
Why I’m Using a Flip Phone - mooreds
https://pam-moore.com/2018/07/25/why-im-using-a-flip-phone/
======
squiggleblaz
Life with a smart phone is so much better than life before a smart phone. It's
hard to realise how recently they came around. I've probably only had the
internet on my phone for five years (I've had a smart phone for longer, but I
couldn't get the data to work and data was expensive enough at the time I
didn't care).

I can communicate with my fiancee even when she's in another country
(international sms = fail). I can have a fiancee who's in another country.
When I'm on the train I can do something meaningful to me. When I'm not on the
train, I can know when it's actually going to arrive so I can do something fun
instead of waiting on the platform. If I'm having a discussion with friends I
can call up the information I'm missing. I can listen to music and podcasts
while I go for a walk or a ride. I can plan my trips instead of listening to
the boring parts of conversations. I can take nice photos when I didn't expect
it.

I'm not going back to life without a phone. If you're not valuing your
priorities with a phone, you won't value them without it. It might make a
difference for a few weeks, but then you'll work out how to waste your time
without your phone and you'll be back to square one.

~~~
koolba
I’m not a Luddite by any stretch and I’ve had smart phones since they were
quite dumb, but your reasons don’t ring for me:

> I can communicate with my fiancee even when she's in another country
> (international sms = fail).

It facilitates _instant_ communications. Email across the planet has been
around since day one.

> I can have a fiancee who's in another country.

I can assure you this was possible pre-smart phone.

> When I'm on the train I can do something meaningful to me.

The counter point to this is millions of man years wasted streaming mind
numbing video.

> When I'm not on the train, I can know when it's actually going to arrive so
> I can do something fun instead of waiting on the platform.

Mass transit has had posted schedules for many years. It is nice to see an
updated one with up to the minute tracking but it wasn’t _that_ inconvenient
either.

> If I'm having a discussion with friends I can call up the information I'm
> missing.

I’m probably showing my age but I miss having a pointless yet heated argument
that couldn’t be settled in 15 seconds on a smart phone. The feeling of being
right when you finally do get to confirm the answer is worth so much more.

> I can listen to music and podcasts while I go for a walk or a ride.

You don’t need internet for that, just some planning to have the content
downloaded in advance.

> I can plan my trips instead of listening to the boring parts of
> conversations.

If you’re describing zoning out of the real world people around you to doodle
on your phone that’s sad.

> I can take nice photos when I didn't expect it.

Okay this one I agree. The best camera is the one you actually have.
Counterpoint is we’re approaching peak photo.

~~~
cortic
>millions of man years wasted streaming mind numbing video.

..millions of man years wasted waiting.

>zoning out of the real world people around you to doodle on your phone that’s
sad.

..humoring pointless gossip so people will like you, that's sad.

My point is that these seem very subjective and judgmental.

~~~
soziawa
I mean there were books before there were phones. The point is that phones
have added little value.

~~~
lolsal
> The point is that phones have added little value.

... to you.

My phone doesn't always have to be solving a problem or completing a task. The
other day I was waiting for something and happened to look up the weather. I
ended up going down a rabbit hole and re-discovering
[https://earth.nullschool.net](https://earth.nullschool.net) \- it was
fascinating! It enriched my life, to no particular end. That sort of stuff
happens all the time and immensely valuable to me.

------
jordigh
I don't have a phone. _At all._ Whenever government things or banks ask me for
a phone number, I just say none. Persistent computer forms that won't take no
for an answer are fed the phone number of the company that is asking for a
phone.

Most people find this utterly unthinkable and seem to project their anxiety of
not having a phone on to me. What about emergencies? How do you do this? How
do you do that? What if this happens?

Truth is, most of those things don't happen and I get along just fine. I talk
to people in my life via email or in person. I use videochat on my laptop to
talk to people if we need a more intimate and immediate communication than
email. I schedule things ahead of time and request that others please do their
best to keep to that scheduled appointment. I'm ready to handle a few minutes
of uncertainty if they're slightly late or be outright stood up in the case of
genuine emergencies. Or I just tell people that I'll be available whenever and
that they can come at their convenience between this hour and that hour.

I like my life this way. It's not bad. It's pretty okay.

~~~
maccard
Do you have any family? My parents live in a different country, a phone is a
particularly good way of keeping in touch. Ever been ill? How do you get in
touch with your GP? Ever had an accident, or witnessed an accident? Ever been
a victim of bank fraud, or had to contact the police? I can understand dodging
a smartphone, but a phone (cell or landline) of some sort is pretty much a
requirement these days.

~~~
jordigh
I email my family and schedule videochat.

I don't have a GP. If I'm ill, I just go to a walk-in clinic. I can also
schedule appointments online. When I was too sick to go out at all and due to
a particular situation I didn't have web access either, I asked a neighbour to
make a phone call for me. I live in a city where I can rely on the help of
others.

For some official business, I use the landline at work to talk to banks or
government. Most of the time I can use the web, though.

It is not a requirement for me to have a personal phone.

~~~
maccard
As youve mentioned in your post, you rely on other people having a personal
phone so that you don't need to carry one.

Regarding the GP, this is presumably dependent on the country you live in. In
the UK you have a specific clinic you sign up with. None of the 4 clinics I've
used have taken walk in appointments, all have required phoning that morning
to get a scheduled appointment that day.

~~~
closetohome
Reminds me of all my friends who proudly didn't own cars in college.

But whenever we went somewhere they suddenly needed a ride.

~~~
jordigh
There's no shame in relying on the help of others and there's no hypocrisy
either. I'm prepared to being unable to get a neighbour to let me use a phone.
I can accept that. If I'm able to get help, that's great, and if not that's
also something I can accept. I have only done this once ever, anyway. Such a
rare occasion does not outweigh the happiness and peace of mind that I get by
being without a phone.

------
prolikewh0a
I obliterated one of my smartphones last year after dropping it on concrete
while getting off the bus. I freaked out, had no clue what to do since I was
low income and couldn't afford anything for quite awhile.

For a few days it was like I was an addict, constantly feeling my back pocket
vibrating, constantly reaching to check my phone. After a few more days, I
felt very liberated. I felt very free. I started enjoying life more. I started
noticing how much the world (at least USA) depends on their phones for
everything. I would go out to Reddit meetups without my phone and notice times
where everyone would have their heads down, checking various social media
platforms and not talking to each other. People would ask how I lived without
a phone. I noticed how dangerous the distraction is with people doing simple
things like walking crosswalks with their heads down staring at their phones.
I noticed a lot of the time the entire bus full of people were looking down at
their phones, most doing nothing of any real meaning.

After a week or so I learned how to cope without. I would look up directions
and bus routes on my computer before I left. I would check my bank account
before I left to do anything that cost money. I brought a notebook with me to
keep notes of things I thought about and wanted to look further into when I
got home. I noticed new things I've never noticed and learned more about the
city I live in, especially the streets and landmarks so I could get around
without GPS. It noticeably helped my anxiety and gave me a viewpoint of the
world that I feel I hadn't been a part of since the first iPhone was released.

I'm not saying smartphones aren't useful, but I strongly recommend to anyone
to take a break from their phone. It really is eye opening in very beneficial
ways.

~~~
onion2k
My first question to anyone who says they can live without a smartphone: what
do you use for two factor auth?

~~~
YeGoblynQueenne
Is two factor authentication something you can't live without, then?

~~~
onion2k
I wouldn't be able to do my job or access my bank without it, so I'd say yes,
I can't live without it.

------
MisterOctober
Dumbphone user since 2006 here. Non-Luddite. Main reasons for avoiding the
switch :

1) When not using computers for work [or chess] purposes, I want to spend as
little time as practical staring at a screen. I have lots of non-computer
activities to attend to [gardening, studying, home maintenance, etc etc] and a
family to look after.

2) I am a strong adherent to the notion that one is well-advised to maintain
awareness of one's surroundings -- what I'd call commonsense alertness -- and
my observations of folks using smartphones in public suggest to me that their
use diminishes situational awareness because they are a distraction.

2.5) Corollary to the above : I want to set a good example of prudent behavior
for my kids, which to me includes limiting recreational computer / phone use
[I realize this sounds snobby, but you should see the kids in my neighborhood
-- like elementary-school kids -- constantly with their faces buried in
phone];

3) Last and also least : expense and durability : decent dumbphones are nearly
indestructible and if I distruct one, a replacement is less than $50.
Smartphones, on the other hand, tend to be fragile and expensive.

~~~
exodust
You're in a gloomy waiting room. You arrived early, so could be waiting
awhile. Nothing to read except a few old Vogue magazines. You're by yourself,
you didn't bring a book. Your inventory is a wallet, keys, and flip phone.
What is your next move?

~~~
Mediterraneo10
I would say that your example scenario isn’t necessarily an argument for
having a smartphone, it is a reason to always have a Kindle with you that
contains a few hundred books. (You can leave the Kindle in airplane mode at
all times and get everything you want to read from pirated ebook websites, no
need to deal with Amazon's ecosystem and DRM).

~~~
exodust
"Never leave home without my flip-phone and kindle" said nobody ever. Your
smartphone might have the kindle app or e-reader app or something. You can put
it on flight mode, and enjoy.

~~~
Mediterraneo10
> "Never leave home without my flip-phone and kindle" said nobody ever.

You ought to get out more. Carrying around a Kindle and leaving the phone
behind (or, perhaps, getting a dumbphone), so that you are forced to consume
more “serious” content during waiting times and to avoid social media, is
recommended fairly often on these kind of threads.

> Your smartphone might have the kindle app or e-reader app or something.

The reason for the Kindle’s popularity in its niche is the e-ink screen. Some
people may find reading ebooks on their phone to be acceptable, while others
find the more limited dimensions and LCD glare and brightness of a smartphone
to be annoying.

------
__david__
I feel like I've seen a number of these kind of posts pop up recently. It
reminds me of 10 to 15 years ago when there was article after article about
people getting rid of their TVs, and how liberated they felt. Both topics
always feel like a mix of genuine feeling mixed with a bit of validation
seeking. I don't know, I guess I've never found either argument particularly
compelling.

~~~
dqv
> validation seeking

I agree. I feel the same way when people talk about quitting Facebook. No one
really needs to know.

FWIW, I got a basic phone because I was tired of having to charge my smart
phone every day. It's nice having a phone that will hold its charge for
several days.

------
bitunwise
Long-time lurker of HN. Finally made an account just to chime in on this.

Most people who disagree with people using "dumbphones" or not having a phone
at all seem to say it is entirely an issue with the person's self control. Do
we completely blame people for getting addicted to caffeine or cigarettes? No,
at least I would not think so. We all understand that those two things are
addictive in nature. Why would a smartphone with all the fancy UX, apps, and
ease-of-access be different? If a smartphone is geared to be exploit one's
attention span and is just as addictive then why put all the blame on people's
lack of self control? Sometimes it is easier to go cold turkey much like
people do with quitting caffeine and cigarettes.

------
ryl00
I've got a Windows phone, and sometimes I feel like the gradual decay of its
ecosystem is a blessing in disguise. Since app support is spotty, I'm
relegated to sticking to the core features only (Edge, maps, music player,
texting, camera, Office), which are good enough for most of my needs. (At
least for however long until Edge falls behind the other browsers, or
maps/traffic gets shuttered, or...) It's already distracting enough with a
browser.. it'd be worse with more game support.. :)

~~~
culot
That's precisely the reason I stick with Windows Phone as well. Even with a
flagship-level phone Windows Phone is super slow, so, on top of what you
mention, it makes me _not_ want to use it as much.

Being so limited is rather freeing.

~~~
SmellyGeekBoy
> Even with a flagship-level phone Windows Phone is super slow

This hasn't been my experience at all. I have the absolute bargain basement
Lumia 640 as a backup phone and it feels positively snappy. Perhaps it's
because I have barely anything running on there?

~~~
culot
My Lumia 640 actually feels snappier than my Lumia 950 in some ways. I dont
understand that, its been the same with all of the Lumia 950s I've used. The
950 has a nice camera though, and that display is great reading books.

------
exegete
Why I'm Using a Smart Phone

I've thought about this, but I've realized it's not the phone but specific
websites/apps that can be time-consuming addictions. I have no social media
accounts on my phone, so that seems to prevent a lot of the issues. I do like
browsing news sites, but there's only so many times I can see the same story
before I get sick of it. I do hate some of the privacy issues that come with a
smart phone (certain apps I can't get rid of, I can't change to LineageOS with
this phone, etc.)

However, I use the phone for learning a new language while on the bus/train. I
also like getting email alerts about the bus/train (accidents, etc). My bus
carrier tells you instantly where the bus is, so I can walk to another bus
line if the next one is delayed. Podcasts on the phone are also great. I could
do all those things with a data plan and laptop, but it's much too big. I
don't actually _need_ any of those things but they are a huge convenience for
a long commute.

I try to be mindful of my phone use when out with friends. I like the fact
that I don't know what's been going on in their lives via social media so then
we can catch up.

~~~
ryanmercer
>Why I'm Using a Smart Phone

Similar usage:

\- I listen to podcasts at 2x and audible titles at 1.5x all day at work and
during my commute. 50-60 hours a week.

\- I can talk to friends on 4 continents

\- TerraGenesis throughout the day when I have a minute or three of downtime
but not enough time to read a chapter.

\- I don't have to get a map out of the trunk when I need to find my way
somewhere, but carry the map in the event shit goes sideways.

------
WalterSear
I'm mystified by the number of people who think that they've solved the
fundamental problem by getting rid of their phone: being that unable to
control one's immediate impulses, is worthy of attention.

~~~
aidenn0
Almost everybody has impulses they can't control; the rational response is to
plan ahead of time to limit the damage they do.

~~~
Baeocystin
As a child, sure. That's part and parcel of growing up. But I would expect
healthy adults to be able to control their impulses when it comes to things
like wasting time on their phone. If someone genuinely can't, they're in
trouble, and tossing the phone aside is treating the symptom at best.

~~~
addicted
Impulse control is really hard. But more importantly, it’s a losing battle,
even for adults, if you use many popular services today. The reason is simple.
Most of these services have highly paid and intelligent folks, whose sole
purpose is to use the unprecedented private data they have on you, to hack
into deep biological impulses embedded in every human built over millennia, to
have you use their service more.

Its frankly not possible and anyone who believes otherwise is likely fooling
themselves.

~~~
WalterSear
Possible. Not fooling myself. And the ad tech industry doesn't have the
technology to control your mind, or steal your soul. Their efforts remain
overwhelmingly wasteful and ineffective.

I would reiterate my recommendation of investigating why you feel such lack of
self-control.

------
cncrnd
I don't see why you can't just control your cell phone habits. Swearing
technology off is like cutting off the nose to spite the face.

The optimal setup for me is the basic apps installed (mail, messenger,
uber/lyft, finances) with all notifications turned off. Less distraction while
retaining the utility of having a smartphone.

~~~
hnzix
_I don 't see why you can't just control your drinking habits. Swearing
alcohol off is like cutting off the nose to spite the face._

~~~
cncrnd
Alcohol does not provide the massive utility that comes with modern
smartphones.

There are ways to reduce cell phone usage without going to a flip phone.

But, if this is what works for the author then I support it. Removing certain
apps and disabling notifications will work wonders for most people though.

~~~
QasimK
I think the analogy was meant to be a reflection on what “addiction” means

------
citilife
I find it easier to just not install apps.

My wife and I have a rule - minimal phone use around one another. We hold each
other to it, unless both of us agree to look something up. Perhaps it's
because we both think it's rude, I don't know..

Now, although that works generally - my wife will often spend hours pouring
over Instagram a week. She too, has mixed feelings about it and on the one
hand wants to delete it, and on the other feels she needs it to connect to
people. When discussing this with her (she wanted to talk about the struggle
she was having), she realized everyone she was worried about leaving behind on
Instagram were people we knew from high school - a decade ago.

As soon as she realized that, she deleted it. I think the fact that phones
connected us across time and places, make it difficult to recognize we don't
need it in many cases. The addiction comes from wanting to be included, but in
reality - we're just segregating ourselves; behind the facade of happy photos.
The truth we all know is that everyone on Instagram works for those shots,
those happy moments, to share with... well, their collective of "friends".
Many of whom they will never see again in their lifetimes.

For me, I only install functional apps on my phone, never user it for fun, and
already have blocked all news sites outside of HN, Reddit, and a few other
niche forums. I can access my investments, bank account(s), flash cards, w.e.
- that I don't find addictive. If my phone died, I'd be frustrated (how do we
decide who's picking up the kids), but I wouldn't go through withdrawal (I
often leave it at home by accident).

Perhaps a healthy approach to the phone is looking at it as a tool, not as a
way to be friends. Honestly, it's the social networking aspect of it, that's
the issue for people. Life is meant to be fluid and limited - spend time where
it counts, building deep relationships.

~~~
faissaloo
I'm in a similar position, since I only download libre apps unless it's for
work or something, I realised after I got rid of my proprietary apps
(Instagram being the main one) I didn't get as distracted and became miles
more productive. While I have stuff like Telegram and Mastodon I either end up
paying attention to a few notifications and moving on or just seeing so much
content that I'm too lazy to go through and I feel like that's because neither
feature algorithmic timelines, discover pages etc.

------
keithnz
funny thing, I forgot to bring my phone today, at first I was a bit "Oh Crap!"
but I've realized :-

1) I don't actually need it for anything important and I'm super connected via
computers for most of the day except when commuting

2) It is a security blanket that feels a bit odd to be without, but I did live
most of my life without one

3) Now that I'm forced to look at my fellow train commuters I can see that
everyone is looking down at their phones and I have to look at the scenery :)

~~~
mehrdadn
Not sure if this is different based on the culture, but I feel like commuting
on a train is the time when having a phone to keep your mind occupied might
actually have some of its highest usefulness. In a lot of other social
situations you can hope to strike up a conversation with someone you actually
might interact with again instead of constantly staring at your phone, but
when commuting, people just want to work or sleep or chat or otherwise just be
left alone, and the one that tries to strike up a conversation with strangers
ends up looking like a weirdo way too frequently, if not being outright
bothersome to those around them trying to sleep or focus.

~~~
johnpowell
When I was a kid we used books for this. And I still do since I am to cheap to
pay for data on my phone.

~~~
mehrdadn
Books are obviously fine too! I was just trying to say the phone is handy here
due to the inability to socialize, not that there aren't other things that you
could do.

------
RandomInteger4
I don't travel much, but when I do, having the ability to not give a flip
about knowing directions ahead of time is mentally quite relaxing.

Anyone else remember the days of printing out map quest directions only to
find that they were out of date or really really wrong?

Everything else that comes with a smart phone is an added bonus.

EDIT: As far as notification anxiety. I mean, there's a simple way to deal
with that without handicapping yourself: Turn off notifications except for the
most crucial items.

~~~
gvurrdon
Printing out maps sucked. Usually the only way I could manage a long journey
would be to stick a summary of the major routes somewhere where it could be
glanced at safely, e.g. whilst stopped at traffic lights. I'd make it within a
few miles of the destination then get lost and have to pull over to read the
map. This was better than the alternative of having the traditional map-
reading conversation* whilst driving, though.

I tried dedicated satnavs but they always seemed to be quite expensive, not
always reliable and a bit of a hassle to keep updated. The iPhone 3G (inc. S)
was OK but its GPS wasn't sensitive enough and it usually resorted to shouting
out random directions when in a city centre. Later iOS devices seem better, as
do Android phones even of the same era as the iPhone mentioned above. Google
maps has been very good, though the reporting of my position to Google isn't
something I care for.

* \- Which turn should I take at this junction? \- How am I supposed to know? \- You have the map. \- How should I know where we are on it? It doesn't make any sense! etc. etc.

------
bmarquez
I had a similar feeling when I removed all social media apps and games from my
smart phone.

Whenever there's a lull in activity (like waiting for a bus, at the doctor's
office, etc) I used to mindlessly swipe and scroll away. Now I pay more
attention to the physical world around me (the bus stop has a map, what kind
of magazines does the doctor like, etc)

But I wonder if the author could get the same benefit by cancelling her mobile
data plan.

~~~
Broken_Hippo
See, I'm OK bringing a book or sketchbook to the doctors office. I'm also fine
with mindlessly playing a game.

This sort of thing keeps me from getting irritated while waiting in a place
like a doctor's office. It makes me a more agreeable person overall.

The bus stop isn't as bad - they have a schedule and are usually on-time.
There is only so often I can stand to look at a bus stop map, after all. That
novelty wears off after using buses as primary transportation.

------
penthi
2 Key events in my life :

1\. Purchased an iPhone1 10 years ago - changed my career & life.

2 Purchased a Nokia 3310 1 month ago - suddenly, the physical world around me
has expanded. I feel I just woke up after 10 years.

~~~
lfender6445

      'physical world around me has expanded'
    

care to elaborate?

~~~
penthi
Taking a walk to the park without the iPhone takes longer, because you are
forced to spend attention on everything but the phone. Distance = speed x
time. If perceived time goes up; distances are greater. Ergo - world around
you expands.

~~~
dmortin
You can have a smart phone and not use it all the time. It's a matter of self
control.

------
grecht
Sounds like the phone‘s not the problem. Just don‘t twitter, instagram,
facebook, snapchat or whatever you do 24/7 and simply use it for its most
useful features. Ditch every social app, delete your accounts. Maybe turn it
off every day at a fixed time (quite a while before you‘re in the bathroom
brushing your teeth). Leave it at home when you‘re going for a walk. It’s not
like there‘s nothing inbetween a flip-phone user and a hopeless smartphone
addict.

~~~
wilsonnb2
> Just don‘t twitter, instagram, facebook, snapchat or whatever you do 24/7

The point is that choosing to not do these things is _hard_ for a lot of us.
Getting rid of a smartphone is a decision you have to make once. Not using
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Hacker News, and Reddit is a decision
that you have to make tens to hundreds of times a day, every day.

------
nemild
Anyone have tips on some good US flip phones that work with modern networks
(4G)? In a perfect world, with GPS (but not required)?

~~~
freeone3000
Nokia 8110's back out.

~~~
fastbeef
From the few reviews I managed to find it seems like hot garbage. Shame, I had
high hopes for it to be my daily driver. Looking into Punkt Phone and/or Light
Phone 2

------
ajuc
I'm using Nokia 108. It's small and light, the battery lasts 2 weeks (1 week
if I listen to radio often), it's a phone. I don't worry if it falls and
breaks (and it doesn't break easily, I washed it with my jeans once and it
still works, just had to buy a new battery).

If I need internet access I have a tablet in my backpack, it's much more
convenient to browse on a bigger screen and without worrying battery will
drain and I won't be able to answer calls. The hurdle of taking the tablet out
is enough to discourage constant checking for notifications, but when I need
gps or have to wait for 30 minutes in a queue somewhere it's there.

------
searedvandal
I ditched my smart phone in 2015 and went 2 years with a "dumb" phone that
couldn't do anything other than SMS and calls. The first couple of months was
a bit "hard", but after a while I did not miss a thing from my smart phone
days.

That said, I did go back to a smart phone last summer. But something strange
has happened. Apart from using the camera, and apps like Signal and a sudoku
app, I use my smart phone more or less like I used my "dumb" phone. I hardly
ever browse the web, check e-mail or anything like that. I pick it up if it
rings, or I need to call someone. And the occasional photo and game of sudoku
for my own enjoyment. I have no social media, I don't share the photos I take,
I don't feel the need to stay connected.

And when I'm not on wifi, it's more or less a "dumb" phone with a camera. I
don't use data traffic. Haven't for the year I've had a smart phone again, and
I don't see the need to start using data traffic. If I have access to wifi,
great, I can use Signal, if not, those who need to contact me has my number
and can get in touch with me the old fashioned way.

~~~
theandrewbailey
I had the same dumb phone from 2007 until it fell apart in 2015. I got a smart
phone, but didn't use it for anything other than dumb phone tasks. Sure, the
screen and camera were much nicer, and I could browse the web, but it didn't
seem alluring. I only needed to charge it about twice a week.

Having maps and GPS turned out to be more useful than I expected, but once I
go somewhere once or twice, I don't use it to get to that place anymore. I
thought Google Authenticator would be the killer app for me, but I use it so
rarely, and I have KeePass do that now anyway. I've never gotten the point of
social media, so I completely missed the bullet there.

------
DoreenMichele
I have read that women with children, whether working at a paid job or not,
tend to be chronically short of sleep. They do studies and women with small
kids talk about sleep the way starving people talk about food.

I piddle on my phone when I'm exhausted. They used to do studies and find that
lots of TV watching correlated to being too exhausted after work to do
anything else. I think checking nonsense online when tired is the new TV
watching when tired. We often do that on our phone because it's super
convenient.

Women also tend to be more at everyone's beck and call than men. So presumably
the phone facilitates the access of people who expect her to be at their beck
and call and she can't figure out how to ditch that expectation without
ditching the phone.

I have arranged my life where this is no longer true. I just cannot relate to
a lot of the articles complaining about what a burden their phone is. I fairly
often read articles or comments about what a burden it is and the subtext I
hear is "My phone is the leash that my social circle has on me and I can't not
reply." That's an alien concept for me at this point.

------
DyslexicAtheist
I'm doing this since 2016 and never looked back. Also I got rid of FB and
Google and am far more focused now. It was easy for me because growing up in
the 70/80ies I never became as addicted to it. Looking at my kids I have many
regrets for being positive about technology while they grew up. As an engineer
I felt it was normal to expose them to screens from an early age. If I could
go back in time this is what I'd change and regret the most: exposing my kids
to this shit.

If I look at younger people I hang out with it's sad to see some of them would
have a panic attack if asked to leave home without their phone. It sounds
totally crazy to them. They grew up with parents constantly reminding them to
bring their phone, and they would have gotten into trouble any time they would
forget the phone, run out of battery or be otherwise unreachable. It's panic
passed down from (my) generation ...

------
carrja99
Smart phones are great but also a great source of distraction. It has taken me
a lot of practice and discipline to not use it to zone out on various social
media or political news.

------
Kagerjay
I've never really owned a smartphone before 2013, despite the first iphone
being released in 2007

When I used to travel a lot a few years back, I went extremely low tech. I
wanted to appreciate the beauty each city had to offer and nature as it was
meant to be.

I didn't have a data plan and would just memorize maps at the hostel before I
set off for an adventure.

To tell the time I would simply just look at the sun and shadows projected. I
would know this after the first day since I would have some benchmarks there.
The sun rises from east and to the west, but the amount it changes per hour
depends on what hemisphere you are in. And the season too ?I believe?

Consequently, this is how I would determine where North, East, West, and South
is. I would have a mental model in my head based on how many steps I took to
know where I am on the map. I used mostly relative positioning and landmarks
in densely populated cities to determine this.

I would carry a paper map with me though, in the event I got lost.

The only downside to having no smartphone is that nighttime navigation was
extremely difficult. There was no sun to navigate, I couldn't use the
northstar since the lights in the city were too bright to see it.

People think I'm joking when I use sun navigation but I am not. Looking up at
the sun is actually sometimes faster to determine the time and direction then
having to whip out your phone. This was true especially during flip phone
times, but not so much because of how useful smartphones have gotten /
smartwatches.

Historically using the sun to determine time was how it was always done since
Ancient greek / Egyptian times with Sun Dials.

I also used to parasail too, sometimes on the lake I relied on sun navigation
to determine where I was at, since whipping out a phone or looking at a
compass is sometimes not reasonable at the time. Especailly when I have my
hand on the rudder and the other on ?whatever rope controled the mast?

------
nickjj
I also use a flip phone but I never had a smartphone to compare it to (other
than temporarily connecting a TracFone for GPS when I travel).

I walk a lot and see so many people with their head pinned to their phone, and
I've almost been hit 3 times from people flying through stop signs while
texting in the middle of the day. Anything that might be so addictive that you
can't even drive without constantly checking your phone can't be good for you.

Really though, a flip phone works well. You end up using it as a phone, but
they also support texting too which makes you capable of communicating with
everyone else in a pretty normal way.

------
bikamonki
20+ years w/out watching TV, yet there is a TV right there on the family room
for the occasional movie or soccer match.

No need to ditch a very useful device, need discipline to use it wisely.

~~~
tostadora
I'm almost in the same area as you. I have a TV and I use it very sparingly.
The difference with smartphones is that the smartphone's applications are
engineered to be addictive, which is not the case of TV. There's another
important difference between the two: you don't carry your TV all the time
with you.

~~~
bikamonki
True in all accounts. I guess we need stronger discipline then :)

I am working it out with this approach: no social network apps, turned off all
notifications (however the red dots over app icons bother me still),
uninstalled email app (I do check it _on demand_ using the browser email app),
airplane mode at night, off the pocket most of the weekend.

My biggest concern is that using a phone killed my reading habit. I guess
reading short shallow posts is the actual problem. Really pissed about it. I
try to read a book and my attention span lasts for a couple of minutes. I
tried kindle to keep the form factor. No luck :( I used to read a lot, a lot!

------
taeric
If there is a flip phone that has good audible support, I'd be tempted. If it
also had decent strava support, I think I'd be hard pressed not to use it.

~~~
dqv
Yeah, it only works for people who only really need their phones for the phone
calls. It doesn't make sense to get three devices (basic phone, mp3 player,
fit bit [or something else]) to replace the one that served those purposes
before.

------
mc32
I think as more and more people find that they need or want to take back
control over gheir time, more people will follow her in this direction.

Main question will be whether small screen flip phones will be made with
modern modems to connect to modern infra wich may not support older Gen
wireless nets for too long.

An old flip phone would work if it supported mainstream authenticators.

~~~
kalleboo
Lots of scaled-back phones are being made with LTE. E.g.

[https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraxv-
lte/](https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraxv-lte/)

[https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_3310_4g-9046.php](https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_3310_4g-9046.php)

[https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_8110_4g-9089.php](https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_8110_4g-9089.php)

------
jurassic
I’ve felt a similar urge recently to turn off the noise. I was feeling
especially burned out by the never-ending work pings over email and slack.
Deleting a few apps I couldn’t moderate and disabling ALL app notifications
except Messenger (which I use with close friends and family only) has provides
a huge improvement in my mental health. There’s also an app called Moment I’ve
been using to track my phone use and try to move toward more intentional ways
of usint devices; I had pretty shocking numbers when I first started tracking.
We should use the technology, not let the technology use us.

------
dchuk
I feel like if I could have one device that lets me take really nice pictures
(like portrait mode on iphone) and only do texting and phone calls and maps, I
would be a pretty happy person. Maybe airline apps for boarding passes and
stuff. I can survive without email/slack/all the other bullshit.

Life goes on, if it's an emergency I'm sure someone will get a hold of me
somehow. But I want to take pictures of my wife and dogs, I want to text her
and my friends, and I don't want to get lost. Music streaming is nice too.
That's about it.

I guess I am just bitching about social media to be honest...

~~~
Maakuth
Social media apps are easy to uninstall, and that's what I've done. For the
occasional Facebook event / messenger use case I need (some people insist on
communicating through these), I use mbasic.facebook.com, which I think is the
mobile web FB for the developing world. It's very fast, very barebones, but
has all the features you really need.

~~~
maccard
Facebook Twitter and linkedin came pre installed on my Samsung phone, and
can't be removed (or even hidden as far as i can see)

~~~
wyclif
That's terrible! What carrier is that evil?

~~~
maccard
EE in the UK. I wasn't aware it was my carrier bundljng it, I thought it was
Samsung!

------
ara24
There are new feature phones available in the market, with the benefits of
modern technology such as better display, keyboard, battery.. Its probably not
advertised much, but it is still there, and very much available.

------
SirHound
I've definietly got a problem with this. I don't feel anxious without the
phone, in fact I quite enjoy it. But with it, I find myself checking it during
any mental downtime. Brexit-fueled anxiety has caused me to compulsively check
the news multiple times a day for a while now. It must be destructive to my
mental process.

I'm not going back. I love the camera, I love having my books and music with
me everywhere. I love the GPS.

But I can't wait for iOS 12 so I can slap obtuse time limits on my Twitter and
browser use.

~~~
faissaloo
To be fair, this might just be a news-based issue rather than a phone-based
one.

------
gymshoes
I have a kindle fro reading, ipod for music and a box that makes tvs into
android TVs.

A simple phone for calling is enough for me. Plus the nostalgia.

------
zahrc
Why does it have to be an actual discussion? Why do have people argue about
their reasoning of their usage of phones in any way? Like it's your life, do
whatever you want! Fact is smartphones make life easier Fact is people are
addicted to, if they are, not your problem. Well if they don't cause
accident's while texting and driving...

------
jxsonl
I just always select “Dont allow” when prompted for notification unless its a
messaging/finance app, I get less distracted a LOT compared to all those
useless notifications like “You’ve been away for x hours heres what you
missed” Am on the way of unscribing a lot of promo emails to currently.

~~~
KozmoNau7
Exactly! Turn off all notifications, unless the app is specifically a
communications app (calls, messages). I switched off notifications for emails
as well, they can wait until I check manually.

Facebook/Instagram/Parking/Maps/whatever apps just spam you with notifications
that don't matter.

------
7402
I like my flip phone because it cost $40, I get prepaid service for $9 a
month, it holds its charge for a week, I can drop it and it still works, and
no one is going to hit me on the head and take it away from me.

On the other hand, it's embarrassing when I use it in downtown San Francisco.

------
my_first_acct
See also: [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/19/magazine/how-to-go-
back-t...](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/19/magazine/how-to-go-back-to-a-
flip-phone.html)

------
candiodari
No worries people, we've got you covered ! With KaiOS !

( [https://www.kaiostech.com/return-nokia-8110-banana-
phone/](https://www.kaiostech.com/return-nokia-8110-banana-phone/) )

------
wpdev_63
There's a privacy aspect to also consider. Many flip phones don't have front
facing cameras and gps chips in them. It's nice to know big brother isn't
watching me(as much).

------
jriot
I have used a flip-phone for the past five years and two years before that I
didn't use a cell phone at all. Though I didn't need to write an entire
article defending my choice.

------
aargh_aargh
Is there a modern dumb phone (physical keyboard, LCD display) still smart
enough to sync with my Google Contacts? That's one convenience I'm not willing
to give up on.

------
esharte
Welcome to the new "I don't own a Television"

------
thom
Seems self defeating to sit down here and write about how my screen addiction
isn't problematic, so maybe I'll just go for a walk instead.

------
ksec
iPhone SE without App Store, I don't mind dumb phone but I want a modern dumb
phone.

