Regain control of your iPhone

In the last few years, I have become very demanding with the organization of my iPhone, and I am sure that my settings differ from those of the vast majority of users.

I am driven by three main principles when I think about iPhone settings.

The first principle says that if I am busy doing something, work-related or not, I hate being interrupted by someone or something.

The second principle says that you must avoid temptations if you don't want to be distracted.

The third principle says that I want to control the technology I use. I hate when something or something is trying to get my attention with every possible trick.

I have often written that time is my most precious resource, and I want to control everything consuming that scarce resource.

It must be the iPhone to work for me, not the other way round.

So, let's start a let me tell you how you can regain control of your iPhone and your time.

Background

The first thing I have changed on my iPhone is the desktop picture. I have chosen a black and white image with smooth gray tones. I convinced myself that a black and white image is relaxing when I look at it, and it does not stimulate my brain more than is necessary.

The idea here is not to turn on the desire for distraction in my brain.

I have also added to the image a text saying: "Do you really need me?". I may pick up the iPhone without any real need, and this text forces me to make a choice. Put the iPhone down because I didn't need it or unlock it. It works for me, and it makes me aware of those times when I just picked up the phone as an unintentional action and for no urgent or significant reason.

Applications

My home screen is empty. I have the three applications I use most often in the iPhone dock: phone, calendar, and email.

The last available slot is a folder that contains all the applications installed on my iPhone. As I do on my personal computer, I have two options when I need to launch a specific application: I can unlock the phone, slide my finger down on the screen and search for it, or I can use Siri, much less frequently.

The side effect of this choice is that the number of applications you can place in an iPhone folder is limited, and for this reason, you don't overload your device with applications you will never use. If I remember correctly, the maximum number of applications in a folder is 135, much more than you will ever need. My iPhone currently holds 50 applications or so.

Another interesting side effect of this choice is that I am not distracted or tempted by those applications' fancy icons. I do not risk being sucked into things I was not planning to do. Those fancy, coloured icons are no longer a temptation with this approach.

I do not have any Social Networks application on my iPhone, saving LinkedIn. I opted out of most social networks almost two years ago, pleased with this decision.

Settings

I disabled the function that turns the iPhone screen on when you pick it up (Settings ->Display & Brightness -> Raise to Wake). I need to decide to explicitly turn on the screen, and I can take an active role in this setting.

In the Phone -> Silence Unknown Callers, I turned the option on. I never answer unknown callers.

From 8 pm to 8 am, my iPhone enters the Sleep mode as defined in the Focus functionality recently introduced. During that time I am sure I don't need the phone. I am not a surgeon, and I do not save lives.

I use TrueCaller to filter unknown callers and to help me identify them. When I receive a call from a number I don't know, the number goes straight to the Blocked Contact list.

Notifications

I have a precise way of dealing with notifications. There are notifications I don't care about at all. The applications that send those notifications are not allowed to do so. There are notifications that I am interested in, but not enough interested to be interrupted. Those notifications will be shown on the screen the next time I turn the iPhone on, but they don't generate any sound when delivered. Finally, there are those notifications that I need, such as calendar events. Those notifications behave traditionally.

I treat iMessage in a precise way. As we know, our mobile phone number ends up in the ends of marketers. You start receiving spam messages all day long, and I do not want to read any of those messages. It would be best if you had some specific adjustments to prevent this. The first thing to do is to enable the option "Filter Unknown Senders" in Settings -> Messages -> Unknown & Spam. Not enough to prevent notifications. You need an additional step. Head to Settings -> Notifications -> Messages -> Customise Notifications and disable Unknown Senders, Transactions, and Promotions.

I also use TrueCaller as an SMS spam filter. It works like a charm as an additional protection layer from spammers. Finally, I set the "Repeat Alerts" in Settings -> Notifications -> Messages ->Customize Notifications to Once.

The latest versions of iOS introduced the "Focus" functionality, making filtering notifications much more straightforward. You can limit notifications from selected applications and contacts. The settings are very easy, and it is not worth writing detailed instructions here.?

I use them both because sometimes I forget to turn Full Immersion on when working, and I get the same result with the basic settings.?

Privacy

I use a few settings in the long-lasting fight to protect my privacy online.

I disable "Share iPhone & Watch Analytics" in Settings -> Privacy -> Analytics & Improvements. I do not see why Apple should be aware of what I do on my iPhone and Watch. I am sure they already get this data from millions of other users, and they will not miss my data.

I disable "Allow Apps to Request to Track" in Settings -> Privacy -> Tracking. You don't really need to track me, don't you?

I could be much more paranoid about privacy, but I think this is good for me. Everybody should fine-tune their settings according to their view. To make an example, I do not disable Location Services or Frequent Locations because I found these services helpful.?

Final words

These are my iPhone settings today. I am never done tweaking them.?

One of the most exciting applications that Apple released is Screen Time. I suggest you spend some time on it, and I am sure you will be surprised by the data collected over time. If I ask you how many times you activate the iPhone screen or how much time you spend on email, I am sure that your answer would be an underestimate. I am sure everybody underestimates their time looking at that small screen.

Give it a try and look at the data in Screen Time. Apply my settings, spend a couple of weeks with these settings, and look at Screen Time again. You will have the option to quantify how much time you saved, and you will be surprised.