Google is especially suited to questions of the psychological state of the owners Android – devices. She cares about how customers feel, which is why the company in Android 9 added a digital wellbeing feature, if you are interested, you can read the material on how to activate this feature on your smartphone. With it, you can view how often we use certain applications, as well as set limits on certain applications in order to restrict ourselves or our children.
Google has released 3 apps for digital wellness lovers
Remember how not so long ago you flipped through the feed Twitter, Instagram or TikTok. All such applications are gradually becoming addictive. Remember how you go to the YouTube home page, and even without noticing it, open the video that interests you. This is a serious problem facing today's generation. We cannot deny ourselves, because our brain is used to the phone, to its applications, we need regular doses of endorphin. In addition, using the phone is a kind of procrastination in order to remove yourself from some important business.
Google tried to approach this problem again, but from a slightly different angle. The company has released three interesting apps.
Envelope app – replacement for a second phone
For now, the app is only available to Google Pixel 3a users. This is an experimental solution, like the next two, which turns a smartphone into a future phone (push-button phone). This will allow you to step back from using social media applications for a while. To start using Envelope, you need to print a PDF provided by the application itself. Next, the printed paper must be folded into an envelope. Then we are offered to put the smartphone inside it, so we only get access to the phone and camera application. From the video above, you can quickly understand what is at stake.
This project is distributed in Open Source format, Google has published all the source code on GitHub, so everyone can contribute to its development.
Download Envelope
Activity Bubbles – balls on the desktop
Activity Bubbles app
The second application is Activity Bubbles. The bottom line is very simple – when you unlock your smartphone, a ball appears on the desktop screen saver, and the longer one session lasts, the larger it will become. When you unlock it again, the old ball will remain so, but another small one will appear, which will also increase in size over time. Thus, by the evening, the desktop should be filled with large and small balls. This will show the owner of the device how often they have unlocked the gadget and how long they have been using it. For example, I unlock the device on average about 100 times a day, so my screen will be filled with these balls.
Download Activity Bubbles
Screen Stopwatch – when the watch speaks volumes
Screen Stopwatch app
The third and final application is Screen Stopwatch. It is very similar to Activity Bubbles and its essence is extremely simple – a digital clock is displayed on the desktop, which shows how often you have used the device. They are updated in real time and will constantly attract the user's attention. They are similar in purpose to Activity Bubbles, but offer a different visualization method. In any case, it will undoubtedly be useful.
The good news is that Activity Bubbles and Screen Stopwatch have a black background, which in theory should improve smartphone autonomy. In the case of the Envelope, in truth, it's not entirely clear who will print something and then put the device in a paper envelope – a very dubious concept. But on the plus side, you can still control yourself, because if you open the envelope, the Envelope app will tell you how long you lasted.
Download Screen Stopwatch
How can I reduce my phone usage?
Just try to control yourself. No application will help a person if he does not have willpower. Resist the urge to unlock the gadget in order to view the feed Instagram. Don't waste your precious time on such useless things. And a much better solution would be to read the news Android Insider in Telegram and subscribe to our chat.
Based on materials from androidpolice