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16 ways to go on a digital cleanse if you use Google products religiously

If you have an Android phone ...

16 ways to go on a digital cleanse if you use Google products religiously

If you watch a lot of YouTube videos ...

If you watch a lot of YouTube videos ...
  • If you spend a lot of time on YouTube, you know how easy it can be to get sucked in to watching video after video. But hidden inside YouTube's mobile app is a time watched profile, which lets you know how much time you spend inside the app along with a daily average. To find this feature, tap on your account inside the mobile app.
  • The app also includes the ability to set goals for how much you want to watch in a given day. Once you set a goal, YouTube's take a break reminder will pop up. It forces the video to pause at intervals, which you can set yourself. To turn this feature on, tap your account icon inside the mobile app.
  • You can set quiet hours for the YouTube app as well, which will silence notifications from the app during your customizable quiet hours.

If you own a Google Home ...

If you own a Google Home ...
  • With Google Home, you can set up bedtime routines to help you wind down at night. If you say a voice command like "Good night" or "Bedtime," Google Assistant will run your routine, which could include anything from turning off the lights to playing sleep sounds as you fall asleep.
  • You can also say, "Hey Google, turn on Do Not Disturb," which will silence all notifications on both your Google Home devices and your Pixel phone.
  • The downtime feature on Google Home also lets you set up a customizable schedule for your device that allows you to take regular breaks.

If you use a Pixel 3 ...

If you use a Pixel 3 ...
  • Google's Pixel phones have all the same "mindfulness" features as other Android devices running Android 9 Pie. But there's one Pixel-specific feature to help you spend less time on your device: If you turn your Pixel 3 over on the table, it automatically enters Do Not Disturb.

If you have Google WiFi ...

If you have Google WiFi ...
  • If you're a Google WiFi user, you can schedule internet breaks in your home. Or, you can pause the WiFi only during certain times, like dinnertime or bedtime, to give your whole family a break.

If you use Google services like Gmail, Chrome, Google Photos, or Google Calendar ...

If you use Google services like Gmail, Chrome, Google Photos, or Google Calendar ...
  • For Chrome users, Google offers a Mindful Break Chrome extension, which will give you mindfulness tips and guide you through a short breathing exercise. The extension will also let you set reminders to take a mental break, or you can go full-screen in order to stay focused on your task.
  • For Gmail users, you can turn on high-priority notifications. That will limit the number of email alerts you'll receive and allow you to be notified only when it's important.
  • Gmail users can also use Smart Compose and Smart Reply to spend less time responding to emails. The Smart Compose feature will automatically suggest words and phrases as you write, while the Smart Reply feature will suggest quick responses to messages you receive.
  • For Google Photos users, the app will send automatic suggestions of photos to archive so you don't have to manually delete images like screenshots or receipts.
  • For Google Calendar users, there's the option to create goals inside the app. You can set how much time you want to spend on a goal each week, and then Google Calendar will automatically schedule time for you to work on the goal.

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