This lesser-known trick makes your iPhone less addictive
What's the story
Have you ever wished to turn your feature-rich smartphone into a basic 'dumb phone?' Well, tech enthusiast and developer Stepan Parunashvili has done just that with his iPhone, using Apple Configurator. He said he was spending an average of four hours on his phone every day. But after two months of using this new setup, his screen time has been reduced to about two hours daily.
Motivation
Parunashvili's social media addiction
Parunashvili was often distracted by social media apps like Twitter and Instagram, which affected his productivity at work and quality time with loved ones. He tried various methods to curb this problem but failed. Switching phones was also not an option due to the unavailability of certain apps (like Things 3) on "Android-based dumbphones."
Solution
What is Apple Configurator?
Parunashvili discovered Apple Configurator, a tool that lets organizations impose specific restrictions on iPhones. Though it is meant for businesses, anyone can use it personally as well. The main advantage of using this tool is the friction involved in making changes. To alter restrictions, you need to connect your iPhone to your laptop and open a "kludgy piece of software."
Pros and cons
Pros and cons of using this tool
Parunashvili pointed out that Apple Configurator lets you disable the App Store, which is a major win. This way, you can really lock down your phone and avoid any distractions. However, he also warned about two downsides of this tool. First, you have to factory reset your iPhone to set up Apple Configurator with a completely reset phone. Second, getting the right setup takes weeks of tweaks and may require assistance from a tech specialist.
Experience
Has the setup worked for Parunashvili?
After two months of using this setup, Parunashvili said his phone feels like a utility. He found ChatGPT and Claude critically useful for getting distraction-free summaries of information. Parunashvili also noted that he hasn't felt the urge to remove the restrictions, which was not the case with any previous setup he had tried.