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Heineken introduced the Boring Mode app, an app that helps people disconnect from their smartphones and focus on the moment. The app, available on iOS and Android, blocks notifications, social media, and even the camera, transforming smartphones into “dumbphones” for a set time.
This is the company’s latest venture into the growing movement towards digital detox. The app allows users to temporarily turn off distracting notifications from social media apps and such, similar to how “dumb phones” were like before. By doing so, the app encourages users to focus more on in-person interactions and live experiences.
The app’s launch was a showstopper at the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), where Scottish DJ Barry Can’t Swim headlined the opening party. Using some infrared lights, Heineken displayed hidden messages, visible only thru smartphone screens, subtly encouraging the crowd to put down their devices and fully engage with the music.
The app is a spiritual successor to Heineken’s previous venture in collaboration with fashion brand Bodega and phone maker HMD, the Boring Phone, a limited-edition flip phone that could only handle calls and texts. While demand for that was high—70,000 people attempted to purchase one—the new app offers a more accessible solution to the same problem without the need for a separate device.
DJ Barry Can’t Swim praised this endeavor, saying, “I’m all in favour of The Boring Phone and Boring Mode. Without phones, the energy is definitely different—people are more connected on the dancefloor.”
The idea for the app emerged after a survey commissioned by Heineken revealed that 41% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents find it frustrating when crowds are filled with phones during live events.
“Today it feels like tech always comes first, leaving the enjoyment of real life in second place. While technology grants us endless conveniences, it also comes at the cost of not being able to stop and embrace what’s happening around us,” said Heineken’s Global Head, Nabil Nasser. “At Heineken, we want to foster moments of genuine connection to enable a more rewarding social life.”
But like every other software-based digital detox solution, it requires the user to willingly activate it. This means users can still override the app and regain access to their notifications and social media at any time. The app also asks for a significant number of permissions, which may deter privacy-conscious individuals.
Users can opt for a stricter solution with physical dumbphones, yet the market for dumbphones remains niche. Manufacturers have little incentive to prioritize the production of dumbphones, as they do not generate significant profit compared to modern smartphones.
In the height of cutting-edge flagship model smartphones, brands like Heineken are stepping up with solutions to the ongoing crisis of severe “doom-scrolling” thru addictive internet platforms. Despite the built-in tools for managing screen time provided by smartphone manufacturers, Heineken’s Boring Mode is an attempt to simplify this by making it harder to access distractions in the first place.
