Vault — The metal card that locks your phone

A metal card that ends the fight between you and your phone — by making distraction a physical act.

Six years ago, we started tracking how much time we lost to feeds. The number was obscene. The tools on the market were worse: another app, another subscription, another layer of willpower we didn't have.

So we built a card. Solid 316L steel with an NFC chip that talks to your iPhone. One tap locks your distractions, another brings them back. No app standing between you and your focus. Just friction where it belongs.

Story

— The Vault Team

Fig. 1 Vault, shown at actual size. 0.8mm stainless. 14g. Fits in the coin pocket of a wallet.

“The first piece of hardware in ten years that made me feel calmer, not more connected. Reviewer · TechCrunch

Material316L Steel

ChipNTAG215 · NFC

Thickness0.8 mm

Weight14 g

CompatibilityiPhone · iOS 17+

PriceUS$ 49

IThe Problem

Your phone
is engineered
to keep you.

Apple Screen Time, Focus Modes, Do Not Disturb — all bypassed in two taps because they were designed to be. Every notification, red badge, and algorithmic feed exists to win a second of your attention.

You lose 2 hours 37 minutes a day to that machine. That's 40 days a year. Your willpower is not the problem. The absence of friction is.

0h 0m

Average screen time lost to distracting apps per day, per US adult.

Of users report a “bypass” pattern around Screen Time within one week.

0 days

That daily distraction, over a year.

IIHow it works

One card.
Three steps.

Setup takes sixty seconds. After that, the card sits in your wallet until you need it. The interaction never gets more complicated than a tap.

Pair

Hold the card to the back of your phone. Vault reads the chip, signs it to your account, and never talks to the network again.

Choose

Use Apple's native Screen Time picker to select real apps, categories, or entire websites. We never see what you pick.

Focus

One tap locks. Another unlocks. That's it. Strict mode even prevents deletion, so you can't sneak around the card.

IIIThe App

A dashboard
for your attention.

01 · Home

Saved modes

Deep Work, Sleep, Weekend. One card, many profiles.

02 · Stats

Hours reclaimed

See exactly what you got back, every week.

03 · Locked

In the vault

The state you came for. Quiet and unreachable.

04 · Schedule

Automatic windows

Mon–Fri, 9 to 5. Or every night at ten.

05 · Unlock

Card detected

Ending early is a physical choice, not a mindless one.

06 · Settings

Your card

Pair, unpair, emergency exits, reset.

Anatomy

Four layers.
Zero compromises.

Every Vault is an assembly of four precision layers, each chosen because nothing else lasts as long or works as well.

VAULT

VLT-001-2026

Hand-brushed finish

Brass wordmark · 24k plated

NXP NTAG215 · NFC

316L stainless steel · 0.8mm

IVMaterials · Bill of materials

Built like
a good
watch.

Every Vault is machined from a single sheet of surgical-grade 316L steel, finished by hand, and laser-etched with a serial number. The NFC chip is passive: no battery to die, no radio to hijack.

One card. Lasts decades. Made in Vermont.

Component	Specification	Origin
Body	316L stainless steel, 0.8mm, machined + brushed finish	Vermont, USA
NFC Chip	NXP NTAG215 · 504-byte user memory · passive	Netherlands
Wordmark	Brass inlay · laser-set · 24k plated	Vermont, USA
Finish	Hand-brushed top · mirror-polished edge	Vermont, USA
Packaging	Recycled card stock · FSC-certified	Massachusetts, USA

VThe Lineup

Five cards.
One ritual.

Four open editions and one numbered Founders run of five hundred. Same chip. Same ritual. Different mass, different surface, different mood.

01Plastic

The entry card. Still locks everything.

$29$395g

02Obsidian

The original. Forged in void.

$39$4918g

03Steel

Bare. As it came from the mill.

$49$6918g

04Brass

Heavier. Warmer. It patinas.

$79$9922g

05Founders

Numbered. Inlaid. Signed.

$99$14924g

Kickstarter VIP pricing · Reverts to retail at public launch · Ships Q2 2026

Coming to Kickstarter · May 12, 2026

Buy once.
Focus forever.

Free to sign up. Reserve your Vault for $1 to lock in launch pricing — fully refundable, charged against your pledge on Kickstarter launch day.

No subscription · Ships August 2026

Your phoneis engineeredto keep you.

One card.Three steps.