Google has released five experimental apps to help people reduce their smartphone addiction. This cannot be called a serious project, because these applications are not promoted in any way and, most likely, will be abandoned right away. But it's still interesting how large companies are trying (or just pretending) to fight the so-called addiction to smartphones.
Taking care of people's free time is gradually becoming a trend. In the latest versions Android and iOS there is a special section in the settings to track the time spent on different applications. You can, for example, allow yourself to spend no more than 15 minutes a day on a specific application or an entire category – for example, social networks. And then, if the allowed 15 minutes run out, the system will block these programs. But this is only a formal blocking, which is designed to self-organize the user, because you can bypass the restriction by pressing one button.
For the outcast, you can do a harsh detox. You need to ask someone close to you to set a password and a limit on conditionally harmful applications. And then, if you spend more than the allotted time on games or social networks, the smartphone will prompt you to enter a password to unlock these applications.
Of course, this has nothing to do with serious addiction. Rather, it should help you to be less distracted by unhelpful things like social media, videos or games, and to focus on more important tasks. It can also help with children who find it difficult to focus on one thing.
It's especially funny when such functions are introduced by social networks, the main task of which is to spend as much of your time as possible. For example, Youtube has a built-in reminder that you watch too much video and need to rest. And in Instagram there is a separate 'Your actions' menu for this – it shows how much, on average, you spend time on this social network. At the same time, you can set a reminder so as not to cross a certain threshold.
-
Instagram
-
YouTube
But YouTube and Instagram don't really advertise these features, most likely you didn't even know about them. They are hidden somewhere in the settings or in separate menus, you can only stumble upon them by chance or learn about it from others. And it's understandable why they do this. If everyone starts to watch less photos or videos on social media, this will directly affect the effectiveness of advertising and the profit of these companies. Nobody wants to shoot themselves in the legs.
At the same time, in the future there will be more such concern for the mental health of people, but this is approached very carefully. The same Instagram is already giving up public like counters so that people cannot compare the interest in their photos with other users. Nobody knows whether this will somehow affect the peace of mind, so the social network is in no hurry and is gradually testing this innovation in several countries. Most likely, in the future, view counters and subscribers will be abandoned in the same way.
The whole fight against smartphone addiction rests on the self-discipline of a person, you should not hope for the sincerity of large corporations – these are not citadels of evil, but they are headed by revenue, and only then care about users. It is unlikely that the time limit on social networks will make you aware, but at least it will help you to be less distracted by your smartphone.
Someone at Google decided to dig deeper into this problem and released five applications at once that should help you spend less time on your smartphone in different ways. It is unlikely that they will grow into something more, but there are interesting ideas.
Unlock clock
This is an animated wallpaper that shows how many times the smartphone was turned on during the day. A large counter is displayed in the background of the desktop, which increases by one with each unlock.
It looks interesting and beautiful, but there is no actual benefit from it. The app doesn't even collect statistics by day. And no one explains how many times a day it is normal to unlock a smartphone, and after what date – too often. Perhaps the increasing counter for someone will become a sign to think, 'do I really need to turn on my smartphone right now, or is this a trifle', but I doubt it.
Desert Island
Under the metaphorical name of the app “Desert Island”, there is a simple idea – for a while, abandon almost all applications and leave only the essentials.
The application offers to conduct an experiment on itself, whether it will be possible to live a day without third-party programs, if, for example, you leave only the browser, messenger and mail. If you need another application, you will have to stop the experiment or wait for the next day. If desired, after the end of the day, the experiment can be continued.
As planned, the application should develop the habit of using only the necessary applications – only they and the time are shown on the screen. But I, for example, find it difficult to predict which application will be needed the next day, except for the basic set. Therefore, the idea of Desert Island seems too radical for me – it is interesting, of course, to conduct such an experiment on oneself, but it is unlikely to lead to any results.
Post box
The most interesting application of the entire list. I am one of those people who are enraged by useless notifications from applications, even during my work I try to turn on silent mode in order to be less distracted.
The Post box app is trying to solve the intrusive notifications problem. It collects all notifications and shows them once at a certain interval – from one to four times a day. You can set a schedule at what time to receive the collection of notifications. The rest of the time you will not receive any messages from your smartphone, except for calls.
It is important to understand that this is not just a silent mode. Even if you use a smartphone with the Post box turned on, notifications still do not come. Great idea, hopefully soon Google and Apple will make this feature standard in smartphones.
Morph
Another launcher offers to divide all of its applications into categories so that the smartphone switches between them on a schedule. You can, for example, make three groups – work, home and sports.
This app should help you focus on what's important right now. Conventionally: at work you have to work, and at home you have to rest, not thinking about work. But Morph doesn’t save you from calling colleagues outside of office hours, or, conversely, from messages from friends during business hours. So I don't see much benefit from such a solution.
We Flip
This strange app is meant for hanging out with friends – everyone puts on a We Flip, connects to each other and switches the virtual lever. The bottom line is that no one is distracted by the smartphone. If someone unlocks the smartphone, the timer will stop immediately. If you wish, you can come up with a punishment for the offender – he pays the bill in a cafe or something like that.
This idea seems strange to me, because I do not see anything criminal in the fact that one of my friends will look into a smartphone. But if you consider it as a game, it becomes more interesting.
Conclusion
I propose in the comments to share my experience, whether you have problems concentrating because of your smartphone and how you deal with it. Or perhaps these are typical contrived problems of the younger generation for you.