Make Your Android Phone a Dumb Phone With Digital Wellbeing
You can make the Android phone you already have do less without buying anything. Digital Wellbeing is built into Android: set daily app timers, lock them with a PIN, and pause apps on a schedule.
These steps come from Google's official Android Help page, checked October 24, 2026. We haven't tested them on a device yet, and Google notes that some steps vary by device, so your menus may look a little different.
1. Find Digital Wellbeing
Open Settings and tap Digital Wellbeing. The first time, you'll set up your profile. To get a Digital Wellbeing icon in your app list, turn on Show icon in the app list.
2. Set app timers
- In Settings → Digital Wellbeing, tap App timers.
- Next to an app, tap Set timer, choose a time, and tap OK.
When the time runs out, the app closes and its icon dims. Timers reset at midnight. Google notes some work and school accounts might not work with app timers.
3. Lock your limits with an App limits PIN
- In Settings → Digital Wellbeing, tap App limits, then App limits PIN.
- Turn on PIN for app time limits, unlock your phone, then enter and confirm a 4-digit PIN.
Google's tip: setting an app's timer to zero with a PIN blocks that app.
4. Pause apps with Focus mode
- In Settings → Digital Wellbeing, tap Focus mode.
- Choose the apps to pause. While Focus mode is on, you can't use those apps and you won't get their notifications.
- Tap Turn on now, or Set a schedule to have it turn on automatically.
You can tap Take a break to unpause apps for a set time. On some phones you can add Focus mode to Quick Settings.
5. Bedtime mode screen options
- In Settings → Digital Wellbeing, tap Bedtime mode, then Bedtime routine.
- Choose Use a schedule (start and end times, days of the week) or Turn on while charging (set "After" and "Before" times).
Bedtime mode can switch on Do Not Disturb and change your screen: Grayscale (black and white), Keep the screen dark, Dim the wallpaper, or Dark theme.
If your menus look different
Google says steps vary by device. If you can't find a menu, search your Settings app for "Digital Wellbeing", "App timers", or "Focus mode".
Source: Android Help: Manage how you spend time on your Android phone with Digital Wellbeing, checked 2026-10-24.
Who this isn't for
Digital Wellbeing limits can be changed by whoever knows the PIN, and the phone still has a browser and an app store. If you want a phone that can't run those at all, compare dedicated phones in the phone table or take the quiz. On an iPhone? See Make Your iPhone a Dumb Phone With Screen Time.