Use Android’s built-in settings to cut your phone usage time in half

“There is something wrong With my phone.”

I was talking to a friend about how battery life is on a device Google Pixel 9 Pro It was slowly deteriorating over time. Normally, my phone would be on all day, but by mid-evening, I had to Recharge. That’s when it occurred to me: I’m the problem. Between scrolling Instagram and obsessively checking my email, I’ve been using my phone a lot.

Android has some built-in tools bundled under the Digital Wellbeing banner, including a bedtime mode, a notification manager, and timers that let you set limits on how long you’re allowed to have each app open. I’ve known about this specific feature for years; After all, it was announced for the first time Way back in 2018. Was I using these things constantly? Not real.

For years, I’ve practiced productivity tricks. I deleted the Facebook app on my phone and now only use that service on my laptop. I also charge my phone in the kitchen, which helps me avoid using it in bed. However, these methods were not enough. My phone was still dying around 8pm every day from too much mindless scrolling. I needed to control my usage. Here’s how I finally broke the spell.

Set timers for your most frequently used apps

Google includes app usage timers on all Android phones that let you set strict limits on individual apps. To access the timers, go to Settingsthen search for Digital wellbeing. Features look a little different on A Samsung Galaxy phone than they do on it pixel And others Android phonesbut everything works the same way. I usually check in at night to see my daily stats. On the main Settings screen, there’s a dashboard that shows you your total usage time for the day and which apps are the main culprit. You’ll also see the total number of times the phone has been unlocked and the total number of notifications received for the day.

To reduce usage time, start with app timers. Setting strict time limits may seem a bit strict at first, but timers work because they automatically close the app and snap us out of our funk. We realize that we scroll on TikTok all day or browse the web a lot. In his book hookedProductivity expert Nir Eyal says we’re not actually addicted to our phones. This is a clinical term that should be reserved for more serious problems. Instead, we are obsessed. The dopamine hit we get from almost every social media “like” or comment fuels our obsession.

I started using the app timer on Google Chrome, and honestly, it worked painful. I set the time limit at 45 minutes, and I seem to hit that mark by lunchtime every day. With one minute remaining, the screen turns gray as a warning that the app is about to close. I’ve raised the timer to 90 minutes and that seems to work better. When you reach the limit, you should reset the timer or use a browser on a different device. It limits your usage because you have to make an effort to overcome the limitations it imposes and you have to live with it. I also set limits on Gmail, Messages, Instagram, and TikTok.

Note that setting time limits means that total usage time is reduced from 4 hours and 30 minutes per day to 3 hours and 30 minutes. I get an hour of my life back every day. That’s not bad, but I wanted to reduce my screen time even more, so I resorted to some radical techniques.

Take some radical steps

Google includes a few other settings that make your phone less attractive. For example, Android’s Bedtime mode dims the screen and turns everything black and white. To find this option, go to your Digital Wellbeing settings, and search for Bedtime mode And set the usage period to start around 8 p.m. This also disables notifications until the next morning. For me, bedtime mode helped because it was a visual reminder to put the phone down and stop scrolling. I reduced my usage by another hour.

Unfortunately, I was still using my phone a lot. For me, there’s always the appeal of notifications about new texts, Discord chats, and emails. Who is calling me? What do they need? Once again, we crave the dopamine hit that comes when we hear those hits. We feel useful and productive when we respond, but the downside is that we are glued to our screens more.