A Trendy Way to Break Your Social Media Addiction Costs $59. I Found a Clever Dupe.
The author discovered a free iOS app called Foqos that helps curb social media addiction by using NFC tags or QR codes to block distracting apps. The app allowed the author to focus on other activities in the evening, such as reading and spending time with their partner.
The author struggled with social media addiction despite using built-in screen-time limits and leaving their phone outside their bedroom. They discovered an iOS app called Foqos, created by Canadian software developer Ali Waseem, which offers a free alternative to a $59 device called Brick that blocks distracting apps using NFC tags or QR codes. The author used an expired ski pass as their 'Brick' and tapped their phone to it to disable social media apps like Instagram and Facebook during the evening. Foqos allows users to block individual apps, categories of apps, or specific URLs, and create multiple profiles using different NFC tags or QR codes. The author found that using Foqos helped them focus on other activities, such as cooking, reading, and spending time with their partner. The app is iPhone-specific, but directs Android users to a similar app called Switchly.
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