There’s something sacred about finding your thing… that one little ritual that helps you feel okay when you’re not. For me, that thing was HappyColor.
When life felt heavy or my mood was dipping into another one of those funks, I didn’t always have the energy to “fix it.” I didn’t want advice. I didn’t want a deep conversation. I just wanted to disappear into something quiet, colorful, and predictable.
So I’d grab my phone, open HappyColor, put on a podcast or my favorite playlist, and start tapping through numbered color circles until everything faded out…just for a bit.
And because of my OCD tendencies, I’d set little missions for myself: “Finish all the images in the ‘Simple’ category.” “Get through every Disney pic.” It wasn’t about pressure…it was about comfort. Something easy. Something I could control.
But recently, that safe space has turned into something else entirely, something I no longer trust.
***
The shift started subtly.
I’d be coloring like always, then go to tap the next circle to switch colors… and suddenly my Safari browser would open.
I wasn’t anywhere near the ad bar, and I’m not clumsy with taps. It happened more than once. It happened often. It felt like the app was hijacking my touch, using my routine movement as an excuse to launch whatever scammy page was hiding beneath the surface.
I started getting anxious every time it happened, because it wasn’t just annoying, it was invasive.
But I talked myself down. Maybe it’s just a glitch. Maybe I’m overreacting.
I deleted the app for a bit. Then redownloaded it. Because I missed it. Because I needed it.
But what happened today crossed the line.
***
Today, I was using the app like normal when my phone suddenly started beeping, loud and jarring, like an emergency Amber Alert. Except my phone was on Do Not Disturb. There shouldn’t have been any sound at all.
Panicked, I swiped down to check my notifications, and that’s when I saw it:
A fake “Norton Antivirus” message saying “Scanning Phone” over and over.
Looping. Repeating. Playing audio like a virus warning.
Showing up not in the app… but in my widget area.
My widget area.
That’s supposed to be a secure, personal part of my iPhone… so seeing a fake virus alert embedded in there? It didn’t feel like an ad anymore. It felt like something had broken into my phone.
I froze. I panicked. I deleted the app immediately.
And then I sat there, heart racing, trying to figure out what had just happened.
And the Worst Part?
I looked up the issue online, hoping I was imagining it, but nope.
I found dozens of reviews on Reddit, in forums, and directly in the App Store, describing the same exact thing:
• Fake Norton or McAfee messages
• Beeping audio
• Looping “scanning phone” alerts
• Ads triggering Safari or Chrome to open out of nowhere
• All of it… while using HappyColor
***
And the developer responses, there was one that legit says to avoid it by paying for the ad-free version??
“… please consider removing ads with the in-app purchase to avoid pop-ups…”
…Excuse me?
You’re not even denying it. You’re just telling users to pay you to make the anxiety stop?
***
Let’s call it what it is:
That’s not support. That’s emotional blackmail with a price tag.
💔 Why It Hurt So Much…?
I know… it’s “just an app.”
But when you’re struggling mentally… when you’re already trying to keep your mood afloat, trying to hold it together day by day… losing something that actually helped? Hurts.
HappyColor was never supposed to scare me.
It was supposed to help me disappear for a bit. To quiet the noise in my brain.
And now? It’s part of the noise.
***
I shouldn’t have to mistrust my own phone just because I want to unwind.
I shouldn’t be jumping out of my skin wondering if I tapped the wrong pixel and triggered a browser redirect or fake virus scan.
And I definitely shouldn’t be encouraged to buy my way out of that fear.
🧼 So I’m Done
I deleted HappyColor. Not in a dramatic “I’ll be back” way. But in a I saw behind the curtain, and I can’t unsee it kind of way.
Whether or not the developers intended this doesn’t matter anymore. They let these ad networks in. They saw the complaints. They responded… and instead of accountability, they offered a premium upsell.
That’s all I needed to know.
I don’t care how satisfying the greyed-out color circles were.
I don’t care how cute the Disney packs were.
Nothing is worth this kind of digital gaslighting.
***
🌈 Looking for a New Safe Space
I’ll find something else.
Maybe I’ll go analog with a word search book and a pack of gel pens.
Maybe I’ll try a different app that respects my brain and doesn’t set off false alarms.
But for now?
HappyColor, we’re done. And not because I’m dramatic (okay maybe a little). But because I deserve to feel safe when I’m trying to relax.
If you’re going through something similar… if your “safe space app” started making you feel unsafe, I hope you know you’re not being paranoid. You’re being aware.
We all deserve better than this.
Love, Loops 🙁