Siri suggestions settings to reduce doom scrolling

As anyone, I like to occasionally doomscroll. I’ve realized that I need to be intentional about it, which is why I purposely reserve time in the afternoon for diving into the feeds. The issue is those sneaky moments when I pick up my phone for a quick task and get sucked into an app without intending to. Apps like X, Facebook, Threads and Instagram are the main culprits.

It doesn't help that the new iPhone Air feels so nice in the hand—it honestly feels like it was made for me, lol. But that amazing physical design just makes it easier to keep holding on and scrolling.

The Quest for Friction

For years now, I’ve grown to like and use the App Library to access most of my applications, usually paired with Search. It’s a great system that keeps the home screen clean.

But here was the problem: those apps appeared right there at the top of the category, prompting me to open them the moment I tapped into the library. I just want them to be there, easily accessible, but not actively popping up and encouraging me to open them. It’s similar to how I want HomeKit notifications to be useful, but not constantly bombarding me with cars driving by.

I had tried a few things to solve this:

1. Deletion: I considered deleting the problematic apps entirely, but I still need access to them. That was a no-go.

2. Hide Apps Behind Face ID: I tried hiding apps behind Face ID, and while it was a nice concept, it made them almost too cumbersome to access. What I hated the most was that if I closed the app or opened another one, the app would not even appear in the app switcher or search results. This defeated the purpose.

The Perfect Fix!

So, I finally found the perfect way!

You can disable the proactive setting in Settings > Siri & Intelligence. When you turn that off, the app won't surface to the top of the App Library category.

I love this! The apps are still easily available when I click on the category folder, but they no longer act as a visible invitation the second I enter the library. This simple change has dramatically reduced my unintentional time in the apps, but I can still access them the moment I actually want to. It's all about intentional use, which is what I aim for in all my tech.