iOS 12 And Do Not Disturb: What's New For Mindfulness

Apple's Craig Federighi made clear this morning that while some apps "demand our attention," it's important that we pay attention to how much of our time is spent using screens. To make this new awareness a reality, Apple's adding several features to iOS 12.

Apple's adding new ways to get in on the "Do Not Disturb" feature. Included is a new Do Not Disturb During Bedtime button, for example. That comes with a force-push of the Do Not Disturb button, allowing you to set a timer. This is only the beginning.

Apple's been sort of lagging behind when it comes to user control over notifications. As such, Apple's updates this week are MUCH appreciated. Included amongst these controls is an "Instant Tuning" option. Pressing in to a notification allows the user the ability to address a notification in a number of ways (just like Android). One option is "Send to Notification Center" – you can also Turn Off notifications from one source from the Notifications Panel.

This update also brings Grouped Notifications, at long last. These grouped notifications end automatically, and expand when tapped. They stack up like cards – look familiar?

Users can also get a new Weekly Activity Summary – which should serve to show how much you use that ONE APP ALL THE TIME. This Weekly Activity Summary shows how long each app is used and which apps are sending notifications the most.

You can set timers on apps in iOS 12. This means you've got Facebook, for example, an app that sends you 12 billion notifications an hour. You can set it so you only get access to and notifications from Facebook for a certain amount of time per day. Once that time is up, you'll come to a screen that says "Time Limit" where you can ask for more time or say – oh crap, ok, thank you. Cool.

The same thing is allowed for parents with kids, with parental controls in iOS 12. In that case, they're called app time "Allowances," and they can't be bypassed so easily. Parental controls here are controlled by Apple's own Family Sharing system. Cross your fingers for more!