My Experience with Locked In: Year In Progress
I’m a student, so my budget for apps is basically zero. When my friend Sarah told me about Locked In, I was skeptical. I’ve tried so many planners and goal trackers that just end up making me feel bad when I fall behind. I downloaded it on my iPhone 14 about five weeks ago, right as my midterm stress was kicking in. I set up three simple things: study for 2 hours every weekday, go to the gym twice a week, and save $50 from my part-time job each month. The first thing I noticed was how calm the app felt. It didn’t scream at me with motivational quotes. It just showed my year as a long, empty timeline. Pinning my “Save $600 by December” goal way out there made it feel less like an impossible mountain to climb and more like a path I could actually walk. Last Thursday, I was totally burnt out from classes and almost bailed on the gym. I opened the app just to log that I skipped it, but seeing that little gym icon sitting there, only half-filled for the week, gave me a tiny nudge. I ended up going for just a 20-minute walk, but I logged it. The app counted it as progress, not a failure. That’s the vibe.
Features Worth Noting
The best part is the Progress tab for each goal. For my study goal, I just tap a button after a session and it fills a little bar. It’s stupidly simple, but watching that bar get longer each week is weirdly satisfying. It feels like a grown-up sticker chart. The reminders are a lifesaver. I set mine to ask “Done studying yet?” at 8 PM on weekdays. Having it phrased as a direct question works way better for my brain than a generic “Time to study!” alert. I also started using the journal notes. After a really tough study session on organic chem, I wrote “My brain is soup, but chapter 7 is done.” Looking back at that now makes me laugh and reminds me I can push through. The whole design is minimal. No fancy animations that lag, just quick taps and instant updates. It doesn’t try to do a million things, which is why I actually use it.
What Needs Work
The app starts off feeling a bit empty. You have to put in the upfront work to set your goals and figure out how you want to track them, which might turn some people off immediately. I wish there were a few more ways to visualize progress. The bar graphs are fine, but sometimes a simple line graph showing my study hours over the month would be cool. Also, while I love that it’s free, the banner ad at the bottom, though not intrusive, sometimes shifts the screen up when it loads, which is a minor annoyance when I’m trying to quickly log something.
Pricing
It’s completely free. As a student, this is the biggest win. There are no subscriptions, no “pro” features locked behind a paywall. Everything I’ve talked about—the goal setting, the progress tracking, the reminders, the journal—is available at no cost. Orca Labs funds it through those small banner ads. They’ve never interrupted me with a video or a pop-up. For the price of nothing, the value is honestly surprising. I’ve used way clunkier apps that had monthly fees.
Developer Notes
I haven’t had to contact support because nothing’s broken, but I read a bunch of App Store reviews before downloading. Several people mentioned getting real, helpful replies from the developers when they had questions, which gave me confidence. The app has gotten a couple of small updates since I installed it, like being able to add emojis to journal entries. It feels like a small team is quietly improving it based on what people actually say, which I respect a lot more than a giant company pushing useless features.
Security & Privacy
I got the app from the official App Store. The privacy label on the store page looked clean, saying it doesn’t collect data linked to you. All my goal data and journal entries seem to live only on my phone. There’s no account to create, which I actually prefer—one less password to remember and no worry about my personal notes being on some server. For tracking my own life, this local approach feels safe and straightforward.
How does the Progress tab work for tracking goals?
For each goal you set, the Progress tab shows a simple bar that fills up every time you log an activity. You just tap a button after finishing a session, like studying or hitting the gym, and watching that bar grow over time feels like a satisfying, grown-up sticker chart.
Can I customize reminders to ask me in a specific way?
Yes, you can set reminders that phrase the alert as a direct question, like "Done studying yet?" at a specific time. This works better for many users than generic alerts because it feels more like a gentle check-in than a command.
What should I do if I miss a day or skip a goal?
The app is designed to encourage progress, not perfection. If you skip a task, just log it as skipped or log a smaller effort, like a 20-minute walk instead of a full gym session, and the app will count that as progress, helping you stay motivated without guilt.
Why is the app so slow or laggy on my device?
The app is built with a minimal design and no fancy animations, so it should run smoothly on most devices. If you're experiencing lag, try closing other apps or restarting your phone, as the app itself is optimized for quick taps and instant updates.
How does Locked In compare to other goal trackers like Habitica or Streaks?
Unlike gamified apps that use points or avatars, Locked In keeps things calm and simple with a long timeline view and a non-judgmental progress bar. It focuses on gradual progress rather than streaks or rewards, making it ideal if you want a low-pressure way to build habits without feeling punished for slip-ups.
