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Humans need reminders. Constant, timely and relevant information about one’s habits can be a powerful tool to help us on the journey to being better humans – and with our mobile phones becoming an extension of our arm, data to monitor our phone usage is crucial to us becoming better beings.
This is what Google is hoping to achieve with its digital wellbeing initiative.
“The digital wellbeing feature allows you to understand and take action on the data it provides on your usage and mobile behaviour. Once you have that data and you understand your [mobile] behaviours, [the feature] also allows you to set time limits for certain apps that you spend too much time on,” Mich Atagana, Google SA’s head of communications, said at a breakfast briefing in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
The feature, which is accessed through your Android phone’s settings menu, has been launched in beta on Android 9 Pie for all Pixel and Android Go phones with the rollout to other devices expected to happen within the next few months.
In its press statement Google says that it “is now helping people by actively facilitating disconnection, reducing the temptation for them to re-engage, and allowing for partial disconnection where needed.”
Within the digital wellbeing window you will be able to track the time spent on each app, how many times you have unlocked your phone and how many notifications were received. It will also allow you to set timers for how long you can use a particular app and then subsequently warns you as you get closer to that time limit and eventually greying out the app icon to remind you of your digital wellbeing goals. In “wind down” mode, the phone switches to greyscale and creates a not-so-lekker viewing experience. Imagine Instagram in greyscale. The horror!
To facilitate the goal of living a healthy tech life, Google has also added “take a break” reminders on YouTube which – once you opt in on its settings page – notifies you that you need to step away from the phone. There’s also a “time watched profile” that shows you the minutes you’ve spent going down the red-logo’s rabbit hole.
For parents who want to monitor their children’s phone usage, Google’s Family Link app (available for iOS devices too) lets a parent “set certain digital ground rules for their kids through features that enable them to manage apps, keep an eye on screen time, and set a bedtime for their child’s device”. You can also block access to certain apps.
These tools are just guidelines and you can dismiss the notifications or turn off the features at any time. However, considering that being addicted to social media, the internet and digital content in general is a thing – so much so that digital-free vacations and digital addiction rehabs have established centres all around the world, including South Africa – Google feels it is wise to educate its users on “responsible” usage.
It all sounds a little counterintuitive that, in an effort to limit screen time you have to increase screen time by looking at your phone usage graphs, but Atagana believes that it’s about “the data that allows you to take actions” that will contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
So, is Google worried that the digital wellbeing revolution might just become like the cigarette packets and their warnings on them?
“Technology is a good thing. It helps you connect with family, discover new things and build businesses. What we are saying is use it responsibly. Don’t let it get in the way of you enjoying your life.”
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