How to set idle time on ios 12

Yesterday we saw how with Apple's new mobile operating system, iOS 12, the company has shown a greater interest in the digital health of all its users, and especially in helping to reduce the excessive dependence that some people have (or, perhaps,, we own) regarding our iPhone and iPad devices. To this end, the company has included a couple of new special features, both on the iPhone and iPad, that can now be enjoyed by developers and users enrolled in the public beta program (remember that iOS 12 will not be released in officially until sometime next September) and with which it is possible to automate and reduce the time of use of the applications: Limits of Apps, a function that we discussed in detail here yesterday, and Downtime. Next, we will learn how to efficiently use the second of these two new tools that, perhaps, allow us to unhook ourselves a little from the mobile.

iOS 12: Downtime (or rest time)

The second of these features, "Downtime", allows us to establish a daily schedule in which we do not want to use our iOS device at all. Once activated, the feature restricts the use of the device to phone calls and any applications that you have specifically excluded from downtime. Just like app limits, you can override these restrictions. More than anything they are a guide or help, but they can be really useful if you really want to self-regulate your use of your iPhone or iPad.

How to use Idle Time in iOS 12

To take advantage of this new feature of iOS 12, all you have to do is follow the steps below carefully. As you will see, it is a very simple function to use, but it can probably be very effective. Of course, in the end the results will always depend on our will power, almost like quitting smoking. Let's see:

• First, go to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Scroll down to the Usage Time section, then select the Idle Time option. Now click on the slider to activate the new "Sleep Time" feature. inactivity ”. Then click on“ Start ”, and set a start time, for example, 22:00. Then press“ End ”, and set an end time also using the wheel of hours and minutes For example, 07:00. When you have set a start and end time for Idle Time, press "Usage Time" at the top left to return to the main menu for this option. The changes will be automatically saved.

Remember that Idle Time will apply to all devices that are under the same iCloud account. In addition, as the company warns us, we will receive a notification on our device five minutes before the configured start time.

How to Exclude Specific Applications from Idle Time

There are probably specific applications that you would like to have access to during the Idle Time that you have configured. If this is your case, you can add these apps to your list of allowed applications. You can find this option in Settings -> Time of use -> Always allowed.

From "Always allowed" you can establish which apps you will always have access to even during Downtime

Select this option and now you only have to press the green buttons with the + sign to add a specific app. And if you want to revoke the access during the Inactivity time, press the red button with the sign - which you will see next to the name of the app in question.