Google adds 'digital wellness' features to Android operating system

Google rolled out its latest mobile operating system, dubbed Pie, to Google Pixel users signed up for Android's beta version Aug. 6, TechCrunch reports.

One of Pie's hallmarks is a new suite of "digital wellness" features to help users "unplug" from their smartphones. These digital wellness tools are part of a growing trend among technology companies, which have recently faced criticism over users' potential addiction to smartphones and online technologies.

Google's Pie includes a digital wellness dashboard, which enables users to measure how much time they spend on their devices, and a timer to let users set time limits for select apps.

Apple has rolled out similar features to iPhone users. The company's iOS 12, released also Aug. 6, includes a dashboard to track weekly iPhone use and a timer feature. The update also offers a tool called Downtime that allows users to schedule time away from their smartphone.

Unlike Google's Pie, Apple's iOS 12 was released to all iPhone users — as opposed to a select beta group, according to TechCrunch

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