Stay no contact. Every day counts.
Breakup44 counts your days since last contact, down to the second. When you want to text them, it shows you the reason you wrote down and one thing to do instead. It all stays on your phone.
Set it up once.
Answer one question a night.
Your terms and your reason go in first. After that the app is there for the moment you want to reach out, and for a short check before bed.
Write down your terms and your reason
Who you're keeping your distance from, when the count starts, how long you're aiming for, the rules you'll keep, and why. Start now, backdate it to your last contact, or count down to a later date.
Open the app before you text them
Before you reach out shows your reason first. Then it asks what's pulling at you and gives you one next step, with a button that opens it.
Answer one question before bed
Did you keep your distance today? Note what pulled at you if you like, and add a plan for what sets you off. Any answer keeps your nights in a row going.
Only contact restarts the count.
Breakup44 counts from the latest of three moments: the start you set in My terms, the time you tell it "I already contacted them", or a night you answer "No, we were in touch". Wanting to reach out is not on that list. Opening Before you reach out, picking an urge, writing a fake message or answering "Yes, but it was close" leaves your count where it is. When something would set it back to zero, the app asks you first, and your past runs stay in Progress.
So a hard night doesn't cost you the count, and a close call still counts as a day kept. The ten milestones, from one day to one year, each come with a short note on what many people notice around then and the research or public health guidance behind it. They describe what's common, not a promise about your weeks, and because they count from your last contact, a contact re-locks them.
Write down your terms and start your count in Breakup44 — free on iOS & Android →
Something to do instead of texting them.
Every feature below is in the free version. Pro removes the caps on saved entries and messages, opens sessions 8 to 12, keeps the Progress screens open past 30 days after you install, and unlocks all 30 themes.
Send a fake message
Write to them in a thread that looks like a chat. It never goes anywhere: there's no share button and nothing reaches their phone. Start over and keep the thread under Past messages, or delete it. The free version keeps 15 messages.
Four ways to calm down
Box breathing, counting breaths, humming breath, and tense and let go. The breathing exercises follow a circle with optional vibration and no clock to watch, and each one ends by asking if you feel better, the same or worse.
Write down what really happened
Record what they did while you still remember it clearly, with tags and photos from your gallery, and read it back when you miss them. A journal sits alongside for everything else. The free version keeps 10 of each.
Signs of abuse, without a verdict
Plain pages on ten patterns of controlling behaviour, and ten statements to mark Often, Sometimes or Never. Nothing is added up and nothing is labelled: what it means is yours to decide. A nine-item safety plan sits beside it.
The first twelve
Twelve short sessions for the first weeks, at most one a day, from eating one proper meal to writing a note for your next hard day. Each has something to do today and a few extras if you have time. Sessions 1 to 7 are free.
It stays on your phone
No account, no sign-up, no ads. Your terms, checks, entries and photos are stored on your phone and never sent to us. The app sends anonymous usage stats and crash reports, and none of that includes what you write.
More apps for the
way you actually live.
Breakup44 is part of a small lineup of single-purpose apps. All free to download. No accounts. No ads.
Photo Cleaner
Swipe right to keep, left to delete. When you're ready to go through old photos, Photo Cleaner sorts your camera roll into monthly decks and shows how much space you free.
30 Day Challenge
Pick one habit and log it once a day for 30 days, with streaks and honest stats. Something of your own to fill the evenings.
Reset75
A 75-day challenge with daily checklists, progress photos and streaks, for when you want to rebuild more than one routine at once.
Alcohol Free Tracker
If drinking makes the nights harder, Sober44 counts your alcohol-free time to the second and adds up the money and drinks you didn't spend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Breakup44 free?
Yes. My terms, the days-apart count, Tonight's check, Before you reach out, the four calm-down exercises, Signs of abuse, Seek help and reminders are free with no limits. The free version keeps up to 10 journal entries, 10 What really happened entries, 10 triggers in What sets me off and 15 fake messages, opens sessions 1 to 7 of The first twelve, and shows the Progress detail screens (runs, milestones, badges and past checks) for 30 days after you install. 3 of the 30 themes are included. Reading, editing and deleting what you saved is never limited. Pro removes those limits and opens every theme. It starts with a 7-day free trial, then runs on a yearly or weekly plan, with the price shown in the app before you confirm.
What resets my no contact count?
Only contact. The count runs from the latest of three moments: the start you set in My terms, the time you tap "I already contacted them", or a night you answer "No, we were in touch". Moving your own start date later also moves it. Wanting to reach out never does, and neither does logging an urge, writing a fake message or answering "Yes, but it was close". Anything that would set the count back to zero asks you first, and your past runs stay in Progress. If you stopped a while ago, you can count from your last contact, up to three years back.
What happens when I tap "I want to reach out"?
It opens Before you reach out. Your own reason comes first, then a Breathe first button that starts box breathing straight away. Below that are seven urges, such as rereading old messages, unblocking them or picking up if they call, each with one next step and a button that opens the tool for it. There is also a Talk to someone now button for helplines. Using any of it leaves your count where it is. "I already contacted them" is the only option on that screen that records contact, and it asks before it does.
Will the Signs of abuse section tell me if my relationship was abusive?
No. It has plain pages on ten patterns of controlling behaviour and ten statements you mark Often, Sometimes or Never. Afterwards it lists the patterns you marked so you can read those pages first, but nothing is added up and nothing is labelled. What it means is yours to decide. The safety plan is a checklist of general suggestions, not legal or professional advice. Breakup44 is not a crisis line or a medical service. If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. Seek help in the menu lists free, confidential helplines in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, plus a directory for other countries.
Is anything I write sent to my ex, or to you?
No. Fake messages are never sent: there is no share button and no hand-off to texts or email. There is no account, and your terms, checks, urges, entries and photos are stored in the app on your phone, not sent to us. The app sends anonymous usage stats and crash reports and checks a Pro subscription with the App Store or Google Play, and none of that includes what you write. Because it is all stored on the phone, anyone who can open the app on it, or restore its backup, could read it. Your phone's own backups, such as iCloud or Android backup, can include the app's data, and uninstalling the app deletes it from your phone. Breakup44 does not block their number or accounts.
Does Breakup44 work offline?
Yes. The count, Tonight's check, Before you reach out, the calm-down exercises, fake messages, your entries, Signs of abuse and reminders all work without a connection. You need the internet only to start or restore a subscription and to open outside links, such as a helpline's website or the sources behind the milestone notes. Calling a helpline uses your phone's dialer as normal.
Start your count when you're ready.
Free on the App Store and Google Play. There's no account to make: count from now, or from the last time you were in touch.
The shape of the app.
Six screens from the app: the days-apart count, Before you reach out, Tonight's check, a fake message thread, a finished calm-down exercise and the milestone ladder.
