The app that rewards you for staying off your phone

Published 1:26 pm Friday, February 13, 2015

So, this is what we’ve come to: We now need to use apps … to control our app use.

Pocket Points, invented by students at California’s Chico State, shot up Apple’s trending chart recently. The app’s premise is pretty simple: Just show up to class, lock your phone, and earn points redeemable at local businesses. Because if a lifetime of crushing student loan debt wasn’t reason enough to pay attention in class, Pocket Points provides another incentive: free snacks!

This type of “productivity” app — Silicon Valley speak for apps that address app addiction — isn’t just for students. The app Moment will track how much time you spend on your phone every day, even enforcing screen-free periods like “family dinner time.”