What's New in HelpStash

Park It — Wish-List Shelf

Not ready to decide? Park items on your wish-list shelf with revisit reminders.

• Park items with name, URL, price, and category
• Set revisit reminders (3, 7, 14, or 30 days)
• Horizontal card shelf on your home screen
• Start a pause directly from a parked item
• Free for all users

Savings Goal

Set a spend-resistance target and track your progress.

• Live progress bar on home screen
• Goal contribution after completing timers
• Celebration when you reach your target

Savings Goal

Set a spend-resistance target and track your progress on the home screen. A live progress bar fills as you resist purchases — hit your goal and a celebration animation plays.

Siri Shortcuts

Start a pause from anywhere using Siri or the Shortcuts app. "Hey Siri, pause a spend" creates a timer instantly — no unlocking required. Built on Apple's App Intents framework.

Hours-Worked Calculator

See purchases reframed as your labor time. Set your hourly wage in Settings — "$85" becomes "5.3 hours of your life" in your active pause. Makes the cost more real.

Private AI Reflection from Journal Insights

Private AI Reflection is now accessible directly from the Journal Insights screen — no need to navigate to Stats. One tap from your patterns to your personalized analysis.

Accessibility Improvements

Full WCAG AA contrast compliance on iOS 26 with its new Liquid Glass design. All text on translucent backgrounds now meets the 4.5:1 contrast requirement. VoiceOver and Dynamic Type tested across all screens.

Supportive Messages

After completing a pause, receive a brief personalized message based on your context — your streak, category, time of day, and how many pauses you've completed. Encouraging, not generic.

Contextual Tips

Smart tips appear at the right moment to help you discover features you haven't tried yet — the breathing exercise on your second timer, journal insights after building a streak. Dismissible and non-intrusive.

Privacy Enhancements

New Privacy Info Sheet explains exactly how your data is protected. Transparent disclosure of App Groups (widget data sharing) and Apple Intelligence processing.

Home Screen Widgets

Track your streak and savings without opening the app. Three sizes available:

• Small: Current streak flame icon with day count
• Medium: Streak + money saved side-by-side
• Large: Full stats dashboard with streak, money, completion rate

Widgets automatically update when you complete timers or reach milestones.

Lock Screen Widgets

Add HelpStash to your Lock Screen for instant motivation. Complementing Live Activities for at-a-glance progress.

Urge Journal

Reflect on what triggers your impulse purchases. Structured journaling based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles.

• Track triggers, emotions, and thoughts
• Rate emotion intensity before and after urges
• Build self-awareness around spending patterns
• One journal entry per timer for focused reflection

Journal Insights (Premium)

Advanced analytics transform your journal entries into actionable insights:

• Top Triggers: Ranked list of what sparks your impulse purchases
• Emotion Trends: Track how emotions change before vs. after resisting
• Time-of-Day Patterns: Discover your vulnerable hours
• Success Strategies: Learn which resistance tactics work best for you

Pause Timers

Create friction before impulse purchases. Set timers from 5 minutes to 7 days. Watch your savings grow.

Behavioral Interventions

4-7-8 breathing exercise, 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, and 20 alternative activities to redirect impulse energy.

Streak Tracking

Build momentum with daily streaks. Visual progress tracking keeps you motivated to maintain your habits.

Live Activities

Real-time countdown on your Lock Screen. See your timer progress without opening the app.