Reduce screen time with Optus Pause
Optus has recognized the customer’s right to disconnect data services whenever they please, and then come back to the same amount of data still intact whenever they are ready. This isn’t a trivial feature – it’s actually a big deal.
Smartphones are great, but they have a ton of drawbacks as well, especially when it comes to how they can negatively affect your quality of life. Shutting them down every now and then can have significantly positive effects.
In a study conducted by Huawei and Decibel Research, 74 percent of Australian men said they had their smartphones in hand throughout the day, while 60 percent of female respondents said the same. With a phone in hand at all times, how much time is available for other life-improving activities?
The trend goes beyond Australia – a study by dscouts that people touched their phone screen 2,617 per day. Now that’s a huge number that sums up the problem – if we interact with our smartphones so much, it certainly leaves us with a lot less time to improve our quality of life. And get this – the dscouts study was conducted in 2016, and phone ownership and usage has increased even more to date.
Other studies have looked into just how much this extreme phone usage affects our lives. For instance, a study conducted by Pennsylvania State University and Bringham Young University in the United States indicated that 75% of women believe smartphones ruin their relationships.
In fact, this phone dependence has been given a name – nomophobia, which basically refers to the urge to check your phone all the time.
So how do we solve this? Optus has a great idea – the telco has launched Optus Pause, a feature that will allow customers pause their data service and come back when they are ready.
In this post, we’ll tell you all about Optus Pause and how it can help cut down on nomophobia, as well as how to use the service.
How Optus Pause disconnects your service
You bought the data, so you should be able to control it. Optus agrees and has granted you the right to disconnect your data. With Optus Pause, customers can deactivate their data across whichever devices they choose, for as long as they choose. Whenever you’d like to resume your browsing habits, you can do so easily.
Here’s how Optus vice president of TV, content, and product development Clive Dickens describes it:
But for now, Optus Pause is only being beta tested, so not all customers can get a hold of the service. Log in to your My Optus app and check if Optus Pause is available. If it is, you’re one of the lucky beta testers; if not, then all you have to do is wait for the final version.
The great thing about Optus Pause is that it’s not limited to a specific service. Customers on a range of SIM Only plans, NBN, 5G connections and 4G home Internet plans, mobile broadband, and family Internet plans can access Optus Pause. The service will allow such customers disconnect their data across all plans on their account – or specific plans as they choose – and then come back when they want with their data still in tact.
And while Optus Pause allows you to disconnect your data, cellular services will remain active so you can still make and receive voice calls, and send and receive SMS.
How to disconnect your data using Optus Pause
Exercising your right to disconnect is easy with Optus Pause. Just log in to your My Optus app, tap Optus Pause, select which devices’ data you’d like to disconnect, then set the period of time you’d like to remain disconnected.
And if you change your mind about how long you want to pause your data, just resume it using your My Optus app.
How to disconnect your data with Optus Pause. src
Final words – Who benefits from Optus Pause?
Too much screen time has negative effects – that’s stating the obvious. Everything from sleep deprivation to poor work performance, failed relationships, and reduced quality time with your family can become your reality if you’re overly dependent on your smartphone.
We’ve seen other solutions to this problem, which can help you manage your data usage or shut it down altogether. But they mostly involve downloading third party apps that you can’t really trust, and they take way too many steps to get right, and they vary based on the type of device, or operating system your smartphone uses.
Optus Pause is a simple, straightforward solution that is embedded into your My Optus app. It eliminates the complications and untrustworthy nature of multiple third party apps.
For parents, this is great news. Optus Pause allows you shut down your kids’ data for a time period you specify, so long as they’re on your account. And because the service doesn’t shut down cellular services, your kids can still keep in touch via SMS and voice calls. It’s also great for the workplace, allowing you to disconnect and focus.
There are several use cases one can think of for Optus Pause, and they’re all positive.