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I made my phone slow on purpose

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Re: I made my phone slow on purpose

#111
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whenever I see something like this, I think wow this is gonna be so effective and change my life and then two weeks later it’s uninstalled and I’m slack jaw standing over the sink browsing Instagram

Scrolling is a bad habit. It's hard to kill habits outright, so you need to replacement. Step one is figuring out what triggers the habit. Step two is finding a replacement. Something that worked for me is keeping certain websites to the "big screen" (aka my computer). If I want to browse Reddit I have to get up and go to my PC. I've blocked it on my phone. For me, scrolling on my PC is a little more managable becaus…

I live alone, so it’s really hard to fully kick it because it feels like socializing a little bit…

Re: I made my phone slow on purpose

#112
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are tools for people interested in making a change. You’re not, yet.

I’ve been interested for a decade+, but appreciate the condescension

I’ve found the most effective tool to be uninstalling the apps, being logged out in the browser, then building up a deep resentment for the manipulative practices these apps/sites employ.

Friends send me links on Instagram all the time and it’s always a multi-step process to see it in the browser without being logged in. It’s half-broken and super annoying. If a search query sends me to Instagram, it just breaks 80% of the time and locks me out. If I click on any of the bait designed to lure people into view more content, it will throw up a wall and require downloading the app or logging in. This all serves to fuel the hate I have for these platforms. If they’re going to make it that hard to use, I don’t want to use it, and there must be very powerful and financially motivated reasons why they are pushing me toward a certain engagement model.

I once took screenshots of all the BS I had to go through when he sent me one of those links, so he could see how bad it was and stop spamming me with every other video in his algorithm. At the time it was a 3-4 step process of dismissing modal windows for every link he sent.

Re: I made my phone slow on purpose

#113
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use https://steplimit.com/ to both cure my Reddit addiction and to walk more. You earn minutes on your tracked app(s) by walking. If you run out of minutes, either stop scrolling or go for a walk. It's so simple and so effective.

Whenever I see something like this, I think wow this is gonna be so effective and change my life and then two weeks later it’s uninstalled and I’m slack jaw standing over the sink browsing Instagram

I've struggled at times with various app blockers and limits. Most of them are just a little too easy to disable — or they prevent usage altogether.

AppBlock on Android has a feature that allows you to continue using an app after your time limit is up — if you're willing to wait 3 minutes without swiping to another app. And then, by default, it'll kick back in 15 minutes later.

Works really well for me.

Re: I made my phone slow on purpose

#115
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use https://steplimit.com/ to both cure my Reddit addiction and to walk more. You earn minutes on your tracked app(s) by walking. If you run out of minutes, either stop scrolling or go for a walk. It's so simple and so effective.

Whenever I see something like this, I think wow this is gonna be so effective and change my life and then two weeks later it’s uninstalled and I’m slack jaw standing over the sink browsing Instagram

This hits close to home. I really need to stop bringing my phone to brush my teeth…

Re: I made my phone slow on purpose

#116
That is a very neat solution. Can still get a little and then you get less than a little.

Personally I just deleted the accounts and apps but that doesn't work for everyone.

Also my phone is a 7 year old Oppo something that had a low end Mediatek CPU that sucked from day one. I fear how it would handle any doomscrolling app, it would probably physically eject the media decoder out of the phone after a minute.

Re: I made my phone slow on purpose

#117
post #83

I have recently fully switched to a flip phone running AOSP. After years of fiddling with OneSec and others this really has been the only solution that has worked for kicking my screen addition. Best thing - with AI I can quickly build APKs for whatever I actually need! I build an app to give me turn by turn directions and (ironically) an app to talk to Claude w/ web search. I feel like I'm living in a world of truly…

Which phone, as someone looking at a similar move?

Re: I made my phone slow on purpose

#118

There is a great habit-breaking app called “One Sec.” You configure it with your addicting apps or websites and it uses iOS shortcuts to interrupt you when you open them, and make you wait for some time — optionally with the selfie camera open — and confirm you really want to open it. It’s extremely effective and I highly recommend it. I don’t have it anymore since it led me to eventually delete Instagram and I never…

One sec broke my habit for a month or so but then it got back to “normal”. A friend of mine developed Amba - with that you need a physical nfc chip to unlock your apps. Ofc im biased but for me it works way better.

https://openamba.app/

Re: I made my phone slow on purpose

#119

The truth is that none of these apps can really make your distracting phone into a smart dumb phone because of Apple's limitations on their power. And yet, Apple's own tool, screentime, also can be easily bypassed. The solution is Mobile device management (MDM) using Apple Configurator. All you need is a Mac and your iPhone and you can make it impossible to install distracting apps, create un-bypassable limits, and d…

What's your Android method? I use Apple Configurator too.

Re: I made my phone slow on purpose

#120
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are tools for people interested in making a change. You’re not, yet.

I’ve been interested for a decade+, but appreciate the condescension

You can’t fix human problems with technology.

You can only accelerate the human behavior,

unless you involve another person in taking your freedom away.

No condescension - and if you’ve been trying for ten years, there’s clearly a misunderstanding.

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