This is actually pretty brilliant and innovative.
With other solutions, the “key” that re-enables distractions is always present. Brick allows you to leave that key behind, turning your phone into a new, distraction-free device until you return.
This tickles some part of my brain… The scanning part is so cool. Would you use an app like this?
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$50 is a lot for a NFC tag that triggers DND mode…
Yeah but it also prevents you from toggling it back on when you are away from the brick. That’s the point. :)
They show it working on iPhone.
You can buy whole rolls of paper sticker nfc tags for a few dollars.
It will add some barriers, but it will not actually prevent you. It is still your phone you could uninstall whatever app they’re using.
I completely agree, there is value in being digitally disconnected, detoxing if you will. Using a work profile, and turning it off when you’re not working so you don’t see any notifications is a great way to do that, if you want to use dnd mode great.
Wait… so it’s just a hardware middle man for Do Not Disturb?
You can leave the key behind
Fun idea until I’m out and about & realize the one app I locked would be useful.
The screenshots look like existing iPhone functionality to limit distractions. The only difference may be that is designed for time, such as only 2hr games per day, whereas I imagine that scan triggers it instantly
I’m sorry but this thing seems kind of dumb.
For everyone that likes the concept and their wallet, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cc.forestapp
This app grows trees by making a DND goal, but the tree falters if you open a blacklisted app
On Android you could use Detox Droid on F-Droid.
LeechBlock is useful on desktops too, although it’s just the browser and is more of a traditional time limiter.
I just disable all notifications for everything, and turn off all push notifications as well.
If I need to know something, I’ll manually go check for it.
According to my usage, I use my phone only 2 hours a day
Yeah I’m there with you. My phone is the most boring device imaginable. It makes no sounds, gives no notifications and has no games or social media. I use it for whatsapp, phone calls, photography, listening to podcasts, tracking my finances, taking notes and browsing Lemmy while on the toilet and given how boring I’ve made my Lemmy feed as well I really struggle to spend more than 5 minutes here unless I’m having an ongoing debate.
When I come home I leave my phone on the table by the door and when I grab it with me when I go to bed because it’s also my alarm clock. I never ever use my phone in the bed either. My screen-on-time averages around 1.5 hours a day.
However, I also watch 8 hours of YouTube on my laptop each day so I’m no better than the rest of the people.
Lmao, you had me in the first half
But YouTube is just equal to what most people did before the internet… Browse garbage shows on cable tv
Jesus, 8 hours of YouTube per day … I don’t even watch 30 mins per week…
Turning off push notifications is a large step. I did that for personal profile stuff and I’m down to 0 usage on FB, limited on Instagram (boss sends me stuff once in a while), some on Lemmy and Mastodon. Work profile has push notifications but is limited to certain hours only. Helps a ton.
What is this? An app triggered by the NFC brick? Didn’t figure it out from their homepage.
More like the brick disables your ability to use or see any disturbing apps, and you can’t even re-enable it without the brick.
This seems like the thing that could be accomplished with just a QR code or NFC tag. Sleep As Android (alarm app) allows you to set up alarms so that you must get up and scan a QR code or tap a NFC tag in order to stop an alarm - no brick needed. It’s not a huge leap to expand that functionality to other use case scenarios (maybe this already exists, I haven’t looked into it). It seems kind of silly to have a service and retail device for something that can be handled locally on-device with BYOH for the unlocking mechanism.
edit: others have pointed this out already
There’s also this company that caters to this sort of thing. I’ve been considering moving to this someday, maybe when my current phone dies. I’m the kind of person that needs a genuinely dumbed down phone to limit access since I’d just get the key out of the drawer and ‘cheat’ eventually.
Yeah, for me I don’t use any Google apps except Maps, but they are still on my phone, and can’t be removed.
It’s sad that all of us are carrying around all these apps that we didn’t choose, and that we don’t want or use.
Makes me again consider cyanogenmod… But had some issues without the Google shit on it.
The example they give is notifications for a bunch of apps I don’t use. If you don’t use Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media, is this of any value at all?
I don’t understand why one should leave notifications on even if they did use those apps. I honestly feel like the phone app is the only one for which it’s justified to be allowed to demand your immediate attention. I’d argue that notifications for even text messages are unecessary unless maybe if it’s someone like your parents, spouse or kids.
TIL that my phone have been always in the no distraction mode
Pro move: uses laptop
It’s cool to see someone making a product like this. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to use phones more mindfully, and I had an idea for a concept very similar to this. So it’s cool to see that other people are on the same wavelength as me.
It would be cooler if the brick was activated by NFC instead of scanning it though. But maybe that’s an improvement they can make in a future version.
The need for something like this will only grow, as more people realize the damage it’s doing.
On the iPhone you can use Assistive Access which makes your phone display very simple and limiting the use of a few selected apps. But Brick is pretty cool if you want a physical manifestation of that
