Apple Unveils Ways to Help Limit iPhone Usage
05 June 2018 - 5:26AM
Dow Jones News
By Tripp Mickle
Apple Inc. on Monday unveiled new controls to help people curb
the amount of time they spend on iPhones and iPads, as well as
allow parents to remotely track and limit their children's use of
those devices -- a response to growing concern from former
employees and major investors that apps and devices have become too
addictive.
The company said a new app it will release in September called
"Screen Time" will provide users with weekly reports of the apps
they use and allow them to set time limits for their use of those
apps. Parents will be able to use the system to remotely monitor
the apps their children use and limit their time on devices.
The new features played a central role at Apple's annual
Worldwide Developers Conference, a gathering of about 6,000
developers who create the apps for the iPhone, iPad and Mac
computers. The event is designed to show off Apple's latest
software -- including the newest features to further integrate into
people's digital lives.
Those new features include a new Shortcuts app that will connect
the Siri voice command with certain apps -- for instance, Siri
could state flight and hotel information from the Kayak app with a
voice command. Apple also introduced new augmented technology, such
as a Measure app to capture the dimensions of objects and a
developer kit to create more AR tools. And the company unveiled
many new features to help people better share themselves digitally,
whether through FaceTime group video chat or automatic sharing of
photos with friends.
In the middle of all these announcements to drive interactivity,
Apple's software chief, Craig Federighi, paused to talk about ways
to "prevent distractions" and limit device use. Apple has been
under pressure this year to address those issues. In January, the
company received a letter from activist investor Jana Partners LLC
and the California State Teachers' Retirement System, or Calstrs,
which control about $2 billion of Apple shares. The letter urged
the tech giant to develop new software tools that would help
parents control and limit phone use more easily, and to study the
impact of overuse on mental health.
Write to Tripp Mickle at Tripp.Mickle@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 04, 2018 15:11 ET (19:11 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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