Everyone addicted to the smartphone: 5 tips to regain control

This almost sounds like a contradiction in terms. But beyond advising you to choose the best smartphone possible corresponding to both your needs and your budget, we are keen to offer you our tips to make the most of it. And one of the best things to do is perhaps to put in place strategies to avoid falling into excessive use: when we know that the French spend on average more than 5 hours per day on their mobile (at least according to one Data.Ai study dating from the beginning of 2024), it seems urgent to learn how to move away from it.

Become aware of your habits

If there is a quick and very effective step to become aware of your (sometimes bad) habits, it is good to take a look at the settings of your smartphone. The section is called “Digital Well-being” on Android and “Screen Time” (once “Activity in apps and on websites” is activated) on iOS, and allows you to check both the time spent in front of the smartphone screen, but also the time spent on each application.

The observation is generally clear: hours spent each day, unlocks by the dozen (at least) and certain applications over-represented overall. This option is a bit schizophrenic – operating system publishers provide the poison and anti-poison! – has been available on Android since Pie, that is to say since 2018, and on iOS since version 12 launched the same year. Obviously, in seven years, these services have been greatly enriched.

Setting limits

These parameters allow you to implement simple strategies to impose limits on yourself. It is in fact possible to apply a timer to each application individually – at the system level therefore, on Android as well as iOS. It’s up to you to allocate the time you think is appropriate to the applications you think you spend too much time on. At random, let’s cite certain social networks…

You can also set up a “Downtime” during which, on iPhone, you can only allow access to applications that you have previously chosen and to voice calls. Practical especially for concentrating when you work. On Android, you can also opt for “Distraction-free” mode: simply select the apps that seem to be affecting your concentration, and you will no longer receive notifications from them over given periods of time. You will have understood: the “Downtime” and “Digital Well-being” sections are full of options allowing you to better moderate your uses, and it is worth exploring them.

Think about fashions

If there is a source of distraction, it is receiving notifications that make your smartphone vibrate or beep, inviting you to look at its screen. Beyond the timers that you can set, you can set up personalized “modes”. You know the “Bedtime” or “Do not disturb” mode, which allows you to pause notifications, but it is possible to create new ones applied to specific time slots, authorizing certain contacts, certain apps, etc.

On Android (Pixel), we note the presence of a “Shhh mode”: simply turn your smartphone, screen against table, to interrupt all types of notifications. Practical for staying focused. On iOS, you need to go to the “Concentration” section, where several modes are predefined, and where you can add more by clicking on the “+” located in the upper left corner of the smartphone. Practical: if you have several terminals using the same Apple account, you can share these “concentrations” between your devices.

Make your screen less attractive

There are many options for making your smartphone interface less attractive. All you have to do, for example on iPhone, is to embark on a little customization, and choose a monochrome display of the icons, the idea being to limit the shimmering colors that attract the eye.

Android also allows you to personalize the display. We find the “Theme icons” option (the name may vary depending on the smartphone; we found it both in the Pixel interface and in that of Samsung models), which again allows you to obtain grayed icons.

It is possible to go even further, on iOS as on Android. Of the launchers (application launchers) can be downloaded from the App Store as well as the Play Store, to extremely simplify the display of apps on mobile. We think, for example, of Dumb Phone for iOS, where the title of the apps is displayed in full, on a monochrome background ($9.99 for one year). Free or paid alternatives are also numerous on Android, from Dumb Phone to Olauncher. Some apps even impose challenges before allowing the phone to be unlocked to better discourage the most addicts !

Switch to a less “smart” phone

This is undoubtedly the most radical option, if you need a real disconnection. There are still a number of non-smart mobiles, the famous feature phones which Nokia tried to bring up to date a few years ago, by reissuing some of its past glories, including the 3310.

Even more radical initiatives regularly emerge, such as The Phone, which adopts the look of a classic smartphone, but without connected functions, mainly aimed at adolescents. Solutions do not require changing mobile, but offer a physical barrier to mobile use, like Brick. The company offers, via a small eponymous NFC box, to “physically” launch predefined modes (blocking predefined applications, notifications, etc.). Disconnecting has a price: count around $70, or around sixty euros.

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