We’re all guilty of smartphone addiction. Over the past couple of years even the most technologically stunted of us have formed a special relationship with the wallet sized thing that keeps us connected to friends, randoms, and has our entire life programmed into it. But, following research that says that our attention spans are now shorter than that of a goldfish (that’s 8 seconds kids, sound familiar?) it's probably time to put your iPhone down. Not like, forver, just for a bit.
In light of this, app designers creating apps to get you OFF your phone are now ironically big news. Here’s our pick of the best apps to keep you away from your phone
If you can't get through dinner without taking a peek - Dinner Mode
You know when you were younger and you saw a middle aged couple sitting in Pizza Hut not talking to each other and you thought, ‘I hope I never end up like that’? Chances are you already have. It’s just that you replace the awkward silences with texting. Dinner Mode is the app that’s reclaiming dinner. Just set the timer to 15, 30 or 60 minutes then place your phone face down on the table. Pick it up before then end of your time and you get an angry red button saying ‘WAMP WAMP’. And let’s face it. No-one wants that.
If you need a whimisical gimmick - Forest
Beautifully designed Forest lets you plant a virtual seed on your phone. Over the next 30 minutes (as long as you keep your grubby mitts away from your phone), the seed will grow into a beautiful tree. Grow lots of trees to create a forest that tracks how much time you’ve had away from your phone.
If you’re obsessed with a certain app - App Detox
If it’s just Facebook or Twitter that’s tearing your attention away from everyday life (for me it’s my Reddit app, I used up all my data in 5 days on it last month) then check out App Detox. This Android app lets you choose the app you need some time away from, what time period/days you want to be banned from it and App Detox does the rest. It’s tough love, but it works.
If you need to be shamed - Moment
This guy is the big news in apps that make you stay away from your phone ATM. It tracks how much you use your phone during the day (the results will make you feel pretty gross. I got 4 hours the other day) and then allows you to set daily limits to help you stop using it excessively. Even better, you have to pay £3.99 to unlock everything so you’ll definitely stick to it.
If you need to know how bad your addiction is - Breakfree
This app tracks your phone usage but then also gives you an addiction score in lovely graph form. Just to make sure the message really hits home. As well as allowing you to place limits like Moment, it also has a happy little monk called Sako who’ll come and give you gentle reminders if you’re spending too much time.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.