Apr 19, 20212 min read

7 Apps To Help You Stay off Your Phone While Studying

Do you often find yourself getting distracted by your phone when doing homework? If so, I don’t blame you. Nowadays, smartphone addiction is a prevalent issue in our society. Although it might seem counterintuitive, there are many great apps you can download to help you stay off your phone and boost your productivity while studying. Here are some of them:

1. Flipd (free for Android and iOS users)

Flipd completely takes over your phone by replacing your lock screen with a more basic design and hiding social media apps. Once you lock your phone for a set period of time through this app, there’s no going back. It lets you give easy auto-replies for text messages and list emergency contacts. You can also create groups with your friends and compare/track your progress. It is now connected to the app Focus Lock which you can also download if you want to have access to more features.

2. Forest (free for Android users, $1.99 for iOS users)

In Forest, you start by setting a time specifying how long you want to study for. Meanwhile, a digital plant grows in the app. If you open an unauthorised app and ignore the app’s notification to keep your phone down, your plant will die. You can also share your forest and compete with friends. A free version for iOS users that is very similar to this app is called Plantie.

3. Freedom (free for Android and iOS users)

Freedom blocks most of the websites on Safari. You can block apps too but only in the paid version. You start a session by setting the time period and selecting the websites you want to block. In this app, there is a locked mode that when enabled prevents you from stopping the sessions.

4. Blocksite (free for Android and iOS users)

With Blocksite, you can create custom blocklists of websites and apps, schedule tasks, or start a focus session. In this app, you can set specific days and times for you to be able to access certain sites and apps. It is also available on Google Chrome.

5. Space (free for Android and iOS users)

With Space, you can set a time limit for the usage of your phone and the number of times you want to allow yourself to turn on the screen. Once you’ve reached the maximum number of unlocks, it’ll send you a notification that you’ve run out of them. You can also compare your progress for up to 60 days with your friends.

6. Actuflow (free for Android users, $0.99 for iOs users)

Actuflow prompts you to give a valuable reason as to why you chose to unlock your phone every time you do so. This helps the app user think twice before picking up their phones.

7. AppDetox (available for Android users only, free)

AppDetox allows you to manage the number of times an app can be opened, at what times it can be used, and how much time you want to use it. Every time you break one of your own rules, AppDetox sends you a reminder to put down your phone. It also shows you the number of times you violated the rules that you set.

Hope one or more of these apps will be able to help!

- Laura Desimone

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