34 13 - 26 November 2019
Best Free Apps
NEW
App of the Fortnight
TOOLS
DigitalWellbeingExperiments
bit.ly/wellbeing488
8We admit that we’re cheating
a little with our App of the
Fortnight this issue. In fact,
it’s actually five separate free
apps – all from Google’s
experimental Creative Lab
team – that are designed to
improve your digital
wellbeing in one way or
another.
First up is Desert Island
(bit.ly/desert488), a simple
tool that helps you focus by
game-ifying your phone use
and challenging you to go
for a full 24 hours with only
a handful of your most
essential apps.
Next up is Morph (bit.ly/
morph488), which aims to provide you with the apps you
need at the times you need them. You’re tasked with
thinking about how you use your time so your device can
adapt to present you with the apps appropriate to a specific
time or location. For example, if
you only exercise in the afternoon,
your fitness-tracker app will be
hidden at other times of the day.
It’s a good way to avoid
unnecessary distractions.
Post Box (bit.ly/post488) is a
very useful tool that basically
stockpiles all your notifications.
You schedule how often and when
you’d like them delivered, and
remain blissfully uninterrupted by
pings, dings and on-screen
messages until that time arrives.
Unlock Clock (bit.ly/unlock488)
helps you consider how much
you use your phone by displaying
a running tally every time you
unlock it.
Finally, We Flip (bit.ly/
weflip488) is another game-ified
way to switch off from
technology – this
time with an added
social element. You and your friends flip the off
switch together and see how long you can all
go withoutusing your devices as a group.Our rating (^) HHHHH
1
UnlockClockworksasa
livewallpaper,soyou
won’tfindaniconforit in
yourapptray.Instead,you
needtotapSettings,
Display,Wallpaper,then
select‘Livewallpapers’from
theoptions.SelectUnlock
Clock,thentapSet
Wallpaper^1 andchoose
whetherit’sappliedtojust
‘Homescreen’^2 or‘Home
screenandlockscreen’.^3
Thecounterwillincrease
everytimeyouunlockyour
device.
2
TouseDesertIsland,
launchit andpressGet
Started,thenNext.Now
selectyoursevenmost
essentialappsfromthelist
(^1) andtapNext. (^2) Ta p
SelectDefaultLauncher,
thenmakesureDesertIsland
is selectedasHomeandtap
Always.TapGetStartedand
you’llbefacedwitha
minimallauncherwithonly
youressentialappsavailable.
Pressthepalm-treeiconto
selectotherappsorquit.
3
LaunchMorph,pressGet
Started,thenStart
Experiment.Typea namefor
yourfirst‘mode’– for
example,Work^1 – then
chooseContinue.^2 Select
theappsyouwanttobe
availablein thismodefrom
thestripatthebottom.^3
PressContinue,thentap
‘Addtime’or‘Addlocation’
(^4) to set when or where you
want this mode active.
Choose Continue, then tap
Select Default Launcher to
set Morph as your launcher.
MINI WORKSHOP
Improve your digital wellbeing
with Google’s new apps
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