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Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

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Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#261

Post by hackernewds »

echelon wrote: post #223
TeMPOraL wrote: post #213

I installed this in the morning to give it a test drive, and after several hours, I learned the following: it's great when I reach for the phone as a distraction; it's a big annoyance otherwise. E.g. each time I want to change the currently playing song, what was muscle memory gets scrambled by the interruption. Or, when I'm taking a lot of photos (like on my daughter's kindergarten event today), I tend to keep the s…

This is where an OS-based agent would help. If it semantically understood the tasks we're trying to accomplish, it could filter the cases we care about. I'm even more excited about browser or OS agents being able to unilaterally scrub the web of all advertisements, spam, polarized toxicity, etc. Forget adblock - I can effectively block all the bad things Google, Meta, Twitter, etc. do and their army of PMs won't be a…

neither Apple or Google will ever develop this given that their core Business depends on users using their phones often

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#262

Post by alexvitkov »

MortyWaves wrote: post #209

Needs an option for “my employer turned on shitty Microsoft ten-billion-factor auth settings”. To login to my work Microsoft account requires a passcode and then three face scans.

This has always boggled my mind - If you don't trust me to pick a decent password and maintain my own machine, why in God's name would you trust me to write code or deploy/maintain company infrastructure?

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#264

Post by hackernewds »

cnity wrote: post #207
al_borland wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I usually just delete the app if it's dominating my time on the phone or drawing me to it.

This is the way. Uninstalling instagram, facebook, youtube, reddit, and tiktok genuinely worked for me. Otherwise it's like trying to diet when your pantry is fully stocked with every possible ultra-satisfying snack food under the sun.

I deleted the apps and then also got the mobile web/ native apps versions. it also seems the algorithm is very hamstrung given that the browser versions cannot access all of those phone permissions. now it makes it think what all data are your apps even collecting?

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#265

Post by tecleandor »

alexvitkov wrote: post #262
MortyWaves wrote: post #209

Needs an option for “my employer turned on shitty Microsoft ten-billion-factor auth settings”. To login to my work Microsoft account requires a passcode and then three face scans.

This has always boggled my mind - If you don't trust me to pick a decent password and maintain my own machine, why in God's name would you trust me to write code or deploy/maintain company infrastructure?

Nah, it's not lack of trust, it's just compliance and plausible deniability.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#266

Post by hackernewds »

chatmasta wrote: post #235
nosduhz wrote: post #227

On iOS, I've tried nearly everything, but here's what's lasted more than a few months. 1. A physical blocker like Brick (getbrick.app) and/or a Kitchen Timer Safe (KSafe). 2. One Sec app I'll occasionally leave my phone at home and use only an Apple Watch with LTE. These are the only flows that haven't become frustrating over time and have worked to cut screen time and addicted apps (or altogether).

One Sec broke my addiction to doomscrolling apps. The feature that makes you look at your face for two seconds when you open the app, while telling you that you last opened it a minute ago, is both hilarious and effective.

has anyone dug into whether one sec is safe (private offline on device as it states)? it requires access to accessibility settings, which means that it could be reading all of you cryptocurrency apps, passwords as well as two-factor authentication

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#267

Post by gen220 »

bornfreddy wrote: post #225
TeMPOraL wrote: post #213

I installed this in the morning to give it a test drive, and after several hours, I learned the following: it's great when I reach for the phone as a distraction; it's a big annoyance otherwise. E.g. each time I want to change the currently playing song, what was muscle memory gets scrambled by the interruption. Or, when I'm taking a lot of photos (like on my daughter's kindergarten event today), I tend to keep the s…

Maybe the app should kick in only if you start using one of the "bad" apps, like a browser or a social network app? Being in the way when I want to snap a quick photo doesn't sound nice.

What I did (helped me eventually delete them) was offload the "bad" apps on my phone so, if I wanted to access them, I'd have to wait for them to re-download. This is an iOS feature where the pointer to the app and the local data remains, but the app bundle itself is deleted. I think it's primary use case is to manage scarce disk space.

It forced me to reckon with the fact that tapping on these apps is often a system 1 instinct. The forced delay to reinstall the app is an escape hatch into system 2 thinking, a mode in which I normally realize I don't even want to use the app, I'm just bored. And then I'd pick up a book or use my newspaper-reader-app (i.e. a more intent/system 2-driven choice).

Off-loading apps or even just removing them from the home screen is really helpful. It gives your system 2 brain an opportunity to mutate your environment to make system 1 processes lead to more fruitful outcomes.

For the same reason, I clear my browser history every month or so and avoid bookmarking certain sites like hn or reddit.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#268

Post by psteinweber »

andy_ppp wrote: post #4

Some people wrap their phone in an elastic band or there’s always Opal if you want more fine grained control: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/opal-screen-time-control/id149...

Opal is incredibly helpful for me. Exactly the right amount of control and annoyance to get me off social media.

Re: Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

#269

Post by encom »

cglong wrote: post #234
poincaredisk wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that's ok your work phone right? At least I hope you didn't agree to have it installed on your private phone. For work phone I guess a good strategy is to avoid installing anything non-work related, so the temptation to use it for anything is low.

Not GP, but I'm okay installing that stuff on my personal phone because it's isolated via Android Work Profile.

No way I'm doing anything work related on any of my personal devices. I have a separate work phone. I turn it off at the end of the work day, and leave it at work.

I used to answer emails from bosses and managers while at home (at a previous employer), but it gets out of hand quickly and then they expect you to do it. Never again. Set boundaries immediately. At 15:00 I'm gone.

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