Ever since Meta introduced short videos on Instagram, I have spent significantly more time on the app than I did before the TikTok boom.
I hold no one but myself responsible because it took me years to realize that my Instagram usage had skyrocketed since then.
I wish I had realized it sooner, because that might have pushed me to rethink how much time I should spend on the app.
I can’t tell for sure whether that alone would have fixed my Instagram addiction for good, as I only discovered an Android setting that changed my usage.
I’m glad I finally found the Android setting. This setting doesn’t require me to rethink anything to be less addicted to Instagram. It takes care of everything for me.
I updated this little-known Android setting, and my Instagram addiction quietly faded. Here is how it helped me take control over my Instagram usage.
I created a personal command center with Android’s Quick Settings tiles
And now I barely open apps
The little-known Android setting that cured my Instagram addiction
It’s easy to love Android, and I’d argue that even easier is appreciating how powerful Android apps are.
Apps can fix many of the things that the Android operating system lacks. I have apps like Good Lock on my Samsung Galaxy S21 to get more customization features.
I use these apps when I need them. But this wasn’t the case with Instagram. I mindlessly scrolled through the app and wasted valuable time watching reels.
However, these are now problems of the past, as the App timers feature on the Digital Wellbeing page in Android settings helped me to finally quit the toxic habit.
I didn’t quit Instagram. I do everything on the app that I did in the past, but the App timers app ensures that I don’t use unnecessary time on the app.
I also love how the App timers allows me to decide how much time I want to spend on Instagram every day. When my usage reaches that mark, it automatically quits the app.
App timers is a core Android feature, so you’ll get it on almost all modern Android phones. It’s available on my S21 as well as my Motorola Edge 50 Neo.
Unlike many core Android features, you can manage App timers only from one place in settings: Digital Wellbeing and parental controls.
The best thing about this is that it’s not buried deep in the settings, so you can find it quickly, update the settings to put an end to the Instagram addiction, just as I did.
How I used the App timers feature to get rid of my Instagram addiction
Android’s App timers functionality allows you to choose an app and set how many hours or minutes you want to use it in a day.
I don’t want to use Instagram more than 10 minutes a day, and I set the timer accordingly. After I set it up, it keeps reminding me about the time left before Instagram automatically closes.
I usually check Instagram early in the morning, and the alert is a useful one that sort of forces me to rethink how long I want to continue in this session.
If it says I have five minutes left, I quit the app for the moment to save it for the evening or whenever I get the time. It instilled the much-needed discipline in me.
The app timers feature is customizable
I never deleted Instagram from the App timers when I needed to cheat. That’s the beauty of it. You can use Instagram for longer than the specified time, without having to disable App timers.
When the time is over, it gives you an option to add more time and continue using Instagram for longer. I never had to do this once since I started using App timers.
However, since I usually have more time for Instagram during the weekend, I set it to 20 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays.
I don’t update the settings during the weekend. Instead, I created a separate schedule only for Saturdays and Sundays.
I keep both schedules enabled for the App timers to never confuse between when it should be 10 minutes and 20 minutes.
That’s called real control and flexibility. I needed something as strong as this to cure my Instagram addiction. It worked like magic, and I couldn’t be happier.
Reduce distraction from Instagram without restriction
App timers is a solution that restricts the app usage, but it’s not entirely Android that is in charge.
You set the rules that you are comfortable following. I don’t need more than 10 minutes to spend on Instagram.
So, while the restriction is technically there, I don’t feel like something is controlling me when I use App timers.
It’s the other way around: App timers put the controls back in my hands, which allows me to use Instagram for as long as I really need to.
It’s also a crucial step to fight my phone addiction.
