This Is How To Set App Limits Using New iOs & Combat Screen Exhaustion

Sep. 19, 2018

I'm one of those people who feels like I'm always on my phone. I'm checking out social media every few minutes even though nothing new has happened. And I'm tired of it. Sometimes I feel like the only one who is worn down with phone fatigue. It's possible that I'm wrong about this and that other people would really benefit from figuring out how to set app limits using their new iOs. Or I will be the only person who needs this article, either way it's a win/win.

So the new iOs 12 is pretty revolutionary for Apple, which is obviously really saying something. The new software update has come up with features to help people who struggle with screen addiction, a very real concern for millions of people who can't seem to get unglued from their phone. Among the helpful tools? Parents can now help manage settings on their kids' Apple devices (including iPhones and iPads) and set limits for their usage, help you to group notifications, and even offer a "Do not disturb during bedtime" function. Your device will also now be able to tell you how much time you're spending staring at your phone, and more importantly will offer you options to help curb that time. You can create a limit for screen time, and you can also add limits to your apps. Here's how.

According to Mac Rumors, setting individual app limits and setting app category limits using the iOs software update both follow slightly different instructions but shouldn't be terribly time consuming:

Setting Individual App Limits

Launch the settings app on whichever Apple device you're using
Tap Screen Time
Either tap the Screen Time graph for the device you're using or alternately tap all devices
Scroll to find the Most Used list of apps on your device and click whichever app you want to set the limit for
Tap Add Limit in the bottom right corner
From here you can either choose hours and minutes or customize your limit based on days of the week (for instance if you want to ease up on your app limit on the weekend or during off hours from work)
Tap add and then you're done

Set App Category Limit

Hoping to set limits on certain app categories? Here's how it goes:

After pulling up the Screen Time page, tap on App Limits
Choose a category you would like to limit (social networking, games, entertainment, etc)
Tap Add on the right
Choose a limit in hours and minutes or customize it for different days of the week, much like setting individual app limits.

Once you have set either individual or category app limits on your device, you will get a notification if you reach that limit. Now if you've changed your mind and want to bypass that limit, you just have to tap "Ignore Limit" and keep on watching YouTube or whatever. It's essentially meant to be a tool to help you pay closer attention to the amount of time you spend hanging out on your phone, potentially wasting time you might have wanted to use elsewhere.

I actually think this is a pretty brilliant update for Apple. Encouraging people to use their products, of course, but to take control of their time management in a way that feels accessible. We all know how deceptively easy it is to get sucked into a scrolling vortex on social media, where you're staring at everything but seeing nothing. Maybe these app limits will help people get a newfound appreciation for the internet. Take time away from it so they actually enjoy it when they use it.

Or people will just keep clicking "ignore." Either way.