Are you addicted to your smartphone? Many of us can't seem to stop checking email, texting people, hopping onto Facebook, and snapping selfies, and usually at the most inappropriate times. Well, Android Pie offers a new tool that could help you kick that habit.
Known as Digital Wellbeing, the feature appears as a dashboard that shows you how much time you've spent with different apps, how often you've unlocked your phone, and how many notifications you've received. The dashboard also provides timers to limit the number of minutes you spend with an app, access to the Do Not Disturb option, and a quick way to turn off notifications for each app.
The feature is available only in Android Pie, the latest flavor of Google's mobile operating system, and for now, you can only try Digital Wellbeing on a Google Pixel phone. As Digital Wellbeing is currently in beta mode (a full release is expected in the fall), there are restrictions. But if you have access, it can be a helpful way to curb your smartphone use.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
Download and Access the Service
First, you can run Digital Wellbeing on any of the Pixel models, from the original Pixel to the Pixel 2 XL, and—one would assume—the newest Pixel phones Google is set to announce on Oct. 9. If you have one of those devices, head to Google Play to download and install the Digital Wellbeing Beta on your phone.
Okay, now comes the tricky part—where and how do you actually find the Digital Wellbeing app? It doesn't appear on your home screen or your app drawer. Instead, you have to dig into your phone settings to access it. Open Settings. Swipe down the list, and the setting for Digital Wellbeing is nestled between Accessibility and Google. Tap it to open the dashboard.
If you want to access the dashboard directly from your home screen, you'll need help from another app. Head back to Google Play and download an app called Pixel Shortcuts. Open this app. In the section for Digital Wellbeing, tap on the button to Add Shortcut to Home Screen and then tap on the link to Add automatically. Return to your home screen and tap on the icon for Digital Wellbeing.
View Your Data
The Digital Wellbeing dashboard displays a circle showing how much time you've spent on your phone so far today. The circle breaks down the amount of time you've devoted to certain apps by assigning each one a different color. To drill down to see more information, tap on a specific app or color of the circle. The dashboard will show the number of minutes you have spent in that app, which can be filtered through a daily or hourly view.
While you're here, you can peek at other details. By default, this screen shows you the amount of screen time you've spent with the app. Tap on the down arrow at the top to see other options. You can view the number of notifications you've gotten from this app or see the number of times you've launched the app. You can also see the hourly results for notifications received and times opened.
View Your Total Time
Set a Timer
Okay, you've figured out that you spend too much time with certain apps and want to wean yourself off them. What can you do? At the main dashboard screen, under the section for Ways to disconnect, tap on the entry for Dashboard X app timers set. Here, you can set a timer for each app that will alert you after you've used it for a specific number of minutes.
Tap on the arrow next to an app whose time you want to restrict. You can choose one of the pre-set durations—15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour. If you need a different duration, you can set a custom timer as well. Now, you can set a timer for anywhere from 5 minutes to 23 hours and 55 minutes.
Pause the App
Turn Down Phone Activity
Set Wind Down Settings
Disable Notifications
Activate Do Not Disturb
Restrict Calling and Texting Abilities
Set the Duration of Do Not Disturb
