Do We Really Need to Lock Up Our Phones to Live in the Moment?

How does being device-free change our behavior?

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, writer Joanna Stern asks a question that's become reflective of our time: If no one is around to capture and instantaneously tweet, text or record an event, did it even happen?


The question comes after Stern went to a screen-free party thanks to Yondr, a company that makes a "locking pouch" for your phone that has to be unlocked at a special station. Described as a "low-tech solution to keep us from using our high-tech devices," the service has many applications, such as keeping the dinner table phone-free, restricting screen time during the school day or ensuring that events are kept private (both comedian Chris Rock and illusionist David Blaine are fans of the service). Stern writes that she felt freer and less self-conscious about dancing at the Yondr party knowing her "terrible moves wouldn't end up in a friend's Snapchat or Instagram story."

That many people need to lock their phones away (and not everyone obliged, as Stern notes) to truly disconnect underscores a uniquely 21st-century epidemic: our instinct to capture everything via smartphone takes us out of the present moment. Think, for example, about "Gary from Chicago," one of the tourists Jimmy Kimmel brought into the Oscars. Stern writes how Gary "witnessed the entire crazy experience through his phone's tiny screen,"?-?and truly, wouldn't many be inclined to do the same?

While hopefully, we don't need to lock our phones away to be able to engage more fully with our surroundings, the very existence of Yondr is an important reminder: we all need to unplug and live in the present moment, sans screen.

How to Disable the Lock Screen in Android

Now if you aren't too worried about the privacy of your device and don't want to waste precious seconds swiping or tapping at your screen every time you want to use it, then completely disabling the screen lock is just a few simple steps away.

 1. Open Settings. You can find Settings in the app drawer or by tapping the cog icon in the upper-right corner of the notification shade.

 2. Select Security.

 3. Tap Screen Lock.

 4. Select None. If you have an existing secure unlock (pattern, PIN, password or fingerprint scan) you'll be prompted to enter it before you can disable the lock screen.

You have now removed your lock screen completely; when you power on your phone in the future, you will be immediately taken to whatever screen was active when you last used the device.

Keep in mind that if you previously were using a secure unlock method of some sort, anyone will now be able to access your device if they obtain it. You might want to consider installing Android Device Manager or a third-party security app that will allow you to track, lock and (if necessary) erase the contents of your device should it be lost or stolen.

How to turn off Auto-Lock on your iPhone and iPad

If you prefer to have complete control over when your iPhone or iPad locks, you can always turn off Auto-Lock.

1. Launch Settings from the Home screen.
2. Tap on Display & Brightness.
3. Tap on Auto Lock.
4. Tap on the Never option.

Let's just give it a shot and see what changes we will have. The private staff on your phone that you always worry about really leak out? On the contrary, I think your life become much simpler.