The most common questions about Emba — the app, the hardware, shipping, privacy, and the awkward ones (yes, you can cheat; here's why it doesn't help).
A morning ritual app paired with a small printed object — you tap the object to dismiss your alarm, which starts an optional no-scroll window for the first hour of your day.
No. The alarm is the entry point, but the whole rhythm is the product: wake-up zone, no-scroll window, free hours, wind-down, downtime. Plus optional habit tracking, study sessions, and intention-setting. See how it works for the day cycle.
Technically, yes. The lock is enforced by the app, not by the OS — if you uninstall it, the lock goes away. If you turn the no-scroll window off in Settings, the lock goes away (after a 48-hour cooldown). If you really want to scroll, nothing stops you.
The point isn't that it's uncheatable. The point is that it makes scrolling a deliberate choice instead of a default. Adding 5 seconds of friction between you and Instagram, every morning, changes behaviour. Adding zero seconds doesn't.
The wake-up window has a fallback time you set in Settings (default 07:30). When it hits, the lock auto-clears and your day continues normally. You just don't get the no-scroll window for that morning.
Calls, messaging, and FaceTime always work — Emba isn't a panic button. For everything else, you have lifelines: three short unlocks per day (configurable, default 5 minutes each, with a cooldown) that you can spend during wind-down or to end a voluntary break early.
If even that's too restrictive, turn the no-scroll window off in Settings and Emba becomes a pure ritual tracker.
During the no-scroll window, yes — the whole phone is locked behind a tap-an-Emba screen. Outside of that window, no. Emba is a morning ritual, not a screen-time governor; if you want app-by-app blocking during the day, iOS Screen Time and Focus modes are designed for that.
Screen Time is a passive cap — it tells you how much time you've used, and you can override it. Emba is an active ritual — it makes the act of waking up a small physical thing, then steps out of your way for the rest of the day.
They work well together. Many people use Screen Time for evening app limits and Emba for the morning.
The app is free and you can install it solo, but the morning lock is the whole product — without an Emba to tap, there's nothing to dismiss the alarm with except the fallback timer. You'll get a ritual tracker but not the friction.
If you want to try the rhythm before committing, you can simulate a tap in the app (Settings → Embas → Simulate scan) and see what the flow feels like.
A small hand-printed object, about the size of a river pebble, with a flat base so it sits on any surface. Inside is a passive contactless chip — no battery, no electronics that wear out, no charging. It's a printed shell around a tiny tag your phone can read on contact.
Any modern iPhone — iPhone XS (2018) and newer read the tag in the background, the same way they handle Apple Pay at a terminal. Emba targets iOS 16+, so any phone running a current iOS will work.
Not yet. The app is iOS-only at launch. An Android version is on the roadmap but no firm date. If you'd like to be notified when it's available, drop us a line at hello@emba.app.
None of the above. The Emba is fully passive — no battery, no radio of its own, no pairing. Your phone supplies the tiny amount of power needed to read it, the same way it does at a contactless payment terminal.
The app needs internet only if you want cloud sync (optional). Everything else — alarms, lock, habits — works fully offline.
One is enough to start. Two is better — research on multi-location commitments shows they resist negotiation with your half-asleep self. A typical setup is one across the room from your bed (the wake-up Emba) and one somewhere you have to walk past in the morning (the kitchen, the bathroom).
Unregister it in the app (Settings → Embas), order a replacement, register the new one. The chip ID is what matters — your morning streak and settings live in the app, not the object.
The chip inside is rated for decades of reads, and Emba only ever reads from it (never writes) — so the practical lifetime is "longer than the rest of your phone." The printed shell is treated to resist scuffs but isn't waterproof, so keep it out of the shower.
Worldwide. Domestic (US, UK, EU) typically arrives in 3–7 business days. Rest of world is 7–14 days depending on local post. Tracking is included on every order.
Free domestic shipping on every order. International is a flat $4.99 regardless of order size — buy one or buy ten, same fee.
30-day no-questions returns. If the morning ritual doesn't stick, send the Embas back (any condition) and we'll refund you in full. We'd rather have a clean break than a frustrated customer.
Email hello@emba.app with a photo. We'll ship a replacement same-day, no need to send the damaged one back. Manufacturing defects are on us.
By default: none that leaves your phone. The app is local-first — settings, registered Embas, alarms, habits, study sessions, and the event log all live in on-device storage. There's no analytics SDK, no telemetry, no third-party trackers.
If you sign in (optional), settings and stats sync between your devices through Firebase. That's the only data that ever leaves the device, and only the data you explicitly create.
No. We're a hardware shop with a free app. We don't run ads, we don't share data with partners, and we don't have an analytics dashboard to monetise. The business model is "you buy an Emba once."
Google Firebase (Firestore + Authentication), region defaulted to your nearest cluster. We don't access the data ourselves — it's there so your other devices can read it. You can delete it any time from Settings → Cloud sync → Delete cloud data.
Settings → Reset all data wipes the device. Settings → Cloud sync → Delete cloud data wipes the server side. Or just delete the app — local data goes with it (cloud data stays until you delete it explicitly).
No. The app works fully offline without signing in. The account is only for syncing settings and stats across multiple devices, or for the friends/leaderboard features.
Either in the iOS app (Settings → Cloud sync → Sign in) or on the web at /auth/signup. Email + password, or continue with Google / Apple. You'll get a verification email to confirm.
Reset it at /auth/forgot. We'll email you a reset link — it works for both the iOS app and the website.
Yes. Sign in on each device with the same account; settings, registered Embas, habits, and stats will sync. The same physical Emba works on any phone signed into your account.
We answer every email. Reply within one business day, usually faster.