New iPhone features to include ways to use it less
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Apple introduced new controls for limiting how much time customers spend on their devices as the company tackles criticism that its devices are becoming increasingly addictive and distracting.
The controls allow users to set “Do Not Disturb” modes on their phones, such as at night or during trips to the playground with their kids. During that time, app notifications will be blocked from showing up on the home screen. The phone’s screen can also be set to dim automatically just before bedtime.
Apple also will give users reports on how much time they spend on apps and what gets them to check them constantly. They can set time limits on specific apps — and set controls for kids.
Last month, Google revealed plans to have Android phones go into “shush” mode when placed face down on a table and have the screen show only greyscale colors late at night. Both companies’ efforts come as experts worry that all the flashy colors and beeps give users short-term, feel-good rewards while increasing stress in the long run.
The new Apple features previewed Monday won’t reach users for a few months. Rather, they were shown to let software developers start building apps to make iPhones and other Apple devices more useful.
And that underscores a paradox: Apple is introducing features to limit iPhone use at the same time it’s encouraging more use by building in more useful features.
Apple is taking a swipe at ubiquitous “share” buttons created by Facebook and others to track your behavior online regardless of whether you click on them. The company says it’s shutting down that tracking through its Safari browser in an update to Mac and iOS devices, including iPhones and iPads. Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi said such tracking would be blocked by default. Even if users click to share an item, they will get a prompt with an option to prevent subsequent tracking.
He also said Apple would crack down on so-called “fingerprinting,” in which data companies identify specific devices by creating a unique fingerprint based on a device’s particular configuration settings, installed fonts and plugins. Apple plans to instead send out generic data to such collectors, making a user’s device look just like any other Apple device. Federighi said the changes will make it “dramatically more difficult for data companies to identify you and track you.”
Last year, Apple added “intelligent tracking prevention” that imposes time limits on tracking cookies and takes other measures to try to prevent advertising tech companies from following users around the web.