LookAway 2.0 – a break reminder for Mac that respects what you're doing

Hey HN,

I’m the solo dev behind LookAway, a macOS app that reminds you to take breaks.

I built it because I spend most of my day in front of a screen, and I noticed that a lot of break reminder apps kind of fail in the same way: they do help, but they also interrupt you at the worst possible time. After a few days people just start snoozing everything or turn them off.

I just released LookAway 2.0, which is a pretty major update.

A lot of the work in this version went into making the app behave less like a timer and more like something that understands when to back off a bit.

Some things that changed:

- i added a stats system, so it can track sessions, natural breaks, break adherence, daily totals, and a screen score

- it now shows where you spend your screen-time including apps, as well as things like meetings or watching videos, etc

- it can automatically pause / delay reminders in more situations now, like meetings, active mic usage, screen recording, games, video playback, etc

- there’s now a proper heads-up flow before breaks

- stricter break controls if you want enforcement instead of just gentle nudges

- redesigned menu bar / quick controls

I’m still iterating on the balance between being helpful and being annoying. That part is honestly the whole product.

Happy to answer any questions!

- Kushagra