The Ultimate List of Apps to Keep You Off Your Phone

Ditching your phone can be a game-changer for your mental and physical health. Apps like Freedom and SelfControl can block distracting websites and apps, helping you stay focused on what matters.

Freedom's website-blocking feature can even be set to block your entire internet connection, making it harder to mindlessly scroll through social media. This feature is especially useful for those who struggle with procrastination.

By using apps like Moment, you can gain a better understanding of your phone usage habits and identify areas for improvement. Moment tracks your screen time, app usage, and even provides insights into your phone's impact on your sleep and productivity.

A study cited in the article found that users who tracked their screen time with Moment saw a significant decrease in their daily screen time, often by an hour or more.

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Addiction is a complex issue that affects many aspects of our lives. It's not just about being glued to our phones, but about how our behavior is impacting our relationships, work, and daily routines.

Phone addiction, in particular, is a growing concern. It's characterized by an obsessive behavior towards our devices, causing feelings of anxiety, irritability, or dread when we're not using them.

Notifications can be a major trigger for phone addiction. Receiving a notification demands immediate attention, no matter where we are or who we're with. This constant need for validation can lead to a cycle of addiction.

Sleep is also a common casualty of phone addiction. Dedication to social networks and apps can prevent us from maintaining a sleep routine, leading to disrupted sleep hours.

Our phones can even condition our movement. We may avoid spaces where there is no coverage, such as the subway or mountains, to the point where it limits where we go at any given moment.

Here are some common symptoms of phone addiction:

These symptoms can have serious consequences, particularly for adolescents who use their phones excessively. Research has shown that youths, especially young girls, who are addicted to their smartphones and social media are likely to experience mental distress and suicidal thoughts.

Smartphone addiction is a real concern, and it's not just about getting off your phone. Excessive use can permanently damage your eyes and disrupt sleep.

The good news is that there are apps that can help you control your addiction. Freedom is an app that blocks most websites on Safari, and in its paid version, it can also block apps.

Some apps, like Flipd, offer an effective cell phone blocking option. Once configured, Flipd only allows access to minor functions like the calculator or calendar.

If you're looking for a more comprehensive solution, consider downloading an app that limits your smartphone usage by monitoring your screen time, locking you out of specific applications, or rewarding you for controlling your daily phone use.

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Digital Wellbeing is a crucial aspect of maintaining a healthy relationship with your smartphone. Attentive offers a refreshing approach to combat mindless scrolling by acting as a virtual smartphone addiction interventionist.

The app encourages you to complete practices that make you more knowledgeable about your smartphone addiction, using sound psychological research. These practices are succinct and help you build habits to use your smartphone more consciously.

Attentive comes in two plans: Attentive Monthly at $9.99/month and Attentive Yearly at $49.99/year, which includes a 1-week free trial. OffScreen is another great option for minimizing screen time, with a minimalistic interface that makes it simple to use.

OffScreen tracks your smartphone usage, including overall time spent, how often you unlock your phone, and how long you use it per unlock. You can set goals for yourself by setting a daily screen time limit, and the app will send notifications to remind you when you're reaching your daily limit.

Some apps, like QualityTime, propose their use to obtain "quality time" by offering an exhaustive record of the hours spent on the cell phone, with graphs and timelines. You can also set usage alerts and set time limits to disconnect from these applications and devote time to other interests.

Detox is another highly customizable app that allows you to block notifications and access to other applications as you want, either in a time limit, specific days, or forever. This makes it a very effective development for "detoxification" of apps that cause addiction.

Here are some popular digital wellbeing apps:

Forest is an app that helps you stay focused by growing virtual trees. If you switch to another app, your tree will wither and die.

The app tracks your progress and rewards you with virtual currency that can be used to donate to a real tree-planting organization.

Flipd is another app that helps you stay on track by setting a daily productivity goal and blocking distracting apps.

With Flipd, you can set a timed session to reach your goal, and the app will prevent you from switching to other apps during that time.

Help Me Focus is an app blocker with advanced features, including a profile that can block apps and notifications during specific times of the day.

The app also has a super strict mode that prevents you from uninstalling it or modifying the profile when it's active.

OffScreen is an app that tracks your screen time and provides insights to help you stay focused.

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The free version of OffScreen tracks your overall screen time, how often you unlock your phone, and how long you use it per unlock.

OffScreen Pro offers additional features, such as monitoring your phone use while walking or stationary, and tracking your longest daily screen time.

Stay Focused is an app that lets you filter and lock distracting apps, preventing you from impulsively using your phone.

The app has a strict mode that prevents you from uninstalling it, and it also blocks notifications from locked apps until the next day.

Here's a quick rundown of the apps mentioned:

I tested three apps to see which one could help me stay off my phone. Moment and Mute were both inaccurate and made me feel anxious.

Mute reported I had spent over two hours on my phone on a single day, while Moment read just 30 minutes. This discrepancy continued throughout the week.

I deleted Mute because I didn't like the constant notifications shaming me for my phone usage. I also didn't appreciate the need for location tracking at all times.

Forest, on the other hand, is a more positive and engaging app. It gamifies productivity by letting you plant virtual trees and watch them grow.

Each time I pick up my phone, Forest gives me encouraging messages to put it back down. This approach is much less stressful than the shame-based approach of Moment and Mute.

I found Forest to be a useful tool for staying focused, especially when working on tasks that require my full attention.

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