Toronto startup wants to improve smartphone etiquette

If you've ever been admonished for spending an entire dinner checking your phone, you might be the type of person that could benefit from a new time-out app developed by a Toronto startup. The straightforward app allows heavy phone users to make their phone inaccessible for a period of time they decided upon.

"Flipd is a unique Android app designed to help heavy phone users become less distracted and attached to their devices," explains team member Alanna Harvey. "It functions like a lock screen on a timer - the user decides how long they want to Flip Off for and are then 'locked out' of their phone except for emergency calls and sends automated texts."

It's such a basic idea, but by giving problematic phone users the ability to be proactive about locking themselves out, personal experience tells me that the idea is a good one. If my phone is near me during a lull at dinner (or really whenever), it's nearly impossible to fight the urge do a quick email/Instagram check.

Flipd is currently in beta with an expected launch of February 20th. An iOs version is set to launch in the summer. What do you think? Would this get you out of trouble?