Apple Unveils Ways to Help Limit iPhone Usage

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 [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 04, 2018 15:11 ET (19:11 GMT)

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