Case Study
Restore
Get paid to put your phone down.
Restore is a Lock-to-Earn focus app that pays people in real time for every minute their phone stays locked, with points redeemable for gift cards, gear, or cash. VTS Labs built the session engine, the points and rewards system, and the iOS and Android apps end to end.
AT A GLANCE
Client
Restore
Industry
Digital Wellness
Services
Mobile app + token rewards engine
Tech Stack
Swift (iOS) · Kotlin (Android)
Platforms
iOS & Android
Rewards
Gift cards · gear · cash
Timeline
3 months
Status
Closed beta shipped
01 · THE CHALLENGE
Hours a day, lost to the screen.
Phones are built to hold attention, and most screen-time tools only nag. The work was to give people a real reason to put the phone down, by turning focused, screen-free time into rewards they actually want.
Seven hours a day
The average person spends about seven hours a day on a screen. Most of that time is simply lost.
Willpower is not enough
We check our phones around 42 times a day. Blockers and timers nag, but rarely change the habit.
No reward to stop
Most people say they want to cut back, but putting the phone down gives them nothing in return.
02 · WHAT WE BUILD
A reason to put it down.
A Lock-to-Earn app that pays people in real time for staying off their phones. Start a session, lock the screen, and watch points accrue, then redeem them for gift cards, gear, donations, or cash. VTS built the session engine, the points and rewards system, Premium, and the native apps.
Lock in
Start a focus session and set the phone aside.
Stay focused
Earn points in real time for every minute it stays locked.
Cash out
Redeem points for gift cards, gear, donations, or real cash.
Built in, not bolted on
Lock-to-Earn engine
Real-time point accrual for every minute the phone stays locked.
Points & token system
An in-app balance that grows live, custodial now, with optional on-chain portability via a partner.
Rewards & cash-out
Redeem points for gift cards, gear, experiences, donations, or real cash.
Premium tier
Up to 5× earning rate, longer lock sessions, and special drops.
Focus sessions
Start a session, lock the phone, and track points and streaks as they build.
iOS & Android apps
Native apps on both platforms, built and taken through closed beta.
03 · PROOF · BUILT, IN CLOSED BETA
The app is built. Launch is next.
2
Native platforms shipped
5x
Premium earning multiplier
5
Ways to redeem points
Beta
Closed beta shipped
What the engagement delivered
A Lock-to-Earn session engine with real-time point accrual while the phone is locked.
A points and rewards system with redemption for gift cards, gear, donations, or cash.
Native iOS and Android apps built and taken through closed beta.
Why it holds up
Public app launch on iOS and Android, currently in progress.
Rewards expansion across more gift cards, gear, and experiences.
On-chain portability for points via a partner, for users who want it.
"VTS built the engine that turns every locked minute into real-time rewards, and shipped a polished iOS and Android beta right on the scope and timeline we agreed on."
— Mark D., Co-Founder, Restore
HOW WE ENGAGED
Fixed-fee, PRD-first.
No scope creep, no surprise invoices.
VTS Labs scopes the full build in a product requirements document and fixes the price before any production starts, so the work, the timeline, and the cost are locked from day one. You approve a fixed scope and a fixed number, then we build to it.
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Scope locked up front
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Fixed fee, not hourly
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Founder-led delivery