Relax, focus, socialise and switch off with Android.
We all spend so much time on our mobiles and with the current Coronavirus pandemic, it seems that our use of digital products has shot through the roof.
If we’re not emailing and on video calls, we’re texting or browsing through our social media accounts.
Working from home has made it difficult to distinguish between home life and work life and it seems Android’s Digital Wellbeing app is here to help us find a balance.
Android’s toolbox.
With the Digital Wellbeing app, you’ve got access to a tool for every moment of your day. Whether you’re relaxing, working, or wanting to check just how much time you’ve spent on your phone – Android have you covered.
Count Z’s with Android.
The Digital Wellbeing app has a setting known as Bedtime Mode which lets you wind down and switch off. To get started all you need to do is set a bedtime, whether that’s 9pm or 11pm and your phone will turn your screen to Grayscale.
Your notifications will be silenced and Do Not Disturb will be activated. This is a perfect way to settle down and concentrate on that big blockbuster film you’ve been dying to watch or to simply drift off to sleep.
You can wave goodbye to buzzing, beeping and long nights scrolling through Facebook.
1) Open the Digital Wellbeing app.
2) Head to Bedtime mode.
3) Use the timer to set when you want the wind down period to start and when you want it to end.
4) Click the toggles to enable or disable Greyscale, Do Not Disturb and Night Light Schedule.
Leave work at work.
This one is a little tricky considering most of the population are working from home as we speak. If you’re anything like us, the days just seem to merge and half the time we have to look at our phones just to check what day we’re on.
Leaving work at the office can be difficult when we’re actually in the office never mind when you’re utility room has suddenly become your office.
With Android’s Digital Wellbeing app, you can set up two profiles all on one phone. Create a work account and a personal one.
How does this help you? You ask. When you switch to your personal account, your work apps will stay hidden. This means that you’ll be forced to stay off your calendar, emails and other work notifications.
No interruptions.
On all Pixel 3 and above devices, you can turn on Do Not Disturb with a simple flick of your wrist. All you have to do is flip your mobile over so that it’s face down.
This is perfect if you’re in a work meeting at home and the group chat is popping off or if you’re tired of being told off for being on your phone at the dinner table.
Put your phone face down on a surface to automatically mute your notifications and give you some peace and quiet from any distractions.
Focus on what’s important.
Focus mode is another handy trick built into the Digital Wellbeing app. It ties in nicely with the Do Not Disturb function and lets you pause apps temporarily while you get a task done.
For example, if you’ve been trying to take some notes or send an email but keep getting sucked in by videos on Facebook, you can temporarily pause Facebook by tapping on the Facebook app, within your Digital Wellbeing app.
We’re not judging your distractions we know how easy it is to get hooked. One minute you’re watching a dog video the next you’re an hour deep watching outtakes of 2016’s Britain’s Got Talent – hopefully this helps.
All together now, all together.
If you want to keep track of just how much time you spend on your mobile, this is the handy little feature to keep an eye on.
With Dashboard you can track everything all at once. The amount of time you spend in apps, the apps that send you the most notifications, the amount of times you unlock your phone – everything.
This is the place you can set yourself usage goals and track how far away you are from achieving them or how much you’re smashing them.
If you’re looking to set yourself targets, the App Timers element of the Digital Wellbeing app is ideal. After looking at which apps and websites you use the most, you can set daily limits to ensure you don’t spend too much time on them.
When you hit your limit, these apps and sites will pause and stop notifications, putting you back in control.
Heads up.
Okay so, this feature isn’t actually up and running just yet, but we wanted to tell you all about it anyway.
According to BBC News, an update to the Digital Wellbeing app will give Android users a notification to tell them to stop looking at their mobile while walking.
This is a way of reminding Android users to focus on what’s around them. Heads Up of course wont replace paying attention, but it will give little prompts to instruct mobile users to be careful or look ahead.
We think it’d be a pretty useful feature to have as we’re all guilty of perhaps not paying as much attention as we should when crossing the road or being too focused on the classic song that’s playing.
We’ve got no news on when this update will make its way to the Digital Wellbeing app but it’s one that we’re excited about.
Balance is key.
Times are super stressful at the minute and the pandemic isn’t making this any easier. Hopefully this app will give you some guidance and tips on how to balance your work life and home life.
You owe it to yourself to stay focused, relaxed, and stress-free and Android are here to lend a helping hand.
Of course, to enjoy all of this, you’ll need to get yourself a top Android mobile and we’ve got deals upon deals for you to enjoy.
