The minimalist Light Phone III will soon support a curated set of third-party apps
Key takeaways
- Nathan Ingraham for Engadget It's been about a year since the Light Phone III first arrived.
- Later this year, though, things could be a lot different.
- In keeping with the Light ethos, this will not be an open storefront but instead a tightly curated experience.
Nathan Ingraham for Engadget It's been about a year since the Light Phone III first arrived. Like Light's first two phones, this device only ships with a limited set of apps ("tools," as Light calls them) to help users avoid distraction. When I tested it out last year, I really enjoyed the experience but also found there were a handful of things I still need from a phone that the Light Phone III didn't provide.
Later this year, though, things could be a lot different. Light has announced a developer program for the Light Phone III which will let people create tools for the minimalist device. In addition to providing an SDK, Light will also provide a platform for sharing and distributing tools. "The idea is to provide a curated, non-commercial, open-source platform of user-created tools that expand the utility of the device — without compromising the Light mission to create technology that doesn't want your constant attention," the Light team says on its site.
In keeping with the Light ethos, this will not be an open storefront but instead a tightly curated experience. The company says that it'll only include tools "blessed by Light," and goes on to note that "each tool must serve a clear intentional purpose, and of course, respect user-privacy to the fullest extent."