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This is Forest, an app to help you disconnect from work and throw a cable into nature

We are hooked on cell phones, is a reality although always with nuances. The computer that we carry in our pocket has become our telephone switchboard, our cinema, our concert hall and, on many occasions, also our office. With such a number of possibilities it is difficult to think of doing things away from him, but it can be done.

In fact, it must. Such is the case that companies like Google or Facebook have already got to work to help us be aware of the time invested in front of the mobile. That is why Forest was born, an app that wants us to dedicate time to, precisely, not touching our mobile. That we plant a tree and take care of it by taking care of ourselves. A more than interesting premise that we can find on Google Play.

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Put down your mobile and take care of your tree

The approach that Forest puts in front of us, and the challenge, is actually quite simple: we decide how much time we want to spend without leaving the app. We set a time frame during which the tree will grow healthy and, if we fail, the tree will die. And yes, we can turn off the screen to avoid temptations.

The longer you are without using your mobile, the more trees you will plant and the bigger your virtual forest will be. Also, the more trees you plant, the more coins you will get. For example, planting a bush for 20 minutes yields five coins. You can invest these coins in buying new species of virtual trees to customize your forest. Where is grace? In that if you fail and use another application, dead trees will appear in the forest, leaving there for the memory that that time you were not able to concentrate.

During the time you are concentrated you can play relaxing music, in case you use the app with headphones

But it goes further. Forest is a contributor to “Trees for the Future”, an NGO that plants trees in deforested areas. They have currently planted more than 145 million trees in a dozen countries, of which 436,491 come from Forest. To participate, you simply have to save the coins you get in the app, go to the “Real Forest” option and invest a few (between 2,500 and 5,000). When you do, Forest will request that a tree be planted and your concentration will turn into something positive for society.

Planting a tree, even if it is virtual, can awaken a hundred sense of responsibility in the user and take him away from the mobile

The application, on the other hand, has extensions for Google Chrome and Firefox, so that you can synchronize the sessions and activity with your mobile. In them, you simply have to configure the websites that reduce your productivity (such as social networks or email) and spend time without consulting them. If you do, the extension will remind you that then your tree will die (and remember that it will be registered in the virtual forest and you will not get coins).

Forest can be downloaded for free on Google Play. Why? Because the Android app has a purchase in-app unique for 1.99 euros that unlocks the option to plant real trees, a white list, achievements, detailed statistics and removes the ads.