Since it launched in September 2023, Brick—the NFC-enabled productivity tool that lets users tap their phone to block a set list of apps—has become a popular way to get people to limit their screen time. Now the company wants to bring the simplicity of its flagship product into the bedroom to help people get a good night’s sleep sans smartphone.
Brick Night, launched October 22, is only the second product from Brick, and it’s designed to make cutting out smartphone distraction effortless—removing the need to tap your phone at all.
“After years of using Brick and talking with the people who use it, we’ve seen that boundaries work best when they’re built into your life,” Brick cofounder TJ Driver tells Fast Company. “A natural next step was protecting physical spaces, so Brick Night builds on that foundation by automatically blocking distracting apps when you’re in your set space.”
Brick Night uses Bluetooth to block apps on a phone when the user enters their bedroom—or whatever room they want to be distraction-free.
To set up, users choose a list of apps to be blocked and set a duration for the block. Then, once Brick Night detects their phone nearby, those apps become inaccessible for the chosen amount of time.
While the device can automatically lock apps in any room of a user’s choosing, for Driver, focusing on the bedroom was “the clear place to start.”
The new device tackles a growing set of issues stemming from phone use at night. Studies have found that around 87% of Americans sleep with their phones in the bedroom, a habit that can significantly affect sleep quality. Researchers have found that just one hour of phone use in bed can increase the risk of insomnia by 59%.
Brick Night is responding to a desire from users to cut back on that phone time. In a Pew Research study released in September, 45% of adults surveyed said they’ve tried to reduce their smartphone use in the past year, including 58% of people younger than 50. Some 41% said their smartphone use affects the amount of sleep they get.
“Our phones do have real uses in the bedroom, like alarms, important calls, and audio to wind down, but they also pull us into work, scrolling, and notifications. Brick Night builds the boundary into the room itself, ” Driver says. “You keep what you need, and you stick to a distraction-free routine every night without having to remember anything.”
The new device, which is slightly larger than the original Brick and comes in a midnight blue color, will support multiple users and can cover a space as large as 25 by 25 feet. It sells for $129 on the official Brick website.