How and why to make your phone boring pt.2
Phones are neither good nor bad, they are just lifeless machines that were invented to serve humankind, yet humankind, with their everlasting stupidity have turned this communication marvel into psychological suicide.”
Abhijit Naskar, The Gospel of Technology
Introduction – How and Why to Make Your Phone Boring, Part 2.
As outlined in the first part of this article, I have tried endless things with varying degrees of success to curb my mobile usage. Most of them have had limited success. There is, however, one thing that has worked perfectly for me, and this is making my phone boring.
By making my phone boring, I replace the colourful and often well-designed app icons with minimalist black and white ones, like the one pictured below.
Doing this ensures that my phone is less stimulating, and I am less likely to pick it up and go into apps. For me, this has worked a treat, as I now only enter an app if I genuinely need to use it.
In the remainder of this article, I will provide detailed instructions for iOS on how to transform your phone from a cluttered mess into a functional yet unappealing device.
Your goal here is to make your phone’s screen resemble the one on the right, not the one on the left.
If you are on Android, and I was for many years, I’m afraid things are a little more complex. The process of completing the steps below depends on the version of the operating system and the launcher you have, and is beyond the scope of this article. I will include some links to videos and articles, though.
iOS Instructions
- Search for the Shortcuts App on your phone.
- You can do this by clicking the search button at the bottom of your Home screen or by navigating to your App Library and tapping the search bar at the top of the screen.
2. Click on the Shortcuts Icon.
3. A screen like the one below will appear.
4. Navigate to the + sign and click on it.
5. In the Search Actions search bar, enter Nothing and click on it.
6. Navigate to the Search Actions search bar again, enter Open App and click on it.
7. Click on where it says App.
8. Find the App you want to replace the icon of. (in the example, it is Akiflow) and click on it.
9. Once you can see the screen below, click on the area that says Nothing.
10. Select the Rename option, enter the name of the App, and click Done.
11. Repeat the above step, but instead of renaming, click the “Add to Home Screen” button.
12. Click on the photo icon and then click Choose Photos.
13. Choose the Photo you want to use as an icon and click add.
14. The new icon should now be on your home screen.
15. Click on it to check whether it is working.
16. Repeat for all other apps.
Video to iOS instructions
How to find boring icons to use
To replace your built-in icons, you have two options.
Option 1
- Go to the app store.
2. Enter Icons pack in the search bar.
3. Choose an icon pack that is black and white or monochrome of some description.
4. Buy it or download it.
Option 2
Find icons on Google and save the required items to your phone.
Conclusion – How and Why to Make Your Phone Boring.
I hope this two-part article has shown you how and why to make your phone. If you have any further questions, get in touch, and I’d be delighted to help
Links to Android Resources:
How To Change App Icons on ANY Android! (2023)
How to Change App Icons on Android (tutorial)
How to change app icons on Android
trabantbettina
Bettina Anna Trabant, Founder of Life Organised, your professional organising and decluttering service in East London. Eco-conscious minimalist and avid tea drinker,