I've had it has two kinds of time limit. The daily budget is one shared allowance for all your watched sites, 20 minutes a day by default. A daily limit is a separate allowance for one site, set by putting that site in Daily limit mode. Both reset at midnight on your computer's clock.
How does the daily budget work?
You set it during setup at /start and can change it at any time on your dashboard, under Tune it, from 0 to 60 minutes in steps of 5.
Every minute you spend on a watched site counts toward it, whichever site it is. While there is budget left, No feeds and Ask first sites behave as their mode says. Once it is spent:
- Ask first sites behave like No feeds until midnight. Feeds are shut, and a page you type gets a single two-minute window.
- No feeds sites stay shut, and their wall says that's your social time for today.
- Links people send you still open with a quick pass.
- A window you are already in runs to its end. It is not cut short.
The pause screens show how much of today's budget is left at the bottom.
What time counts toward the budget?
Time is counted in 5-second steps, only while a watched site is actually open to you and the tab is in front with the browser window focused. That covers windows you chose at the pause, quick passes, daily limit time, unlocks and paid hours.
These are not counted:
- Time on the pause screen or the wall.
- Sites set to Untouched.
- Messages, when Messages always open is on for that site.
- A tab in the background, or a browser window that is not focused.
How does a per-site daily limit work?
Put a site in Daily limit mode and it works as usual, feeds included, until its own minutes for the day are used. On your dashboard you can choose 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes. By default, X has 15 minutes and Reddit has 20.
While minutes are left, a pill at the bottom of the page shows the time remaining. When they run out:
- The feeds shut until midnight, with a wall that says you have had your minutes of that site today.
- Links people send you still open with a quick pass.
- A page you type gets a two-minute window after a short pause.
A Daily limit site runs on its own minutes, so the shared budget never closes it early. Its minutes do still add to your total for the day, so heavy use of a Daily limit site can use up the budget for your other sites.
Budget or daily limit: which should I use?
| Daily budget | Daily limit | |
|---|---|---|
| Applies to | All No feeds and Ask first sites together | One site |
| While time is left | The site's mode still applies: pauses on Ask first, walls on No feeds | The site works as usual, no pauses |
| When it runs out | Ask first sites shut until midnight | That site's feeds shut until midnight |
| Where to set it | Dashboard, Tune it | The mode in the popup or on the dashboard, the minutes on the dashboard |
Use the budget as an overall ceiling, and a daily limit for one site you want to keep using normally in a smaller dose. The two work together: the defaults pair a 20 minute budget with daily limits on X and Reddit.
How do I see how much I have used?
Click the I've had it icon in the toolbar. The popup shows minutes used against your budget and how many feeds were stopped today. Your dashboard shows the same for every linked device, and a streak of days you stayed within the budget.
What does a budget of 0 do?
It means no feed time at all. Ask first sites behave like No feeds all day, while links still open with a quick pass and messages stay open.
Questions
When does the daily budget reset?
At midnight, on your computer's local time. The same goes for daily limits.
Does time on a Daily limit site count toward my daily budget?
Yes, it adds to your total for the day. But the budget does not close a Daily limit site: that site only shuts when its own minutes are used.
Do messages count toward my social media time?
Not when Messages always open is on for that site. If you switch it off, messages are counted like any other page.
Can I set a different time limit for each site?
Yes. Set the site to Daily limit, then choose from 5 to 90 minutes for it on your dashboard. See site modes.
What happens if I'm in the middle of a window when the budget runs out?
The window runs to its end. The next time you try to open a feed, it is shut until midnight.