Meet the only Bay Area tech company that wants to make smartphones less prevalent.

Smartphone use at concerts and live events — especially the use of cameraphones — is nothing new, having long ago joined the list of behaviors to expect at music venues. But even with some venues and even entire festivals banning phone use and photography, it’s clear that the issue isn’t going away anytime soon.

The next volley in the war of the cameraphones comes from Yondr. The service uses a special case that locks a phone while attendees are in a designated “phone-free zone;” users maintain possession of the phone but are required to leave the area to unlock the case.

“We think smartphones have incredible utility, but not in every setting. In some situations, they have become a distraction and a crutch—cutting people off from each other and their immediate surroundings,” says the company. “Yondr has a simple purpose: to show people how powerful a moment can be when we aren’t focused on documenting or broadcasting it.”

We’re not sure how good an idea this one is (what happens when an emergency happens in a “phone-free zone”?) or the utility of it (are we really so phone-phobic that we need them locked away like children’s toys?), but we’re sure this will make sense for some venues.

When Unsound banned photography, FACT’s Laurent Fintoni explored whether it was time for us all to slow down and just enjoy the show.