Neighbor News
Imagine Life Without a Smartphone
Think you're addicted to your smartphone? These apps might help you break the habit.
Smartphones help us find our way, keep us connected to people, remind us of appointments and much more. But with nearly half of smartphone users saying they can’t imagine life without it, most of us get too much screen time. Between our computers, tablets, TVs and smartphones, the average adult in the U.S. spends 11 hours a day looking at various screens.
AT&T put together a list of apps that can help you track your smartphone use (how ironic), so you can stop and smell the roses every once in a while. But when you do so, just resist the urge to take a selfie and share it on social media. After all, smartphones should enhance your life – not rule your life.
1. BreakFree – Do you think you’re addicted to your smartphone? The BreakFree app monitors your smartphone use and sends you friendly notifications to let you know when you’ve been on a particular app or phone call for awhile. You can also set up tools that will disable the Internet or reject phone calls for particular periods of time. Free
Find out what's happening in South San Franciscofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
2. Checky – Checky is a really basic app that tells you how many times a day you check your phone and where you’re checking it. It’s great for at-a-glance tracking of your daily phone use patterns. Free
3. Canary – Help your teen driver break the smartphone habit behind the wheel before it starts. Canary sends you instant email alerts and text notifications so you know when your kid checks his or her smartphone while driving, when they speed or when they violate a curfew. Subscription service.
Find out what's happening in South San Franciscofor free with the latest updates from Patch.
4. Moment – Moment encourages you to “put down your phone and get back to your life.” It tracks how much you’re using your iPhone and iPad, sets daily limits on use, and even forces you off your device if you’ve been on it too long. You can also monitor the entire family’s iPhone and iPad use with Moment Family. Free to download for basic tracking info, but $1.99 for the advanced features.
5. AT&T Drive Mode – Smartphone use behind the wheel is a big culprit of distracted driving, which causes nearly 40% of all traffic accidents. To help you keep your eyes on the road and not on your phone, the AT&T Drive Mode app silences new text notifications and sends an autoreply that you’re driving and can’t respond. Free
