Ahead of WWDC 2018, it was rumored that Apple could be introducing digital wellness features in iOS 12. For those wondering, it turns out that the rumors were right because Apple has since introduced features in iOS 12 that is designed to help reduce the amount of time we spend on our phones.
For those who are unfamiliar with digital wellness, this seems to be an area of interest amongst tech companies in recent times, where companies are coming up with different ways of trying to reduce our reliance on smartphones. In iOS 12, Apple is allowing users to now set screen time limits on apps that they use. So for example if you’re particularly addicted to one app, you can set a screen time limit which will notify you when your time is running out.
Of course you can ignore these limits if you want, but they’re there if you need the extra help. Other changes also include an enhanced Do Not Disturb mode, the ability to control how your notifications are delivered, and Apple also claims that Siri will also be able to make intelligent suggestions for your notifications, where users can opt to have them turned off or delivered quietly.
Users will also be able to keep track of their screen time to see if there is any particular app that they spend a lot of time on which can be useful for parents monitoring the activity of their kids. There will also be a Downtime mode where users can choose which apps they want to turn notifications off from, and there will also be an icon on the app that indicates that it cannot be used during the scheduled Downtime.
These features will all be part of iOS 12 which is currently scheduled for a release later this fall presumably alongside the new iPhones.