Google Adds 'Pause Point' App Launch Delay to Android 17

Google announced Pause Point on Tuesday as part of the Android 17 update. The feature is built into Android, the mobile operating system that powers Google’s Pixel smartphones, Samsung devices, and others. Pause Point requires a 10-second pause after opening any app labeled by the user as a distraction.

TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube could be labeled as distracting apps by users concerned about time spent on them. The tool interrupts the launch of a labeled app before the dopamine response occurs. During the pause, Pause Point can suggest alternative apps such as a fitness app, audiobook app, Kindle, or Google Play Books.

Users can also choose to scroll through favorite photos for ideas during the pause, perhaps those reminding them of outdoor walks, pets, or arts and crafts. Pause Point allows the user to set an app timer before opening the app, which can make time spent in the app feel more intentional. This approach flips the concept of app timers used by social media companies including YouTube.

Traditional timers often can be ignored, but Pause Point requires a phone restart to disable it. “Android is more capable than ever, but we also want to give you the tools to disconnect when you need to,” Dieter Bohn said. Bohn serves as Director of Product Operations for Google’s Platforms & Ecosystems organization and previously served as Executive Editor at The Verge.

“I think that we are all guilty of going into our phone and then opening some app and getting stuck on autopilot, and an hour has gone by,” Bohn added. TechCrunch reported that Google positioned the feature as a response to growing regulatory pressure around social media harms and algorithmic dangers.

U.S. States have created laws to restrict or ban minors from using social media as the impacts of these apps on young people’s mental well-being have become better understood. Pause Point may help Google demonstrate it is addressing such concerns. The feature is harder to turn off than many existing screen-time tools.

TechCrunch reported that unlike apps such as Finch or Hank Green’s Focus Friend, Pause Point has the advantage of being built directly into Android itself.