This has created a growing market for “minimalist phones.”
However, you don’t need to ditch your iPhone or Android phone to disconnect.
It may seem counterintuitive to use a smartphone to disconnect.
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you’re free to “touch grass” without buying a trendy minimalist phone.
They can enable us to do truly useful, life-changing things likeGPS navigationormeaningless social media scrolling.
You’re the one deciding how to use your smartphone.
Khamosh Pathak / How-To Geek
They need to remove all temptations to avoid bad habits.
Minimalist phones attempt to do this by heavily restricting what you’re able to do.
Let’s get started.
Downtime / Focus Mode
“Focus” on the iPhoneis a very powerful tool.
It’s essentially like specialized “Do Not Disturb” modes for different situations.
it’s possible for you to choose which people, apps, and types of notifications can get through.
Indistractable Launcher
On Android, the similar feature is “Do Not Disturb.”
We’ll need to go a step further for that.
Thankfully, iOS and Android both have tools we can use to achieve this, too.
On the iPhone, we’ll be usinga feature called “Downtime.
“It doesn’t just block notifications from apps—it blocks you from opening them.
Only people and apps you choose can get through.
Apps that aren’t allowed are greyed out on the home screen–including the widgets.
Android’s version of this is called “Focus Mode.”
Unlike Apple’s implementation, Android’s “Focus Mode” is all about blocking apps.
If you have an Android equipment, we can take things even further.
That’s thanks to the ability to use third-party home screen launchers.
This makes it possible to not only block or grey out distractions but completely hide them.
There are a number of launchers that replicate the experience of devices like theLight Phone.
One of our favorites is called “Indistractable Launcher.”
It converts your home screen into a very simple black and white text list of apps.
you’ve got the option to hide as many apps as you want from appearing in this list.
You won’t get any distracting notifications, and your phone will feel a lot more simplified.
At the end of the day, you’re in control of how you use your phone.
These tools can help you make healthier choices andbuild better habitswhenusing your iPhoneor Android gadget.
It’s important to remember that the phone itself is not the villain.
Related:How to Check Screen Time on Android
