iOS 12: Apple reveals suite of features to stop people using their iPhone

Devices will shame people into getting off them

Apple has unveiled a whole host of new features intended to stop people using their phones.

The company said it recognised that many apps “beg us” for our time, and include unhelpful ways of forcing their users to keep using them.

The new features, announced at Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), will help people stop responding to those tricks, it said, by shaming them when they are using their phone.

It will have new ways of stopping people using certain apps too much, banning apps from bothering you with notifications, and stopping phones intruding on your sleep.

They include changes to 'do not disturb' mode, for instance, so that people can more easily ignore messages. People will be able to turn off notifications until they leave somewhere, so that they can pay more attention during meetings or other events.

There will also be new changes to how notifications themselves work. Users can click on a notification and tell that app not to bother them anymore.

Siri will also advise you about apps that keep trying to bother you, but which you don’t want to use. Those can then be banished, too.

Notifications themselves will also be grouped, so that they can be dismissed and dealt with more easily.

But chief among the changes is a feature Apple calls Screen Time. That is intended to show how much time is devoted to each app – and stop giving it so much attention.

That app watches for how long each app is open. It then presents it in a series of charts, pointing out which numbers seem high.

Those intrusive apps can then be giving time limits. If those are reached, the app will no longer open, and people can be kicked off.

Those same features will be available for parents, who can set time limits for their kids or even ban them from using apps entirely.