moss vs Methaphone
A $19.99 phone-shaped piece of clear acrylic that does nothing to your real phone.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Eric Antonow and Greg Hochmuth's own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Methaphone is
The Methaphone is a phone-shaped slab of clear cast acrylic with no electronics or batteries. It costs $19.99 and comes in Clear and Neon Pink. The idea is to give your hand and pocket the shape of a phone while the real one stays behind. It blocks nothing. Stock was unclear when we checked: the page showed both colours as sold out, and the store's own feed showed them as available a few minutes later.
What moss is
moss is an iPhone app that comes with a small physical stone. You choose the apps that distract you, tap your phone on the stone, and those apps stay locked until you tap the stone again. People who live together can link their phones to share schedules and put their phones down at the same time, while each person keeps control of their own phone. Locking is free in the app, the stone is a one-time purchase, and the household features are a paid add-on.
Side by side
| Feature | moss | Methaphone |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | $19.99. Stock was unclear when checked |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | None |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | Not applicable. It does not touch your phone |
| How you lock | Tap the stone, or start from the app, a Shortcut, the lock screen or the Action Button. Schedules by day of week | It does not. It is a stand-in to hold |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | Pick up your real phone |
| If you need back in | 3 emergency unlocks a month, refilled automatically | Not needed: nothing is locked |
| Locking together as a household | Yes, as a paid add-on. Shared schedules, sessions others join in one tap, a view of whose phone is down, a streak. Nobody controls anyone else | Can be passed around as a prop. Nothing is shared |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | Nothing is locked |
Where Methaphone is better
- It needs no app, setup or permissions.
- It works for anyone, with any phone.
- It makes the habit visible and gets people talking about it.
Where moss is better
- moss locks the apps. The Methaphone leaves your real phone exactly as it was.
- Unlocking always needs the stone, so the lock does not rest on willpower.
- Schedules, Strict Mode and household sessions.
Who should pick which
Pick Methaphone if
You want a cheap object that reminds you, and the people around you, of how often you reach for a phone.
Pick moss if
You want the apps to be unavailable, not a reminder that you opened them.
Sources
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
moss is a stone that locks the apps you choose.
Tap to lock, tap to unlock. One price, and locking needs no subscription.
