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Samsung may be working on its most aggressive anti-distraction tool yet

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Why This Matters

Samsung's development of a new One UI 9 feature that blocks internet access for distracting apps signifies a shift towards more proactive and network-level digital wellbeing tools. This innovation could enhance user focus and productivity by offering more granular control over app access, potentially influencing how other tech companies approach digital wellness solutions.

Key Takeaways

Paul Jones / Android Authority

TL;DR Samsung appears to be working on a new One UI 9 feature that will let users block internet access for distracting apps.

It also includes PIN protection and scheduled Downtime controls, suggesting Samsung could be building a parental-control and productivity hybrid tool.

Samsung could be preparing a new productivity-focused feature for One UI 9, and it looks like the company may want to help users fight distractions at the network level instead of relying only on app timers.

We discovered code for this experimental focus feature in One UI 9 as part of Samsung’s Connectivity Labs, a hidden Wi-Fi menu on Samsung’s phones that appears after repeatedly tapping the “Intelligent Wi-Fi” button in Settings.

The code strings reveal that the feature is designed to block internet access to distracting app categories such as social media, games, streaming apps, and others. The most telling set of strings we found about the feature is titled “Network management for concentration,” describing the tool in great detail.

Code Copy Text <string name="sec_wifi_labs_restriction_intro_title">Network management for concentration</string>

<string name="sec_wifi_labs_restriction_intro_body">Reduce distractions from videos, social media, and games to improve concentration on work and study.</string>

That wording strongly suggests Samsung is developing a system that can selectively restrict internet access for distracting apps or categories of apps. Unlike traditional Digital Wellbeing tools that simply limit screen time, this appears to work directly through network controls.

The code also references several predefined restriction buckets, including: Browser

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