[Android 0]

TL;DR

• Pause Point, Android 17’s new Digital Wellbeing feature to curb time on distracting apps, is limited to Pixel 11.
• A recently updated support page confirms the feature’s limited availability.
• While Google does not outright deny the possibility of bringing it to older phones, there’s no certainty yet.

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It’s often one of those “you vs. you” scenarios when you move to open an app, such as TikTok or Instagram, even without intending to. The realization may not always seep in until several minutes after you’ve used the app, and by then you get caught in a vicious loop of self-loathing and the inability to quit at once. It’s safe to presume it’s the same for (almost) all mere mortals, including me, who need external checks to stop us from opening the app in the first place. And Google may have a trick just for that.

With Android 17, Google introduced a new Digital Wellbeing feature to prevent “distracting” apps from hogging all your attention. This new feature, called Pause Point, lets you pause for 10 seconds and deliberate whether you really want to open one of the apps you’ve designated as distracting. You can use the 10-second counter to breathe, get reminded of bigger goals in life, or be diverted toward other apps that allow you to utilize your time more productively.