A pause, only where you asked for one
You choose which apps deserve a breath at the door. When one of them opens, Return meets you there — then you decide.
Built to be needed less
Return offers fewer visits as the pause becomes something you carry yourself — and when you're ready, a real goodbye.
The pauses themselves thin out as they stop being needed, and only ever with your yes: from every visit, to every other, down to a bow — a two-second breath of light — and finally to nothing at all. Graduation is the design goal, not retention. The app says so out loud in your weekly reflection, and it means it.
The conversation, honestly
When you want words, Claude writes them with you. Here is exactly what that involves.
What is sent when you use a check-in or reflection: the kind of app you opened (only ever a category label like "a social app" — never the app's name, and there is no setting that changes that), a rough part of the day, the country the phone is in so crisis lines match where you are, your first name if you gave one, and any intentions you wrote in your own words.
What is never sent: the clock time of your visits, how long you spent in an app, your contacts, or anything at all while AI features are off.
And without a key, it still works. Return holds every pause with its own written lines, and offers a private, encrypted journal instead of a chat — nothing leaves your phone at all. You can bring your own Anthropic API key, or use a private invite code; either way, your words are never stored on Return's servers.
Don't take our word for it
Most wellbeing apps ask you to trust them. Return is built so you don't have to:
- Open source, AGPL-licensed. The complete code publishes with the public release — including the server, so even the hosted parts can be inspected.
- A written voice protocol. Every line the AI is allowed to speak is governed by a rulebook — no shaming, no urgency, no pursuing you — enforced by tests that fail the build when a rule breaks.
- A standing safety baseline. The AI's behaviour in hard moments is red-teamed against a recorded baseline before prompt changes ship, in English and in French.
- An honesty report against our own interests. The app ships an internal audit that asks whether Return itself is becoming a dependence — and it's read monthly, on the record.
The short version
- No account. There is nothing to sign up for.
- No ads and no trackers — including on this website.
- Your conversation resets on its own each day.
- Your name, intentions, and journal are encrypted on your device.
- Check-in timing stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
What this isn't
Return is a mindfulness tool. It is not therapy, not a mental-health service, and not a substitute for professional support. If you are in a hard moment and need someone, please reach out to a qualified professional or a crisis service. In the U.S. and Canada you can call or text 988; elsewhere, your local emergency number.
Asked plainly, answered plainly
Why does Return need Usage Access and "display over other apps"?
Usage Access is how Return knows one of your chosen apps just opened — the pause is the whole feature. Display-over-apps is the pause itself: a calm screen at the doorway. Neither is used for anything else, and the app tells you plainly when either is missing.
Does it work without the AI — or offline?
Yes. Without a key, every pause still arrives with Return's own written lines, and reflections go to a private encrypted journal instead of a chat. In that mode nothing leaves your phone at all.
What does the AI cost?
Return itself is free. The AI conversation runs on your own Anthropic API key (you pay Anthropic directly, typically pennies a day) or on a private invite code during the beta.
Will it nag me, count my hours, or shame a long scroll?
No. Return never counts screen time at you, never says "again", and treats going in as a fine answer. If a pause stops being useful, the honest move is fewer pauses — and that's exactly what it does.
En français?
Oui — Return speaks Canadian French throughout, crisis resources included. Le site en français →
Try it before the world does
Return is in a small closed beta on Android. Honest reactions — including "this isn't for me" — are the most useful thing you can offer it.