting to the real sun, not fake clock hours. The app estimates your latitude from your country and longitude from your timezone, then computes the sun's altitude. Daylight, golden hour, and night follow actual sunrise and sunset near you.

Question 10

Why does the sun move across the background?

Accepted Answer

The sun's horizontal position comes from its real azimuth for your location. It starts on one side around sunrise and travels across the scene as the day progresses. Your rocket's ground shadow and sun rays follow the same direction.

Question 11

Does the app use GPS for the sky and lighting?

Accepted Answer

No. I did not want another location permission just for cosmetics. Latitude comes from the country on your profile. Longitude comes from your device timezone. That is enough for believable sun and moon math without tracking your exact position.

Question 12

Does moonlight in flight follow the real Moon?

Accepted Answer

At night in flight, the scene can use the Moon's real position in the sky for lighting direction, paired with the synced phase for brightness. Grounded on Earth you also see the live phase on the Moon card in the decor scene.

Question 13

What happens if I poke the astronaut on a profile page?

Accepted Answer

On web profile pages, tap the floating astronaut repeatedly. After enough pokes in a row, he breaks character with a different speech bubble. It is a nod to the scroll monster we are all trying to tame.

Question 14

What is Focus mode?

Accepted Answer

During a focus session, Focus Race uses Apple's Screen Time controls to block other apps for the session duration. Blocking starts automatically when you launch a session and lifts when it ends or you abort. This is included for all users, not just Pro.

Question 15

What benefits does the Pro version provide?

Accepted Answer

Focus Race Pro unlocks home and lock screen widgets, gold styling on the leaderboard, and your full focus session history with daily screen time charts on Profile. More Pro cosmetics and crew mission features are on the roadmap.

Question 16

How does Focus mode block other apps?

Accepted Answer

Focus Race uses Apple's system-level Screen Time controls (Family Controls) to shield other apps for the full duration of your focus session. Blocking is applied automatically when a session starts and lifted when it ends or you abort, so you cannot slip back into distracting apps while you focus.

Question 17

How does Focus Race work?

Accepted Answer

Focus Race turns using your phone less into a space race. There are two parts: completing focus sessions earns metric tons (t.) of fuel that you spend to launch into missions and customize your rocket, and using your phone less each day earns the distance that flies your rocket toward its destination. The less you scroll, the farther you travel.

Question 18

What are focus sessions?

Accepted Answer

Focus sessions are timed periods where you stay off your phone and work on a task. Pick a duration from 5 to 120 minutes. While a session runs, other apps are blocked via Screen Time. Complete the full session to earn metric tons (t.) of fuel. Focus sessions always earn fuel, including while you are on a mission.

Question 19

How do I earn fuel?

Accepted Answer

You earn metric tons (t.) of fuel by completing focus sessions. The longer the session, the more metric tons (t.) of fuel you earn.

Question 20

What are missions?

Accepted Answer

Missions are races to a cosmic destination (like the Moon). Spend metric tons (t.) of fuel for liftoff to join a launch window. After liftoff, low daily screen time earns distance toward the destination. Reach the finish line before the window closes to earn a finisher badge. The first 10% of finishers are entered into a gift drawing with equal odds. Compare your progress on global, crew, and country leaderboards.

Question 21

How do I join a mission?

Accepted Answer

Open the Mission Schedule from the Focus tab when you have enough metric tons (t.) of fuel. Choose an upcoming launch and pay the liftoff cost to join. Before liftoff your rocket stays on Earth and focus sessions earn fuel only. After liftoff, each completed day of low screen time earns distance. You can only be in one active mission launch at a time. Abort your current mission before joining another.

Question 22

How do I earn distance in a mission?

Accepted Answer

Distance comes from using your phone less, not from focusing. After liftoff, each completed day we measure your total daily device usage and convert it to distance: the lower your usage, the more distance you earn that day. A high-usage day earns little or no distance. You never move backward. Focus sessions earn fuel, not distance. Open the app to sync completed days to the race.

Question 23

What is the leaderboard?

Accepted Answer

The leaderboard ranks players by distance traveled, which reflects how little they used their phone. View global standings, filter by your crew, or see how you rank within your country. Finishing a mission before the launch window closes earns a finisher badge. The first 10% of finishers are entered into a gift drawing with equal odds.

Question 24

How do I build a focus streak?

Accepted Answer

Complete at least one focus session each day to build your streak. Streaks unlock rank badges on your profile and the leaderboard. Missing a day resets your streak, but you can always start a new one.

Question 25

What happens if I don't complete a focus session?

Accepted Answer

If you start a focus session but do not complete it, you will not earn metric tons (t.) of fuel for that session. Ending early also breaks your daily streak. You can always start a new session and try again.

Question 26

How do I customize my rocket?

Accepted Answer

Visit the Shop tab to customize your rocket. Spend metric tons (t.) of fuel on paint colors for each part of your rocket. Additional rocket styles, decals, and upgrades are shown as planned previews and are not available for purchase yet.

Question 27

What rocket types are available?

Accepted Answer

You start with the Basic Rocket. Additional rocket styles appear in the Shop as planned previews and are not available for purchase yet.

Question 28

Can I use the app without internet?

Accepted Answer

You need an internet connection to start focus sessions, sync fuel, and participate in missions. Screen time is measured on your device in the background, but distance only updates when you open the app with a connection.

Question 29

How do I enable notifications?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings > Notifications to enable push notifications for mission reminders and other important updates. You can also schedule notifications for upcoming missions from the Mission Schedule.

Question 30

How is my screen time measured?

Accepted Answer

Focus Race uses Apple's Screen Time APIs to measure your total daily device usage on your iPhone. We only receive a daily minute total, never which apps you opened. Less usage means more mission distance. Usage is measured in the background; opening the app syncs completed days to the race.

Question 31

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Open Settings → Delete Account. You will be asked to confirm. Deletion permanently removes your profile, focus sessions, fuel, distance, purchases, and social connections from our servers. This cannot be undone. If you have Focus Race Pro, deleting your account does not cancel your subscription. Cancel it separately in your device's App Store subscription settings. If you own a crew with other members, ownership transfers to the longest-tenured member; sole-member crews are dissolved.

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Getting Started

Missions & Competition

Rocket & Customization

Progress & Streaks

Focus Mode & Pro Features

Technical

Easter Eggs

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