Use these five apps to track how much you use your phone. Check to see if you have a phone addiction
Mobile phones have become an integral part of many people's everyday lives. On the other hand, overuse can negatively impact relationships, mental health, and productivity.
Additionally, since scrolling for two hours can feel like thirty minutes, it is useful to look at a variety of apps to see how much time you spend on your phone. This will give you a realistic idea of how much time you might be wasting every day without even realizing it.
- StayFree
We start with StayFree, an app that delivers on its promise: tracking screen time and monitoring app usage in great detail.
It also allows you to set usage limits and even block some apps temporarily or permanently if you find them too annoying.
It also offers Focus Mode, where you can schedule interruption-free times, and a website blocking system.
You'll also get reminders about excessive usage and a statistics section to keep all the data you need at your fingertips.
- Forest
The next app on our list is Forest, an app that has been around for many years and is considered really original and useful.
It makes you think of focus as a game where you "plant" a virtual tree each time you start a focus session. If you exit the app before the timer expires, the tree dies, which should encourage you to continue with the task.
Session after session, you'll create and expand a virtual forest within the app. As if that weren't enough, by using the Forest app, you'll help plant real trees, thanks to the app's collaboration with environmental organizations.
In this app, you won't be able to see the time you spend using distracting apps. Instead, you'll see statistics about how much time you spent focused, and because you can tag sessions, you'll be able to see the productive tasks you spent time on.
- OffScreen
OffScreen provides comprehensive screen time statistics, even showing you how many times you unlock your phone, which can help you understand your phone addiction if you suffer from it.
You'll also have access to statistics about your average daily usage, movement time, and even sleep data if you enable integration with the Apple Health app.
The OFF Time feature will help you limit app usage to specific times, and you can choose from different focus modes, such as Pomodoro, Countdown, and more.
You'll also have the option to create whitelists to block all apps on your phone, except those you need for work or school.
- One Sec
One Sec proposes a very simple but effective mechanism: Before opening certain apps or websites, it forces you to pause for a period of time and tells you how many times you've tried to open that app.
Although it may seem like a very easy ban to bypass, the developers claim that scientific studies confirm that this method works.
You can customize the duration of this break and view analytics about your browsing behavior, including how much time you spent on each app.
- RescueTime
RescueTime also automatically tracks the apps you use and the websites you visit and compiles detailed reports.
FocusTime blocks distracting pages or apps, sends you real-time alerts and weekly reports, and can be integrated with the Calendar app, Music app, and more advanced options in the premium version.