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”.
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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