Doomscrolling Check: Google Releases Screen Time Reminders Feature To Pixel, Android Phones

Google has introduced a new feature — screen-time reminders — to Pixel and other Android phones as part of its Digital Wellbeing package. When a user spends a significant amount of time on a particular app, this feature displays an on-screen cautionary reminder.

In a world that lives more in the digital domain, it is common for users to become obsessive with their smartphones and indulge in "doomscrolling". The term was coined during the Covid-19 pandemic and used to describe the act of users spending an exorbitant amount of time consuming negative news or online content or on an app.

Google's screen-time reminders feature has been released with the aim of helping users avoid becoming obsessed by a single app. It was reportedly rolled out over the previous few days and now appears to be generally available. 

The feature, which is turned off by default, displays a tiny pop-up at the top of the screen after a predetermined amount of time. While some users have reportedly discovered the reminder after 15 minutes, others saw it after 25 minutes. The reminder will show up even if a user doesn't have app time limits enabled.

According to Google, these reminders will be "occasional" and their frequency is uncontrolled. Users can, however, control them by disabling them for specific apps, such as gaming and videos, through their settings.

Screen-time reminders are automatically activated for all apps on Android smartphones once a user enables them. When a reminder shows up, a user may tap the pop-up and choose to turn off reminders for that specific app.

In addition to Pixel smartphones, OnePlus, Oppo, Nothing and many other Android devices also support Google's Digital Wellbeing capabilities.