Google’s Digital Wellbeing Rival to Apple Coming Soon

A Digital Wellbeing widget is coming to Android devices soon to help users keep track of screen time and time spent on Google apps. Although the exact release date is currently unknown, it is expected that this widget will eventually be released on all Android devices. Notably, this is a feature already available to iPhone users since iOS 12, so Google is way behind the party in comparison.

According to 9to5Google, Digital Wellbeing will soon receive this widget. A disassembly of APK file which Google uploaded to the Play Store revealed that version 1.0.416751293.beta supports the Digital Wellbeing widget.

Google’s more recent widget additions have been praised for their usefulness. The Google Photos widget allowed users to decorate their home screens with photos of their closest companions and favorite photos. Meanwhile, YouTube Music has also introduced a “recently played” widget for Android 12 users, available in three size options depending on the home screen layout. The widget provides quick access to played videos, playlists, albums, and more.

The screen time checker feature is especially useful for those who suffer from bedtime procrastination and internet addiction. Apps like Instagram have a feature to check the average time spent on the app over the past week, with an option to set daily reminders that appear once users hit their time limit, so the fact that Google didn’t have one until now was a pretty big omission.