100 Million Books Now Has an Android App! Err, Anti-App.
What the heck is an anti-app? It’s our attempt to help alleviate smartphone addiction.
We’re 10 years into the mobile revolution.
And what a 10 years it’s been! What can’t you do with your phone nowadays?
But what a 10 years it’s been! When can you get a peaceful moment for yourself nowadays?
So, apps are great, but they tend to have drawbacks. We didn’t want the 100 Million Books app to suffer from those drawbacks. So here’s what we did to set our app apart from other apps:
- Not addictive. Most apps are purposely built to be addictive. They get in your head and entice you to use them as much as possible.
Our app uses a timer to block app updates for 30 minutes, preventing endless time-killing browsing. So you can maybe get off your phone and do something offline like cook or hike. - Not nosy. Most apps suck as much personal information about you as they can.
Our app & extension collect no personal information. So aside from respecting your privacy, we literally cannot offer “smart” recommendations. - No ads. Ads aren’t always bad, but most platforms that depend on them end up going overboard.
We don’t do ads, period. Because we don’t like ads, and also because we wouldn’t know what to advertise since we don’t know much about our users. - Not social. Following, friending, liking, commenting. Enough.
Do you really need yet another social network? Our app is a getaway from social pressures…a serene paradise where you can explore unhindered. - Not trivial.
Comes with the territory…we pick book snippets that stand out because they’re meaningful in some way. - Not reliant on the internet.
The app keeps a reserve of book snippets on hand at all times so that it’ll keep working whether you’re on a subway, plane, or middle of nowhere.
The end result: an app that helps our users live healthier, more meaningful lives (we hope).
Since many of these attributes are the opposite of what you find in most apps, we’re calling our app an anti-app.
But it’s not a moniker exclusive to our app — we want more! If you know of any apps that are worthy of being called ‘anti-apps’, or if you’re building an app that could fit the bill, let us know! We’ll add them to this post.
