5 devices to help ease your smartphone addiction

The downsides of doomscrolling and screen addiction are well documented, but while many of us would like to spend less time glued to a smartphone, it’s easier said than done.

Much has been written about the so-called dumbphone revival, where individuals regain some respite from pings and push notifications by downgrading to a basic feature phone. But the reality for most is that this is not a permanent workable solution, simply because so much of society today is built around internet-based tools and services.

So it might make more sense to find a middle ground, where we don’t completely ditch our smartphones and tablets, and instead find ways to tune out when we don’t want the constant distractions of TikTok, YouTube, news alerts, and all the rest.

While it’s true that iPhone and Android devices have some digital well-being tools built in, not to mention an array of third-party apps, these are often too easy to override. TechCrunch has curated some of the best hardware that physically separates people from their round-the-clock connected lives — without completely cutting them off from the outside world. Balance, after all, is the name of the game.

Although these devices have different approaches to indirectly address smartphone addiction, they each do so from a very similar standpoint: It’s all about the user voluntarily adding friction to their digital lives. And paying to do so.

Unpluq

There are plenty of third-party launchers and blocker apps that bring purposeful friction to your smartphone, but Unpluq makes things physical.

The Dutch company has developed an NFC-enabled fob, or a “tag,” that acts as a “digital key” to temporarily unblock certain apps on your phone.

Related to this, Unpluq offers a mobile app that works independently of the physical fob. You can block your two most distracting apps on a preset schedule (e.g., during a specific time period each day) for free, or you can pay a $61 annual subscription to unlock premium features, including an unlimited number of apps to block on Android and up to 49 on iOS. It also provides more granular controls over the blocking schedule (e.g., restrict it to certain days and times), among other add-ons.

However, Unpluq’s real value, arguably, lies in the fob, which costs $74 with a one-year subscription bundled, or $22 for the device on its own (you do need a premium subscription to use the fob, so it will have limited value without that).

Without the fob, users can unblock apps by circumventing what Unpluq calls “distraction barriers,” which means having to carry out specific actions to access a given app. This might be having to shake the phone for five seconds, tap several buttons, among other actions.

The fob adds an extra layer of friction, requiring users to tap the fob on the phone to gain access to the apps that they’ve deliberately blocked. Unpluq says its product is based on the behavioral design theory known as rational override, which is all about introducing deliberate interruptions into a user experience to disrupt habitual behaviors. This makes people think about their actions.

The idea is that if you want to block Instagram, X, or The New York Times’ alerts while trying to study for an exam, you can set the fob as your unblock method and leave the fob on the other side of the house. This should, in theory, make you think twice about doomscrolling and focus on your revision instead.

It’s worth noting that there are other physical devices that serve similar purposes, such as Brick and 4rem.

Boox Palma 2

If you literally want to leave your smartphone behind or lock it away in a box to alleviate yourself from all the temptations it brings, there are other devices that could help.

Boox, a brand from Chinese company Onyx, meshes the worlds of ePaper technology and Android to create quirky devices that straddle the notebook, tablet, and e-reader spheres. Crucially, they pack additional connectivity features, including a full gamut of apps via the Google Play store that’s preinstalled.

Released last year, the Boox Palma 2 is the newest member of the Boox family, and while it’s pitched primarily as an e-reader, it sports smartphone-like dimensions that make it very pocketable.

With access to a full array of Android apps, this might defeat the purpose of what Boox touts as a “distraction-free device.” However, given that this is an ePaper device, the minimalist screen doesn’t have the same appeal for consuming online content. But perhaps more importantly, it doesn’t have any cellular functionality, either, meaning connectivity is restricted to Wi-Fi — so if you only want to be able to consume offline content while on the move, this could work well for your purposes.

In terms of messaging, it’s also worth noting that WhatsApp now lets users access their messages on multiple devices at the same time. This means that you can lock your smartphone away and still dial in to your social life through the Boox Palma 2 (albeit over a Wi-Fi connection only).

The Boox Palma 2 is available now for $279.99.

Daylight DC-1

Similar to the Boox Palma 2, the Daylight DC-1 is an Android-based device primarily designed for reading and writing on; it’s a “distraction-free space for learning and creativity,” according to the company. It also offers Google Play, meaning you can access all the usual apps, though it lacks cellular connectivity.

At $729, the DC-1 is not cheap, but this device is all about the quality 60 fps display, which promises smoothness and clarity — the “live paper” technology is “like E-Ink, but faster,” the company says.

It’s also quite a bit bigger than the Boox Palma 2, which might appeal to some.

So if you want a device for reading, working, and researching, with the option of dipping into some of the internet’s savory delights, then the DC-1 might be for you.

TTfone Titan TT950

OK, not everyone wants to buy a costly e-reader or tablet when all they want is to go places without the temptation of social media or breaking news at their fingertips.

While basic 1990s-style “feature phones” are certainly an option for those looking to keep their smartphones at bay, for most people they lack one key ingredient: WhatsApp.

There are various so-called dumbphones that support WhatsApp, owing to the fact that they run Android under the hood. And because WhatsApp now offers multi-device support, you can synchronize all your messages from your smartphone with one of these other devices.

Among the cheapest such phones is the Titan TT950, from U.K.- and UAE-based phone maker TTfone. It costs around $106 or your local currency equivalent and is a fairly basic flip phone aimed at seniors. It has no app store to speak of, but it does come with a handful of apps preinstalled, including Facebook Lite, YouTube, a browser, and WhatsApp.

Including such apps isn’t ideal for those seeking to minimize distractions, but the 2.8-inch touchscreen and accompanying keypad are likely just too fiddly to be of much use for proper internetting.

Unihertz: Jelly Star

Everyone has different compromises they’re willing to make in their digital detoxing efforts. For some, that might mean buying a secondary smartphone that is just so damn small that it’s totally impractical for TikToking or YouTubing.

The Jelly Star from China’s Unihertz probably fits that bracket.

The Jelly Star runs Android 13 out of the box and, as such, is a fully fledged smartphone. But with a 3-inch touchscreen, it’s just not something you would want to spend too much time doomscrolling on.

At $220, the Jelly Star isn’t extraordinarily cheap for a secondary device. But if it means you can disappear for the weekend and leave your pocket rocket at home, while still being able to access essential “life” apps such as WhatsApp, Spotify, Uber, and Google Maps, then it could be a worthwhile investment for some.