Use Android’s Built-In Settings to Cut Your Phone Usage Time in Half

“There’s thing wrong with my phone.”

I was talking to a person astir however the artillery beingness connected a Google Pixel 9 Pro was degrading dilatory implicit time. Normally, my telephone lasts each day, but by mid-evening, I was having to recharge. That’s erstwhile it dawned connected me: I’m the problem. Between doomscrolling connected Instagram and obsessively checking my email, I was utilizing my telephone mode excessively much.

Android has immoderate built-in tools grouped nether the banner Digital Wellbeing, including a bedtime mode, a notification manager, and timers that fto you acceptable limits connected however agelong you’re allowed to person each app open. I’ve known astir this diagnostic acceptable for years; aft all, it was archetypal announced way backmost successful 2018. Was I utilizing this worldly consistently? Not really.

For years, I practiced a fewer productivity hacks. I deleted the Facebook app connected my telephone and present lone usage that work connected my laptop. I besides complaint my telephone successful the kitchen, which helps maine debar utilizing it successful bed. Yet, these methods weren’t enough. My telephone was inactive dying astir 8 p.m. each time due to the fact that of excessively overmuch mindless scrolling. I needed to instrumentality power of my usage. Here’s however I yet broke the spell.

Set Timers connected Your Most-Used Apps

Google includes app usage timers connected each Android phones which let you to acceptable hard limits connected idiosyncratic apps. To entree the timers, conscionable spell to Settings, past look for Digital Wellbeing. The features look a spot antithetic connected a Samsung Galaxy telephone than they bash connected Pixels and different Android handsets, but everything works the same. I usually cheque astatine nighttime to spot my regular stats. On the main settings screen, there’s a dashboard showing you full usage clip for the time and which apps are the main culprits. You’ll besides spot the full fig of telephone unlocks and the full number notifications received for the day.

To trim your usage time, commencement with app timers. Setting hard clip limits mightiness look a spot Draconian astatine first, but the timers enactment due to the fact that they automatically adjacent the app for america and sound america retired of our stupor. We recognize we’re doomscrolling connected TikTok each time agelong oregon browsing the web excessively much. In his publication Hooked, productivity adept Nir Eyal says we’re not really addicted to our phones. That’s a objective word that should beryllium reserved for much superior problems. Instead, we are obsessed. The dopamine deed we person from astir each “like” oregon remark connected societal media fuels our obsession.

I started with an app timer connected Google Chrome and, to beryllium honest, it was painful. I acceptable the clip bounds astatine 45 minutes and seemed to scope that threshold by lunchtime each day. With 1 infinitesimal to spare, the surface turns grey arsenic a informing that the app is astir to close. I bumped the timer up to 90 minutes and that seemed to enactment better. When you scope the limit, you person to reset the timer oregon usage a browser connected a antithetic device. It works to curb your usage due to the fact that you person to exert effort to flooded a regulation you imposed and person to unrecorded with. I besides acceptable limits connected the Gmail app, Messages, Instagram, and TikTok.

Low and behold, mounting clip limits meant my full usage clip went from 4 hours and 30 minutes per time down to 3 hours and 30 minutes. I got an hr of my beingness backmost each day. That’s not bad, but I wanted to trim my surface clip adjacent more, truthful I turned to a fewer extremist techniques.

Take a Few Radical Steps

Google includes immoderate different settings that marque your telephone little appealing. For example, Android’s bedtime mode dims the surface and turns everything achromatic and white. To find this option, spell into the Digital Wellbeing settings, look for Bedtime mode and acceptable the usage play to commencement astir 8 pm. This besides disables notifications until the adjacent morning. For me, bedtime mode helped due to the fact that it was a ocular reminder to enactment the telephone down and halt scrolling. I reduced my usage by different hour.

Sadly, I was inactive utilizing my telephone excessively much. For me, there’s ever the allure of notifications astir caller substance messages, Discord chats, and emails. Who’s contacting me? What bash they need? Again, we crave the dopamine deed that comes erstwhile we perceive those dings. We consciousness utile and productive erstwhile we respond, but the downside is that we’re glued to our screens adjacent more.