Screen Time, one of the key additions in iOS 12, is meant to give people access to data that can influence their behavior without imposing hard limits, Apple marketing VP Greg Joswiak said in a recent podcast interview.
"If you ask people how much they're using their devices, they can only guess," Greg Joswiak told Arianna Huffington on "The Thrive Global Podcast."
"If you ask them how much they're using a particular app or category of app, they can only guess," he continued. "I almost guarantee you their guesses are wrong. So what we wanted to do was provide people with the real information about how much they're using devices, apps, categories of apps, and how many notifications they're getting. These things are very measurable."
The executive said he believes most people will turn Screen Time on, and control how they use iPhones and iPads as a result.
"For me, I couldn't imagine leaving my home in the morning without my iPhone. I think like most people," Joswiak commented. "I still found it fascinating to be able to open up the Screen Time app and see where I was spending my time... That information was useful for me to regulate myself to the behavior that I want. I didn't need limits, I just needed that information."
One of the features of Screen Time is the ability for parents to monitor their children and impose restrictions, but Joswiak suggested that parents will be able to have an "intelligent conversation" about usage before resorting to harsh rules.
Screen Time should continue to evolve in future updates. "We know there's lots more we'll want to do over time," Joswiak hinted.