Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Brick: This Device Curbed My iPhone Addiction”.
I spend way too much time on my iPhone and more specifically, social media. I have tried cutting back to no avail, but this little square could be the answer to all my problems. This is the brick you scan it with your iPhone to block the apps of your choosing, which in my case, are the social media apps. I spend way too many hours Doom scrolling on you can’t get back into them until you rescan, so you can still use your phone for all the important stuff like calling texting, ubering, Etc, while temp earily tuning out the other stuff. I’Ve been trying it for a couple of weeks to see if it could actually help me curb my social media use, which is a big ask and spoiler alert. It has setup is super easy start by downloading the brick app and then you can create your block list of the apps. You want to limit your access to then. If you try to open one of those apps, it gives you this scary message about how it’s a distraction, which it definitely is, and you can’t get back into those apps until you rescan the brick and the notifications from those apps are blocked as well. You can also create different modes in the app which I really appreciate. So I have my default mode, which blocks all of my socials when I really just want to tune out everything, and I also have a work mode that keeps the socials that I need for my job now. Okay, what? If you really need to get into an app but you’re out and your brick is at home very valid question, I’m sure it’s happened to people before you do get five emergency un bricks that you can use to get back into your apps without scanning. Back into your brick and then once you use those up, the only way to get back in is by deleting the brick app, which also deletes all of your data and modes. So it’s kind of annoying. I’Ve done it. So trust me, I know, but there’s also a strict mode, and if you have that turned on you can’t delete the app to get back into your blocked list. I Know Myself and I keep strict mode on so I have no way to get back into my apps until I rescan my brick, I like keeping my brick on my fridge. I feel like it’s the perfect place, because it’s far enough away from my bedroom that I won’t scan back in unless I really need to get into my apps. But then it’s also close enough to the front door that I won’t forget to activate my blocked list. Before I leave the house, it is worth noting that there are native iPhone tools that are meant to help. You limit your screen time like Focus modes or screen time limits that you can set for each app, but brick claims that their product is different, because it’s this physical object that you have to actually get up and scan most of the time – and I do agree That the brick is different. I think the native iPhone screen time limitations are way too easy to get through for somebody who is very chronically online like me, and I like that, the brick makes it more difficult.
I like to scan my brick 1 hour before I go to bed and not rescan it until 1 hour. After I wake up. I also scan it during work and as long as I stick to that schedule, I find that I’m just forced to respect the boundaries that I’ve set and not go on social media and the big question has it reduced my screen time? The answer is yes, it has cut it back significantly, which I’m very happy about. I used to spend about 9 to 10 hours a day on my iPhone, which is so embarrassing.
I can’t believe I just told you that, but using the brick has cut that time. In half for me, which is Major, I have tried completely ditching my iPhone in the past for say a Nokia, flip phone or the Light phone, both of which do much less than a smartphone, and while obviously, that did reduce my screen time, it’s ultimately unrealistic. For me to have one of those phones fulltime, because social media is my job, hello, you’re, watching this on YouTube.
So the brick is the perfect solution for me, because it allows me to temporarily ditch social media when I don’t need it and use it for work. When I do one brick costs $ 50 and then, as you buy more, you get a discount. Currently, the brick only works with iPhones running iOS, 16 or later so sad uh. But they do say that they’re working on an Android version which I’m very happy about, because I’m a fan of this thing, so I want it to work with as many devices as possible Now setting boundaries with tech is an ongoing process. So if you want to follow my journey of developing a healthier relationship with technology be sure to subscribe, also, I’m very curious. Let me know in the comments, if you would try the brick and thank you so much for watching .