The Mechanic

Why can I only see one card?

That's the whole app. There is no list view, no dashboard, no overview. Every other task app shows you everything you're not doing, and that picture is the anxiety. DECK shows you one card — the one you're dealing with now or explicitly punting.

What do Done, Defer, and Drop actually do?

Done marks the card as completed and advances to the next card. It requires a press-and-hold, not a tap — release early and nothing happens.

Defer sends the card back into the deck with a chosen return time. The defer count on the card increments.

Drop removes the card from the active flow after a brief confirmation. Dropped cards move to the Graveyard (Pro) or are cleared from the 7-day history (free).

Why does Done need a press-and-hold?

Every other action in DECK is a deliberate decision. A single tap for Done would be too frictionless and would make Done the only escape from the architectural register. A 700ms hold isn't a confirmation step — your finger just doesn't stay on a button for almost a second unless you mean it.

Is there an undo for Done or Drop?

No. Both actions are final in v1. The hold-to-confirm gesture on Done makes accidental completes essentially impossible, and Drop has a confirmation step before it commits. Dropped cards are preserved in the Graveyard (Pro) as a record, but they cannot be restored.

Adding Cards

How do I add a card?

Tap the full-width ADD CARD button below the action row. Type the card and submit. New cards go to the bottom of the deck by default. You face them when you get to them.

Can I add a card from outside the app?

Yes. DECK includes a Share Extension — from Safari, Mail, Notes, or anywhere else the iOS share sheet appears, select DECK and the shared text becomes a new card in your active deck, at the bottom.

What is "jump the queue"?

A Pro feature that adds a card straight to the top of the deck, displacing whatever was there. It's capped at 3 jumps per day, even for Pro users. The cap is deliberate — infinite prioritisation defeats the point of the deck.

Can I edit a card after I've added it?

Not in v1. If you mistype, drop the card and add a new one. Editing is planned for v1.1 based on user feedback.

Defer

What defer options do I get?

Free: 1 Hour, Tomorrow (9am), Next Week (Monday 9am).

Pro: adds This Evening (6pm), This Weekend (Saturday 9am), a custom date and time, and a custom relative option ("In 3 hours", "In 5 days", etc.).

What happens when a deferred card's time is up?

The card quietly returns to its place in the deck. DECK does not send notifications — not for this, not for anything. You'll see the card again when you get to it in the normal flow.

Can I change the defaults for "Tomorrow" and "Next Week"?

Yes. Go to Settings > Defer to change the default times for the standard options. Free users can adjust the defaults but cannot add custom options.

The Defer Counter

What does the "Deferred 5×" label mean?

It's the number of times you've deferred that specific card. The counter is a behavioural signal: a card you've deferred five or more times stops being a task and starts being a decision you're avoiding. The app shows the count plainly — you draw your own conclusions.

Can I reset a card's defer count?

No. Resetting it would defeat the purpose. If the count is bothering you, that's the signal — complete the card or drop it.

Multiple Decks (Pro)

How many decks can I have?

Free users get one deck. Pro users can have up to 8 decks. Each deck is independent — its own cards, its own ordering, its own history.

How do I switch decks?

Tap the deck name label at the top of the main card view (it has a small chevron next to it). A sheet appears listing your decks. Tap one to switch; tap + to create a new deck.

Can I move a card between decks?

Yes. Long-press the card on the main view, choose Move to deck…, and pick a destination. The card keeps its sequence marker (#47) and full history, but lands at the bottom of the destination deck.

What happens to my extra decks if my Pro subscription lapses?

They're hidden, not deleted. Cards in those decks are not surfaced, but nothing is lost. Re-subscribing restores every deck exactly as it was. The default deck remains accessible throughout.

History & the Graveyard

Where do completed and dropped cards go?

Free: a plain chronological history of the last 7 days of completed and dropped cards, reachable from Settings.

Pro: the Graveyard — a full searchable history of every card you've ever dropped, with the date, the defer count at drop, and the source deck. Tapping a row shows that card's full event log.

Can I restore something from the Graveyard?

No. The Graveyard is for self-knowledge, not second chances. If a dropped card turns out to have been a mistake, add a new card with the same content. The friction is the feature.

Defer Analytics (Pro)

What does defer analytics show me?

Five sections: your most-deferred active cards, the average defer count before you complete a card, the average defer count before you drop one, a clustering of high-defer cards into themes ("What you're avoiding"), and a 30-day defer trend chart.

Is my card data sent off-device for analytics?

No. All analytics are computed locally. The "What you're avoiding" clustering uses Apple's on-device Foundation Models framework — your card content never leaves your device for this purpose, and results aren't stored.

Widgets & Shortcuts

What widgets are available?

Free: a small home-screen widget showing your active deck's top card.

Pro: a medium top-card widget with an inline Defer button, a small stats widget (cards done today / in deck), and lock-screen widgets (circular card count, rectangular top card).

Why can't I tap Done on the widget?

Because Done is hold-to-confirm in the app, and exempting widgets from that rule would undermine the philosophy. Defer is a tap in the app, so a tap-to-defer widget affordance is consistent. To complete a card, tap the widget to open the app.

Does DECK work with Shortcuts and Siri?

Yes, for Pro users. DECK exposes App Intents for Add card, Complete top card, Defer top card, Jump card to top, Switch active deck, Get top card, and Get deck card count. Most are Pro-gated; reads are free.

Sync & Data

How does sync work?

DECK uses your private iCloud account (CloudKit) to sync cards, decks, and history across your devices. There is no DECK-run server — the developer cannot see your data. Sync is automatic and silent; there is no sign-in or separate account.

Does DECK work offline?

Yes. Actions commit locally immediately. CloudKit queues writes and syncs when you're back online. You never wait for sync to act on a card.

How do I wipe all my data?

Go to Settings > Data > Wipe all data. Two confirmations are required. This deletes every card, event, and non-default deck across all your devices signed into the same iCloud account. The default deck stays (empty).

Notifications

Why doesn't DECK send notifications?

DECK is pull, not push. Deferred cards return silently when their time comes; the app does not chase you. There are no daily reminders, no streak nudges, no notifications of any kind. This is a design decision, not a missing feature.

Subscription & Pro

What does DECK Pro include?

Pro unlocks:

  • Up to 8 decks, unlimited cards
  • Jump-the-queue capture (3/day)
  • The Graveyard (full drop history with search)
  • Defer analytics
  • Custom defer schedules (date/time + relative)
  • Shortcuts and App Intents
  • Pro widgets (medium, stats, lock-screen)
How much does Pro cost?

Pro is £2.99/month or £19.99/year (roughly £1.67/month equivalent). The annual plan includes a 7-day free trial. Prices are shown in your local currency at purchase time; the figures here are indicative.

How do I restore a previous purchase?

Go to Settings > Upgrade and tap Restore Purchases. Make sure you're signed into the same Apple ID that made the original purchase.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Subscriptions are managed through Apple. On your iPhone, go to Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions, find DECK, and tap Cancel. Your Pro features stay active until the end of your current billing period.

The 50-Card Limit

What's the 50-card limit on free?

Free users have a soft limit of 50 active cards (completed and dropped cards don't count). You can still add beyond 50 — DECK starts prompting you gently at 51, and at 54 it suggests a triage view showing your 10 oldest, most-deferred cards so you can swipe each one Done or Drop. It's an escape hatch, not a paywall.

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