Tune out and turn off with ‘Offtime’ for Android
Offtime for Android wants to free us from our smartphones. A Berlin-based startup, the app lets you “switch off and tune out” while still allowing you access to the important things via controls set by you. You get to decide if and when a call from your spouse or boss is allowed through.
The app offers a few configured profiles, but with the ability to reconfigure and rename them as the user sees fit.
Configured profiles include “Focused Work’, “Family’, ‘Unplugging’ and a ‘New Profile’. For example the ‘Unplugging’ profile automatically mutes calls, texts and notifications and also restricts app access.
The profile can be activated and you can preset how long you’d like it to stay active. ‘Settings’ allows you edit what gets blocked more granularly. You can, for instance, allow a call through if it comes form the same number within 3 minutes of the last call or you can select key apps to remain available, such as your calendar or simply block Facebook for a while.
The app offers handy tracking via ‘My Insights’ which tracks your off time and displays it as an ‘Offtime Score’ and also show you your total usage over any given time period and other more granular insights.
The app is flexible and user friendly in that it allows you to deactivate any active Offtime profile by simply long-pressing the screen long-pressing and waiting a minute or a few other variations of the same thing, giving you instant control over your phone. If you feel this is too simple and you may cave, you can also disable this feature, making it harder to get back functionality on your phone.
Following a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2013, the app was developed in collaboration with the Institute of Psychology at the Humboldt University in Berlin. After the beta period and the initial four months of Preview, the official Offtime app was launched October 1st and is available in the Google Play Store.
Image credit: screenshot via Offtime on Google Play
Since you’re here …
… We’d like to tell you about our mission and how you can help us fulfill it. SiliconANGLE Media Inc.’s business model is based on the intrinsic value of the content, not advertising. Unlike many online publications, we don’t have a paywall or run banner advertising, because we want to keep our journalism open, without influence or the need to chase traffic.The journalism, reporting and commentary on SiliconANGLE — along with live, unscripted video from our Silicon Valley studio and globe-trotting video teams at theCUBE — take a lot of hard work, time and money. Keeping the quality high requires the support of sponsors who are aligned with our vision of ad-free journalism content.
If you like the reporting, video interviews and other ad-free content here, please take a moment to check out a sample of the video content supported by our sponsors, tweet your support, and keep coming back to SiliconANGLE.
