Take a break from your Android phone with Digital Wellbeing

Our smartphones are an important part of our everyday life, but sometimes they can become a source of distraction—who hasn’t lost track of time scrolling through social feeds Android’s Digital Wellbeing gives you tools to find the right balance with technology so you’re helped, not hindered, by it. Here's what you can do with the tool.

Understand your device usage

Access the tool via Settings > Digital Wellbeing. From there, you’ll get an overview of screen time and apps used. Tap into any of the apps in the pie chart to view daily and hourly breakdowns of:

• Time spent in the app

• Notifications received from app

• Number of app launches

To see breakdowns of other apps, tap on Dashboard and tap into a specific app.

Cut screen time with app timers

Digital Wellbeing lets you restrict the number of hours per day you spend using an app. Once you hit that limit, you can no longer launch the app until the timer resets at midnight.

How to set an app timer

1. From Dashboard, scroll through the list of apps till you see the app you wish to set a timer for.

2. Tap on the hourglass icon next to the app name.

3. Set an app usage limit.

Schedule Do Not Disturb time

Calls, text messages, and app notifications also play a big part in distracting us. Escape the constant pinging for your attention by scheduling Do Not Disturb mode. Try setting it an hour before bedtime to prepare for bed, or in the evening to have a distraction-free family dinner.

What is Do Not Disturb mode?

• Turn on Do Not Disturb mode to mute calls, messages, and notifications for a period or until you manually turn it off.

• Fine-tune the rules: for example, you can whitelist apps or mute all calls except those from starred contacts.

• Make sure you don’t mute anything important, like your morning alarms or urgent calls from your mum.

If your device does not come with the Digital Wellbeing feature, you can get it on Google Play.