Need a digital detox? This free app lets you turn your iPhone into a dumbphone

Dutch beverage company Heineken has entered the app market with The Boring Mode, a new app that lets users try out the dumbphone experience without committing to a new device.

The app blocks notifications, social media and other apps, and the camera for a set period of time with the aim of helping users enjoy real-life events.

Available for free on the App Store and Google Play Store, Heineken launched the app during a DJ performance by Scottish music producer Barry Can’t Swim at the Amsterdam Dance Event opening party, where infrared displays behind the decks displayed messages to catch out those filming the set and promote installing the app.

Heineken says it wants to “encourage people around the world to stay in the present and live their social lives to the fullest no matter where they are”, with The Boring Mode designed to push this ethos forwards.

The app is a spiritual successor to the company’s previous hardware collaboration with fashion brand Bodega and phone maker HMD, The Boring Phone, a limited-run flip phone with only essential functions.

Can you really simulate a dumbphone?

In recent years, phone makers have placed a renewed emphasis on digital balance – the process of finding a happy medium between the connection smart devices provide and becoming overwhelmed by on-screen activities.

While iPhones and Android phones come with a suite of software tools like app timers, reminders, and profile modes, there’s clearly some demand for something a bit more permanent.

HMD offers a wide range of feature phones and dumbphones, recently rebranded to focus on digital balance for younger users rather than their traditional portfolio as devices for older users (see the Barbie Phone).

With a hardware dumbphone, it’s often impossible to access social media or record high quality video, which naturally pushes users towards the real world – but we do need to be connected sometimes, which is something apps like The Boring Mode try to solve.

However, while a reminder to get back to the real world can be nice, the option to switch off software tools and apps like The Boring Mode brings the issue back to the user, and how long one can resist the temptation to turn off anti-social media measures. The Boring Mode also asks for a lot of permissions, which may turn away those who prefer unintrusive apps.

That said, software tools remain a good first step for those daunted by the prospect of not having a highly connected device in-hand – for the latest digital balance developments, be sure to keep up with our phones coverage.

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