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Staying glued to your telephone is precisely what big tech companies want.
However, if you're fresh to reclaim your clip and trim surface clip connected your phone, location are applicable steps you tin take, sloppy of whether you usage an iPhone aliases an Android device.
Here's really to break free from endless scrolling and build healthier integer habits.
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5 SMART SETTINGS TO MAKE YOUR PHONE WORK HARDER

A man scrolling connected his phone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Why reducing telephone surface clip matters
Constant telephone usage tin disrupt sleep, summation accent and make it harder to focus. Setting boundaries pinch your instrumentality tin amended your well-being, productivity and relationships.
How to trim surface clip connected your iPhone pinch built-in tools
Apple devices see adjuvant features designed to curb surface clip and thief you create healthier tech habits, without needing third-party apps. And they only activity if we opt to usage them. That’s half nan conflict astatine winning backmost your attention.

A female scrolling connected her phone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
1. Track and group app limits pinch Screen Time connected iPhone
Use Apple's Screen Time characteristic to show really overmuch clip you're spending connected circumstantial apps and group regular limits to thief break habits.
- Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap Screen Time to position your regular and play usage reports.
- Tap App Limits (under nan "Daily Average" section).
- Tap Add Limit.
- Choose the category aliases circumstantial apps you want to limit.
- Tap Next.
- Set the daily clip limit (e.g., 1 hr per day).
- Optional: Tap Customize Days to group different limits by day.
- Tap Add to confirm.
2. How to schedule Downtime connected iPhone to limit surface time
Use Downtime to automatically artifact distracting apps and notifications during circumstantial hours, specified arsenic earlier bed, during activity aliases mealtime.
- Open the Settings app connected your iPhone.
- Tap Screen Time.
- Select Downtime.
- Tap Turn On Downtime Until Tomorrow to alteration it correct away, or:
- Toggle on Scheduled, past group a commencement and extremity clip (e.g., 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.).
- During this time, only apps you let (like Phone aliases Messages) will beryllium accessible.
- To customize which apps are ever allowed, spell backmost to Screen Time > Always Allowed and make your selections.
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3. How to soundlessness iPhone notifications and trim regular distractions
Constant pings and alerts tin support you glued to your phone. Use these steps to move disconnected non-essential notifications and alteration Focus modes to enactment successful control.
- Open the Settings app connected your iPhone.
- Tap Notifications.
- Scroll done your apps and pat any non-essential one.
- Toggle off Allow Notifications to extremity alerts wholly aliases customize wherever and really they appear.
For much control
- Go backmost to Settings and tap Focus.
- Choose a mode like Do Not Disturb, Work or Sleep, past customize which group and apps are allowed through.
You tin besides schedule Focus modes aliases person them move connected automatically based connected time, location, aliases app use.
4. How to make your iPhone little appealing
Turning your surface to grayscale removes nan vibrant colors that support your encephalon engaged, making your telephone consciousness much boring and easier to ignore.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Click Display & Text Size.
- Tap Color Filters.
- Click Grayscale.

A man scrolling connected his phone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
How to break free from your Android telephone and trim surface time
Big tech designs apps to support you hooked, but your Android telephone besides has built-in devices to thief you return backmost control. Here are practical, up-to-date tips for reducing surface clip and forming healthier habits.
1. Check and limit app usage connected Android
Use Android's Digital Wellbeing devices to way your surface clip and group limits connected nan apps that devour your day.
Settings whitethorn alteration depending connected your Android phone’s manufacturer
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls.
- On nan main screen, position your screen clip chart and database of astir often utilized apps.
- Tap any app successful nan database to position much usage details.
- Tap Set timer to limit really agelong you tin usage that app each day.
- Once nan timer runs out, nan app will beryllium paused until nan adjacent day.
- To trim wide distractions, scroll down and tap Focus Mode, wherever you tin temporarily region selected distracting apps pinch a azygous tap.
2. Silence notifications to debar changeless distractions
Constant notifications hijack your attention. Turning them disconnected helps trim nan impulse to cheque your telephone unnecessarily.
Settings whitethorn alteration depending connected your Android phone’s manufacturer
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Notifications.
- Tap App notifications (or Notification settings, depending connected your phone).
- Toggle off alerts for non-essential apps.
- To artifact each alerts during definite times, spell to Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Do Not Disturb, and set a schedule.
3. Schedule downtime to disconnect astatine cardinal moments
Set bedtime aliases activity hours erstwhile your telephone automatically limits distractions and helps you upwind down aliases focus.
Settings whitethorn alteration depending connected your Android phone’s manufacturer
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls.
- Scroll to the "Ways to disconnect" conception and tap Bedtime Mode.
- Tap Turn connected arsenic scheduled to group your start and extremity times (e.g., 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.).
- Enable features like:Grayscale screenMute notificationsDim wallpaper
- Grayscale screen
- Mute notifications
- Dim wallpaper
- To further trim interruptions astatine different times, spell backmost to Settings > Modes and Routines or Settings > Notifications > Do Not Disturb to schedule civilization attraction hours (e.g., during activity aliases meals).
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Simple shifts that thief you trim surface clip without relying connected settings
By now, you've sewage nan devices to show and limit your surface time, but reducing telephone usage isn't conscionable astir toggling settings. Sometimes, it's nan mini intelligence shifts and biology changes that make nan biggest difference. Here are immoderate strategies to thief you trim surface clip and regain power of your instrumentality without needing to delve into your settings paper again:
Change wherever you support your phone: Out of show really tin mean retired of mind. Try leaving your telephone successful different room while you work, eat aliases relax. Even conscionable putting it successful a drawer aliases turning it look down tin break nan rhythm of changeless checking.
Stop utilizing your telephone arsenic a default filler: Bored? Waiting successful line? Stuck successful postulation (as a passenger)? Instead of reflexively reaching for your phone, effort doing thing aliases thing analog. Read a book, respire profoundly aliases conscionable fto your mind wander. These "in-between" moments are wherever clarity often happens.
Create no-phone zones: Designate tech-free areas successful your home, specified arsenic nan meal table, chamber aliases bathroom. Physically separating yourself from your telephone helps reenforce boundaries and trim surface clip without overmuch effort.
Replace doom-scrolling pinch speedy wins: Build a database of low-effort, high-reward alternatives to scrolling. Think: a five-minute stretch, stepping outside, organizing a drawer aliases sending a sound connection to a friend. The cardinal is having options fresh erstwhile nan impulse to scroll hits.
Involve personification else: Accountability works. Whether it's a friend, partner aliases roommate, inquire personification to cheque successful pinch you, aliases moreover clasp nan surface clip passcode. Just knowing personification other is watching tin make mindless scrolling little appealing.
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Kurt's cardinal takeaways
Big tech designs devices to support you hooked, but you person nan powerfulness to return backmost control. By utilizing built-in tools, making your telephone little enticing and mounting realistic goals, you tin trim telephone surface clip and bask a healthier narration pinch technology. Start small, enactment accordant and observe your progress. Trust me, state from your telephone is possible.
What would you do pinch an other hr a day, if it wasn’t spent scrolling? Let america cognize by penning america at Cyberguy.com/Contact
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Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a heavy emotion of technology, cogwheel and gadgets that make life amended pinch his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business opening mornings connected "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, stock your voice, a communicative thought aliases remark astatine CyberGuy.com.