The new feature of iOS 15 that interested me the most when the system launched last year was undoubtedly the focus modes. To me, they were a sign that Apple had realized the ill effects of being constantly glued to the screen of our devices and excessively checking social networks and notifications. I was very grateful, although as I told you at the time, I stopped using them in favor of simplicity.
Months later, I got used to a very specific setting for my notifications, but I still think focus modes can help a lot of people. And that’s why it’s something I think this should be the basis for further improvements in iOS 16
We must repair the damage that some applications have done to our attention
We already know some things about iOS 16 thanks to rumours: interactive widgets, new applications, notification improvements… But logically we’ll see a lot more at WWDC 2022, and in the meantime, my colleagues have already launched their own petitions. Like Eduardo Archanco, who calls iOS 16 and iPhone 14 an always-on display.
For my part, I insist that what needs to be improved (and it seems that it will happen) are the modes of concentration. Apple has laid the foundation stone for something as useful as it is urgent with these modes in iOS 15: prevent verifying your iPhone from becoming addictive. And there is still a lot of work to do.
Health app could tell you how much time you spent on social media to monitor your mental health
Something I think is appropriate add a mental health section in the Health app, in which you are informed of the number of minutes or hours you have spent consulting social networks. An evolution graph can inform you about this consumption, and advice can be given to you to reduce compulsive consumption so that your concentration improves over the long term.
Concentration modes could also improve by letting you multiple instances of the same application, for those who, for example, use WhatsApp both personally and professionally. This would be a way to separate the chat list, although this poses challenges as it involves requiring more work from third-party developers.
As for notifications, you can do a 180 degree turn and always start with all notifications muted except for calls and texts. That instead of silencing us the notifications we don’t want, let’s do it the other way around and activate the ones we want to receive. This might be an option for someone looking for minimal downtime.
Finally, Apple would not be wrong to simplify certain actions. Focus Modes made activating Do Not Disturb from Apple Watch three taps instead of one. Making sure to raise or lower the overall or system volume of sounds is confusing, and simply differentiating between these volumes in the interface will do the trick pretty well.
In short, iOS 16 has an opportunity to not only strengthen privacy, but also measures to not lose your mind procrastinating on mobile. Social media, the urge to multi-task, and algorithms cause mental health issues, in the long term, it would be a benefit for all.
