Android 17's new distraction-killer is a Pixel 11 exclusive, Google confirms

It’s often one of those “you vs. you” scenarios when you move to open an app, such as TikTok or Instagram, even without intending to. The realization may not always seep in until several minutes after you’ve used the app, and by then you get caught in a vicious loop of self-loathing and the inability to quit at once. It’s safe to presume it’s the same for (almost) all mere mortals, including me, who need external checks to stop us from opening the app in the first place. And Google may have a trick just for that.

With Android 17, Google introduced a new Digital Wellbeing feature to prevent “distracting” apps from hogging all your attention. This new feature, called Pause Point, lets you pause for 10 seconds and deliberate whether you really want to open one of the apps you’ve designated as distracting. You can use the 10-second counter to breathe, get reminded of bigger goals in life, or be diverted toward other apps that allow you to utilize your time more productively.

While Pause Point was announced back in May, it hasn’t reached a wide range of Pixel devices that have since upgraded to Android 17. The reason, as we’ve learned recently, is that the feature is limited to the newly introduced Pixel 11 devices only. Based on the information mentioned on an official support page, Pause Point is only available for the Pixel 11 series.

The support page doesn’t use terms like “only” or “exclusively,” but it also doesn’t indicate that Pause Point will come to older devices.

Interestingly, a video posted to the official Android YouTube channel uses a slightly different phrasing. A disclaimer posted along with a preview of Pause Point says the feature is currently available on “select Android 17 devices” and “requires an opt-in.”

While that doesn’t change the fact that it isn’t available on older Pixel phones yet, it does leave some room for optimism. We cannot, sadly, assure you that Google will take our recommendation, though there’s no reason it shouldn’t.

For now, if you really want to use Pause Point, there’s no other option but to buy a Pixel 11 series phone. But if that’s not convincing enough to shell out nearly $1,000 for a new phone that doesn’t feel all that new, you can check out some other ways to curb your time on distracting apps using some similarly effective methods.