Google, the search engine giant, has launched three new and experimental apps to encourage one to use their smartphones less. These new apps are a part of the company’s Digital Wellbeing initiative and one of these offers a unique solution which basically involves you putting your handset in an envelope.
The new apps were launched on 21st January 2020 and are made to help people use their smartphones less often. However, the envelope from Google does let users make calls. Unfortunately, the envelope currently only supports Google’s Pixel 3A, for now at least. So for those interested, a Pixel 3A is the only way for one to experience it at the moment.
The app is called Envelope and can be downloaded from Google’s Play Store app. This app will have a PDF attached to it that is supposed to be printed out by the user. Then, cut out the template and build it according to the instructions provided. Once completed, users can put their Pixel 3A devices inside it and are only able to user the number keys for dialing, speed dials and even flashes the numbers on the same to tell the time.
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The Envelope follows a design philosophy from Google that allows smartphone users to disconnect. The effort behind it is to silence digital distractions to allow for more focus in a given environment. Google has open sourced the Envelope app on GitHub so interested users do have the option to tinker with how it works, apart from just calling or being able to use the camera.
Furthermore, the way the envelope is built is also significant in this process. Once sealed, users will have to tear open the seal to access their smartphone. Thus, if one does tear open the seal, they will have to make another one from scratch as it is not designed for sealing and reopening, encouraging longer use in this manner.
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(Via)
