Is there a way to disable all but the phone part of my iPhone?

August 12, 2015 11:12 AM

I'm trying to take a break in the evening from a screen, but I'm finding it difficult to put down my iPhone and walk away with just the sheer power of will. Are there any apps I can download that would allow me to block everything BUT the actual phone part? I still want to be able to make or receive phone calls (and texts too, preferably, but that is not mandatory). I have an iPhone 5S.
posted by sutel to Technology (12 answers total)

Maybe just get a dumbphone?
posted by adamrice at 11:16 AM on August 12, 2015

Try messing with the parental control settings? Maybe you can parental control yourself into limiting things you want limited.
posted by brainmouse at 11:18 AM on August 12, 2015

Best answer: Close all apps, turn off wifi, cellular data, and bluetooth. Turn on Do Not Disturb. If you need to, set up parental controls with a long annoying password so these are hard to turn back on.
posted by jessamyn at 11:26 AM on August 12, 2015 [4 favorites]

Nah get a dumb phone and put your sim card in.
Done.
posted by Mac-Expert at 11:27 AM on August 12, 2015

Response by poster: (NB: I do use it during the day for legitimate work things, so no dumb phone for me)
posted by sutel at 11:36 AM on August 12, 2015

You can move your SIM between the iPhone and a dumbphone when you are entering and exiting no-distractions-mode
posted by aubilenon at 11:37 AM on August 12, 2015

Best answer: If you foresee this being a long-term issue, you may consider keeping an eye on some of the new tech that's coming out such as the Janus One (kickstarter). (Light Phone too.) I've seen a few other similar things around Kickstarter as well. They're simple phones that you can forward calls to. Therefore you could stash your phone somewhere and just hang on to that.
posted by Crystalinne at 11:43 AM on August 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

If you turn on Do Not Disturb but you still want to receive calls from anyone, make sure to change the "Allow Calls From" setting to "Everyone". The default is "Favorites". I believe Do Not Disturb will also not alert you to incoming texts (but you'll still receive them).

You might also look into using Restrictions. This lets you set a passcode to restrict access to all 3rd part apps, as well as Safari and the camera. They're just gone from your phone screen, until you disable restrictions. And you can enable and disable these with one setting, which is nice. It doesn't wipe out everything, but probably most of your distractions. And if nothing else, it would be a reminder when you look at your phone "Oh yeah, I'm trying to avoid this right now.
posted by brentajones at 11:50 AM on August 12, 2015 [2 favorites]

Hm. Although enabling and disabling restrictions just now completely blew away my folder arrangements. So YMMV. That's a bummer.
posted by brentajones at 11:53 AM on August 12, 2015

This isn't exactly what you asked for, but depending on your reason for getting away from the screen might help.
F.lux changes the color temperature of your screen, from cool to warm gradually at custom points of the day. The idea being that the cool temperature of standard displays keeps your brain alert, but the gradual progression to warmer tones mimic the dimming natural light, signaling nighttime and sleep.
I find that I don't sit up as much anymore, and get sleepy in front of my device more often. In case that's one of the reasons you're trying to get away from screentime at night.
posted by ApathyGirl at 12:01 PM on August 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

I love f.lux a lot, but just fyi, putting it on an iPhone or iPad requires jailbreaking, which isn't possible for everyone.
posted by yasaman at 1:44 PM on August 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

Do you have a landline? If so, could you forward your cell calls to it in the evening.
posted by JackBurden at 4:31 PM on August 12, 2015