Are You a Smartphone Addict? New App Can Help

Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend.

Image Not Available

No eye contact, head bowed down, thumbs hovering over the screen – all signs of a smartphone addict. A newly developed smartphone app helps people kick the habit and maintain a healthy digital lifestyle.

According to SaveOnPhone.com, BreakFree measures the time you spend on your phone and then notifies you when you need to disconnect and step away from your phone.

You may be surprised at how often you’re on your phone. BreakFree research shows if you’re an average smartphone user, you check your phone 110 times a day. That’s every 13 minutes, or more often if you subtract out the time you’re asleep.

After BreakFree assesses your phone usage and calculates an “addiction” score, it can help coach you. According to Tech Times:

If BreakFree sees you’ve been spending too much time on one app, making too many calls or using your smartphone for over an hour, the app gives you a heads-up that it’s time to put the phone down. It also allows you to disable the Internet, reject incoming calls and send auto text messages at specific times of the day.

Mrigaen Kapadia developed the app with his wife. He told Tech Times:

People are becoming antisocial. Before phones, you were always thinking about conversations you could make with someone else. Now many people prefer their phone over conversations with humans. We want to make people realize that human company is better than phone company.

A recent report by Flurry, a mobile analytics firm, said the number of smartphone addicts has skyrocketed 123 percent to 176 million in the last year.

BreakFree is available only for Android, but an iOS version will follow. It’s free, or you can purchase a premium version for $1.99.

Could you or someone you know use the BreakFree app? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.

Get smarter with your money!

Want the best money-news and tips to help you make more and spend less? Then sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter to receive daily updates of personal finance news and advice, delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for our free newsletter today.