I can't decide if this surprising solution to smartphone addiction would be life-changing or just frustrating

It's not always clear whether today's best camera phones have made life better or worse. It's great to have so much information at our fingertips wherever we are, but it's also so distracting before we even get to the trap of social media doom scrolling.

Some people have been looking to cure their screen addiction by going low tech, leading to a resurgence of interest in dumbphones. Others resort to placing restrictions on their phone use via timers for certain apps. But one group of designers has a solution so simple it seems obvious: just cover up the screen.

Special Projects' Aperture phone case concept is actually a bit more advanced than simply covering the screen. After all, there are already flip cases on the market, and you can always just turn your phone over.

The British design and invention agency, which was founded by designer Clara Gaggero Westaway and magician Adrian Westaway is using a combination of physical design, AI and the concepts of wellness apps to design a new kind of smart display. Rather than requiring any new hardware, it aims transforms existing accessories into an interface for digital wellbeing that distills our many apps down to their core functions.

Most phone cases have a hole for the camera lenses on the back. Special Projects' suggestion is to turn those cases around so that they cover the front of the phone instead of the back.

Its app will then use the lens hole to show a small portion of the display and present key information from priority apps in a minimalist format. The user would be able to use voice controls and call up the information needed at any given time, be it directions via a maps app or instructions for a recipe you're following in the kitchen. By using AI, it would remove all other distractions like ads or unnecessary information.

Special Projects' app would control what you see, and messages would fade to black when you no longer need them. Although uses would be able to remove the case to use their phone normally, the idea is that this would create just enough friction to dissuade people from automatically doing so when they're in the middle of something else.

The aesthetic reminds me of the ideas of Teenage Engineering and the Nothing phones, like the Nothing Phone 2a. And like Nothing's phone, the concept includes some novel UI features. If a group of people flip their cases, their devices could recognise each other, creating fun interactions before switching off to encourage the phones' owners to "stay present".

Special Projects began with even simpler and more minimalist solutions, like putting your phone in a paper sleeve, or producing paper printouts that could allow you to leave you phone at home.

They came up with the idea for Aperture when they realised that the camera lens window on many phone cases is about the same size as the screen on an Apple Watch. If the Watch can display all the information you need, so could that hole.

"We are fascinated by existing approaches to reducing technology use," Special Projects says. "While traditional methods like using a second, simpler phone remain powerful, there's an emerging wave of technology that adapts to your context—providing just the right information at the right moment without overwhelming you."

The Aperture is only a concept for now. It could face some practical issues. Not all phones cases fit the other way around, so it may require a specially made case – Special Projects says it's working with manufacturers on this. Users would also have to be comfortable granting the permissions necessary to the app that controls it.

I'm not sure if it would be liberating or frustrating. Having to remove the cover every time you want to do something more complex could get tired quickly, but the idea is at least inspiring reflection about screen time. It may just be that the real solution is stronger will power.

Special Projects is inviting feedback on what features its solution should include.