Blocklove: My Audiobook Fidget

I'm a big fan of audiobooks and often listen while driving. The miles and minutes melt away when absorbed in a good story. But I have a hard time listening when not driving. I can't sit in a chair at home — or on a train or plane — and just listen. I need to do something or the narrator's words become little knives pinging off my brain. Activity or movement is required.

Walking, biking, shopping, cleaning, and other movement-oriented verbs work well. But when sitting still, the multitasking requirement becomes much more specific. The activity needs to be very basic like a fidget spinner. It definitely can't involve any reading, writing, or sound, as that would compete with what I'm listening to.

A Puzzling Discovery

A few months ago after some trial and error (mostly error), I discovered a block-clearing puzzle game that perfectly scratched the low-level multitasking itch. I could don headphones, push play on the audiobook, fire up the game, and listen without any anguish.

Then came the ads. Once I'd played a while, the game started spewing full-screen interactive ads at me. In general, ads murder my soul. It was worse in this context — they broke the listening experience. I'd often have to kill the app, re-enter, and start a new game.

I went looking for an ad-free alternative. I would've happily dropped a few bucks. But such a game didn't exist. So I decided to make my own.

I've designed, developed, and led the development of software since the late 1990s, but I'd never created an iPhone app. With a crazy calendar and too many project commitments, I took a stab at vibe coding Blocklove. Playing Software Architect, QA, and Creative Director while Codex crunched the code was effective, but it wasn't fast — it still took months to to complete and launch. Honestly, it was pretty tedious at times. Nonetheless, it was a positive experience and one that I intend to repeat with other concepts.

Available Now

Blocklove is now live on the App Store (and there was much rejoicing). It’s simple, addictive, and requires very little focus. I launched it ad-free for a one-time $0.99. Take it for a spin?

Update 7/18/26

Blocklove has started making appearances on the App Store charts. I checked this morning, and it's #114 in Puzzle Games. Wha?! <insert happy dance here>