To gain insight into your smartphone habits, check your actual usage. On an iPhone, navigate to Settings > Screen Time > See All App & Website Activity to see a list of your most used apps along with the average time spent on each. For Android users, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing and tap the Screen Time Today widget to view total screen time for each app.
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Setting screen-time limits is an effective way to regulate your usage. On an iPhone, access Settings > Screen Time > See All App & Website Activity, scroll to the Most Used section, select an app, and tap Add Limit to specify daily time restrictions. The app icon will be grayed out once the limit is reached, but you can choose to extend it if necessary. On Android, go to Settings > Apps, select an app, and tap Screen time > App timer alerts > Add schedule to set limits.
Making your phone less visually appealing can deter excessive usage. Switch to grayscale mode, which removes color from the display, on an iPhone by visiting Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters and selecting Grayscale. For Android, navigate to Accessibility > Vision enhancements (or Color & motion) > Color correction, and toggle on Grayscale.
To minimize distractions, consider disabling most notifications. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Notification Style for specific apps and toggle Allow Notifications off. Android users can achieve this by going to Settings > Notifications > App notifications and toggling notifications off for desired apps.
Removing distracting or unnecessary apps can significantly cut down screen time. For many, social media and gaming apps pose the biggest challenges. To delete apps, long-press the app icon on both iPhone and Android and select Remove or Uninstall.
Another method is to clean up your home screen. By keeping it free of apps and widgets, you may reduce the impulse to use your phone. Move unwanted icons to another screen by long-pressing and dragging them.
For those still struggling with phone habits, consider more extreme alternatives. A device like the $60 Brick connects to a companion app that limits access to frequently used applications, requiring physical interaction with the Brick to regain access.
Alternatively, utilizing apps designed to enhance focus can be beneficial. Focus Friend and Forest provide gamified experiences that encourage users to stay off their phones while executing tasks. For a straightforward approach, Focus Keeper offers a simple Pomodoro timer for work sessions.
On an iPhone, the Assistive Access feature can turn your phone into a simplified device, limiting functionality to calls and texts. Enable it via Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Access, selecting only the apps you wish to keep. This can help restrict excessive screen time by preventing access to other apps.