Google introduces three new apps to help reduce phone addiction

Smartphone addiction is common among people across different age group. One of the reasons it’s so common is because most of us are probably so used to having it on hand all the time that using it all the time just seems normal. If we were asked the best ways to tackle smartphone addiction two years ago, the answer would have been anything but ‘smartphone apps’.

Enter Digital Wellbeing; an app created by Google to help limit smartphone usage. Although Digital Wellbeing has seen its fair share of ups and downs, today, it has pretty much cemented its place on Android. If Digital Wellbeing wasn’t enough, Google is experimenting with even more tech-driven concepts to tackle issues of excessive phone use. The latest concepts came in the form of a trio of apps that recently showed up on the Play store.

The first of the three apps are ‘Envelope’, which is the brainchild of Google’s Special Projects - Experiments division. Envelope is designed to turn your Pixel 3a into a basic feature phone. To experience Envelope, you need to print out a specific envelope container for your device, which covers the entire phone, except for the fingerprint reader or rear camera. Once in the Envelope, the Pixel 3a will only retain basic functionality like calling or taking photos or videos. However, you won’t be able to check your pictures or videos until you destroy the cover and end the experience.

Activity Bubbles and Screen Stopwatch are the other two apps, published by Google Creative Lab. Both apps are basically wallpapers that are designed to track on-screen time during the day. Activity Bubbles creates a bubble on your screen every time you unlock your phone. The bubbles continue to grow as long as the display remains active. Each bubble represents one of your active phone sessions. Screen Stopwatch puts a large counter on the display as long as the screen is active.

For now, all three apps only work with the Pixel 3a and are available for free on Google’s Play Store.