We’ve got a new version of Catch the Ghost out with a few important new features:

• Click the brain! On the timer screen in the top right there’s a brain icon. Click that to get to Focus Mode Settings.
• Buy Extended Grace Periods: Spend 200 coins to buy extended grace periods! Stay on task with three grace periods per focus session. Extended Grace Periods allow you to leave a running focus timer for 5 minutes the first time, 2 minutes 30 seconds the second time, and 1 minute 15 seconds the third time. Ideal for those seeking a commitment mechanism and accountability, but the flexibility to leave to get a quick task done within a longer grace period!
• Unlock Normal Mode: Normal Mode is now available for 750 coins! Our new users start with Focus Mode to enhance their attention span if you leave a running focus timer, you’re at risk of losing valuable coins and your currently loading apparition. But once you have earned 750 coins, you can purchase Normal Mode! When you toggle this mode on, the focus timer pauses when you leave the app, and you can leave without any penalties and no time limit. A live activity reminds you that you have a timer running and tells you how long you’ve been away. Note: In Normal Mode, you earn only 6 coins per focus session instead of 9, and you earn only 70 coins when you catch a ghost instead of 100 in Focus Mode.

One of the core features of Catch the Ghost is the Digital Hourglass™, or generally known as a focus timer. When it’s running you simply need to wait out the clock in order to use your phone normally again. If you leave the app while the focus timer is running, you’re in danger of losing 6 coins and in danger of losing your progress in capturing the current apparition.

Coins are a big part of how we gamify Catch the Ghost. If you catch a ghost on Focus Mode, you get 1.5x the amount of coins you do on Normal Mode. We think Focus Mode is better for your mental health and productivity, but we also want to give you the freedom to work differently if your workflow needs it.

The way we do this is by giving more rewards for Focus Mode, and less for Normal Mode. Everyone who downloads our app gets a Starter Pack with about 8 ghosts in it, sometimes more, sometimes less. But it comes out to about 17.5 hours of focus time or 35 individual focus sessions of 30 minutes each.

All our users by default start on Focus Mode, and we believe that this will train your brain to be disciplined and avoid distractions.

Imagine you have a ghost with 7 apparitions. If you had perfect sessions back to back in Focus Mode, you’d get 9 coins x 6 apparitions for 54 coins. Catching the last (7th) apparition gets you another 100 coins, for a total of 154 coins. Do that for about 5 ghosts and you’ll have enough coins to unlock Normal Mode.