Apple’s efforts to help people reduce the smartphone addiction were much appreciated at WWDC 2018. The tech firm has introduced new well-being tools to reduce the screen-time of iPhone and iPad users.
Apple has introduced an app called ‘Screen Time’ to help users understand how much time they have spent using the device. The app is basically a dashboard that highlights how much time users have spent using which apps. The dashboard also notifies when the users receive and pick-up their device. It compares the usage pattern of an individual with the average.
There is a way to set daily time limits for individual apps. ‘Screen Time’ will send you a notification when the time limit is about to expire. The app comes with advance parenting features help parents access their children’s activity report their own devices. Parents can understand and customize the browsing habits of their children.
Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering said, “Some apps send us flurries of notifications trying to draw us in for fear of missing out. For some of us, it’s become such a habit we don’t even recognize just how distracted we’ve become.” A strong audience of 6,000 developers at WWDC welcomed the new app.
Screen Time will be available by default with iOS 12, which will be rolled out later this year. Another digital well-being update is to the ‘do not disturb’ mode. The company has included a bedtime mode to the existing ‘do not disturb’ feature. The enhancement will dim the display and hidenotifications lock-screen until prompted to do so in the morning.
iOS 12 will also help users control how notifications are delivered. iPhone users can customize the frequency of notifications to reduce interruptions. They can even group notifications or turn them off completely. Apple has added certain well-being elements to its assistant, Apple Siri as well.
The focus on digital well-being comes at a time when tech firms including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Apple are being scrutinized for using habit-forming design practice that encourages people to spend more time on their gadgets. These tools are similar to Android P’s dashboard that Google announced at I/O18 last month.