Five things to hold
These matter more than any feature. We learned each one the hard way, so the app could be gentle from the start.
Let it be a choice
Maddy only works when the person wants it. The moment it becomes mandatory, or something held over someone, it picks up a stigma it can’t shake and engagement stalls. Wanting to take part comes first. Always.
Misses are part of it
A new habit takes around 66 days to feel automatic on average, and often longer. Missing a day doesn’t undo the progress, the research is clear on that. So Maddy is built to allow misses and to celebrate simply showing up. Showing up is itself the first habit we’re building, before any of the actual things.
Starting in Care is a win
Some days, opening Maddy to sit with the companion or the Care screen is enough. That counts. Maddy is a companion first. Over time, and with recognition from the Circle, that companion becomes the bridge to daily skills. It is not here to replace or imitate a parent.
Caregivers, this includes you
Don’t underestimate Care for the people doing the supporting. The research is clear: many of us are AuDHD or ADHD ourselves, and a lot of us are at the I have no idea what to do anymore point. You are doing great just by opening and reading this. We are in it together.
Trust me on these. I’ve watched every one of them happen, and I’ve got 21 years of experience failing first. 😉From Jeremy
Made for brains like ours
An AuDHDer and her ADHD dad built Maddy, for brains like ours: the ones that run on context, not willpower. The name is hers.
If starting everyday things is the hard part for you, you’re exactly who it’s for. Not because you don’t care. Your brain just needs the start to come from outside.
That’s the “+” in AuDHD+. The same ideas reach further, to other brains that get stuck the same way:
A companion for the everyday stuff
Some things push you to start on their own: a trip, a deadline, a meeting. Everyday things like showers, meals, and meds don’t. Maddy is the gentle nudge for those, on a plain Tuesday when starting feels hard.
It shows up
A daily hello, and a companion who’s glad you’re here. The app does the remembering so you don’t have to.
It adapts
You tell Maddy how today feels. Your list changes to match you, not the other way around.
It rewards
Real, and right away. Money, stars, screen time, whatever works for you. Paid out each week by someone in your corner.
Everyone sits in a circle
A circle is one person Maddy is for, plus the people around them. There are three kinds of seats. Each one sees a different amount, on purpose.
The person Maddy is for
Checks in, sees their things for today, completes them, watches rewards add up. Their home is a calm companion screen, not a dashboard.
The caregiver
A fellow scaffolder, never a supervisor. Sets the reward type and weekly goal, recognizes finished things, sends voice notes. Supports without anyone feeling watched or managed.
Supporters & peers (the outer ring)
Grandparents, friends, siblings. They see the wins worth celebrating and can send a cheer. They never see the hard parts: no states, no task lists, no notes. Only what the person chose to share.
Get Maddy on your phone
Maddy is in beta through TestFlight, Apple’s free app for trying apps before they reach the App Store. You only need the link we sent you.
- Open the invite link on your iPhone (text or email). a TestFlight page. If you don’t have TestFlight yet, it sends you to install it first, free, then come back and tap the link again.
- Tap Accept, then Install. Maddy downloading like any app.
- Tap Open. You’re in.
Set up your circle
Open Maddy. The first thing it asks is “How can I find you?” with three doors:
I’m new here
Start a brand-new circle. Pick this first.
I have an invite code
Join a circle someone already made.
Sign in
Come back to an account you already set up.
Starting a new circle
- Tap I’m new here.
- Answer “Who are you setting this up for?” two cards: 🌸 For me (you’re the person Maddy’s for) or 💜 Someone I care about (you’re the caregiver). This shapes everything after, so pick the one that’s true.
- Enter an email and password you’ll remember.
- Make it yours: name, how we should refer to you (your pronouns), an emoji, a vibe (your theme), and sounds.
- If Maddy’s for you, pick a few starter things to begin with. Nothing is permanent, you can change them anytime.
- Meet your companion: choose a creature, a personality, and a couple of interests. They’ll greet you on your home screen. your home, with your companion glad you showed up.
Inviting your people
To link a second person, the circle creator generates an invite code: 8 characters, letters and numbers, good for 7 days. Share it however you like. The other person opens Maddy, taps I have an invite code, types it in, and confirms they’re joining your circle.
Live a day with Maddy
This is the heart of what we’d love you to feel. Move through these the way a real day moves. There’s no wrong order and no wrong answer anywhere in here.
1 · Check in
Each day starts with one gentle question: how are you, really? Five honest answers. Pick one and watch your list quietly adapt. Tired shows you less. Good days make room for more.
“I can’t right now” doesn’t fail your day. It opens a calmer, gentler version of the app and tells the people in your corner, softly, that today is heavy.
2 · Walk the path
Today’s things show up as a short path of stones, with your companion next to the one that’s up now. Tap a stone to finish it. You get a small celebration, and your rewards go up. Want to see it all? Open Everything for the full list. Yesterday never carries over. Every day starts fresh.
3 · Watch rewards add up
Rewards are real, immediate, and yours to configure. The caregiver picks what counts (money, stars, screen time, gems, whatever actually motivates) and sets a weekly goal. The app runs the rest, then the caregiver marks the goal reached and it celebrates and resets for a fresh week.
Morning shower
Make breakfast
Take meds
4 · Say hi to your companion
Your companion lives on your home screen with the personality you chose: warm and caring, witty and funny, calm and gentle, playful and silly, or wise and deep. They’re presence, not pressure. No streak guilt, no nagging.
5 · When it’s a lot, open Care
Care holds the softer stuff for harder moments: something to make you laugh, sounds to settle into, a moment to relax or get grounded. It’s always there, never earned, never gated.
Them & You
The caregiver home is two cards, side by side and equal. Them: how your person is and the one thing that needs you, said in their companion’s warm voice. You: your own care, because supporting someone is real work too.
Recognize, don’t approve
When something’s finished, you recognize it. One warm tap (or a batch when several are ready). It’s acknowledgement, not a performance review.
Send a voice note
Drop a few seconds of your actual voice. It lands on their home screen as a card they can play whenever.
Add a photo, timer, or due-by thing
When you add a task you can ask for a photo (“the bed, made”), set a gentle timer, or give it a soft due-by time. All optional.
“I’ll hold it”
Overwhelmed day? You can quietly take the weight off and let your person know you’ve got it, no explanation needed.
Eight themes, eight moods
A theme isn’t a paint color, it’s a whole sensory room: surface, light, motion, contrast. Pick the one that feels right today, switch it whenever.
Tell us what you felt
You can’t test this wrong. Anything you noticed is useful, especially the small stuff. Two questions are gold:
What felt off?
Anything that broke, froze, or didn’t load. A button that did the unexpected. Words that felt cold, clinical, or just not-Maddy. Anything visually broken.
What felt good?
A moment that made you smile. Something that felt warm or thoughtful. Anything you’d want kept exactly as it is.
How to send it: message us as you go, it’s the easiest thing in the world. Screenshots are gold (press the side button + volume up together). If you hit a bug, just tell us what you tapped, what you expected, and what happened instead. That’s plenty.
Tap Message us to text us on your iPhone, or email if that’s easier. Either is perfect.
Quick reference
The words you’ll see
- Circle
- One person Maddy is for, plus the people around them.
- Caregiver
- The supporter: partner, parent, friend, coach. A fellow scaffolder, not a manager.
- Supporter / peer
- The outer ring. Sees shared wins, sends cheers, never the hard parts.
- Check-in
- The daily “how are you, really?” with five honest answers.
- The path
- Today’s things, shown as a short trail of stones.
- Recognize
- How a caregiver acknowledges something finished.
- Companion
- The creature on the home screen. Presence, not pressure.
- Rewards
- Real, configurable, paid out weekly toward a goal.
If something gets stuck
- Force-close Maddy (swipe up, flick the card away) and reopen it.
- Still stuck? Sign out and back in.
- Locked out completely? Message us at (650) 557-8474 or email support@mymaddy.app. We can sort it from our side.
What it’ll be, when it’s ready
Free for 7 days, then $149 a year.
Founding Circle: 100 seats at $99/yr, locked for life.
You’re testing it before any of that. Thank you for that.