Google’s lastest Wellbeing experiment is an envelope for your smartphone

As part of its “Digital Wellbeing Experiments” initiative, Google on Tuesday revealed a new tool to help users stay off their smartphones.

Called Envelope, the tool gives users the opportunity to put their phones into a specially designed envelope that “temporarily transform your phone into a simpler, calmer device, helping you to take a break away from your digital world”.

According to the company’s Experiments page, each envelope is made of paper and can reduce your smartphone into a calls-only or photography-only device via a connected app.

“Printed buttons which subtly light up allow you to dial and take photographs, creating a calm but magical ‘Envelope User Interface’, Google further explained.

The company first revealed its range of Digital Wellbeing Experiments in October last year, promising to “help people find a better balance with technology”.

Though Envelope can be downloaded and printed by anyone, however, the experiment is only supported on Google Pixel 3a devices.

Feature image: Experiments with Google