Once Android P is released by this summer, it will bring with it a new Dashboard that is designed to clearly depict the amount of time people spend on their phones. On the board, you get to see a breakdown that includes the number of times you’ve unlocked your device, a tally of notifications, and details regarding the amount of time people spend on individual apps. All of these new developments arise from the focus of Google on the digital well-being that was announced by the company at the I/O 2018 this week. However, YouTube is not waiting for Android P to introduce some helpful features. As was promised by Sundar Pichai, and after some very turbulent months, YouTube is kicking off Google’s charge into balancing tech and life.
The company has released a new, optional “take a break” notification which will display a prompt when you’ve exceeded a certain amount of consecutive viewing time. To gain access and start using them, tap your user photo at the top right of the mobile app, go to Settings, and then choose General. At the very top is the new “Remind me to take a break” option.
Your choices are:
Never
Every 15 minutes
Every 30 minutes
Every 60 minutes
Every 90 minutes
Every 180 minutes
No one wants to stay connected to YouTube, but in a case where you get stuck on the platform, you could then set gentle reminders to focus on other things. They won’t close the app or stop you from watching anything; it is up to you to act on or disregard them.
YouTube also added a new setting for a “scheduled digest” that combines all of the individual notifications you’d normally get from the app (new videos from your favorite creators, etc.) into a single list that’s delivered at any time of day of your choosing.
