Brian KibetMinimalHome — Minimalist Android Launcher
A privacy-first Android launcher and digital wellbeing toolkit that helps people cut compulsive phone use through app blocking, focus sessions, and honest screen-time tracking.
The Challenge
Most launcher and app-blocking tools that promise to curb phone addiction end up undermining that goal themselves — requiring an account, tracking usage through analytics SDKs, or wrapping the experience in ads and "engagement"-driven UI.
The Solution
Designed and built MinimalHome end-to-end as a native Android launcher and companion suite: a distraction-free home screen, schedule/location/time-based app blocking, an "Intent Check" prompt that interrupts autopilot app-opening, Pomodoro-style focus sessions, an honest screen-time dashboard, notification filtering, emergency-access overrides, and habit streaks — on Jetpack Compose, Hilt, Room, WorkManager and Glance widgets, with no servers, analytics, or ad SDKs by design.
The Technology
Role: Solo Developer
The Impact
Shipped 7 versioned releases (v1.0.0–v1.1.0) backed by a full automated test suite — unit, Compose UI instrumentation, and Room migration tests covering 13 schema versions with zero data loss — and R8/ProGuard-hardened release builds, in final Play Store release preparation as of August 2026.