In 2014, my phone got cut off[1] and I went without connectivity for about 6 months (I was poor, doing a startup right after a previous failed startup, maybe not the smartest circumstances). The phone was basically a wifi device during that time.
I could have got a prepay SIM easily enough, but, oddly, I found being unreachable weirdly liberating. Yes, it was awkward that I had to plan ahead by organising when and where to meet people, checking messages (and maps) on wifi and so forth, but knowing that once I stepped outside, that I would be completely disconnected, was actually a great feeling. I knew that while I travelled to the office, nobody would bother me, I knew when I was out shopping, nobody would bother me. It was my time, disconnected from work, from friends/family/random people, from news that I really didn’t need to read...
Nowadays, I have an iphone which I use for whatsapp/telegram/signal, email, idle browsing when I’m not at home, very very very rarely a phone call. I think when this phone eventually dies, I’ll replace it with a cheap emergency-only phone, basically, like when I didn’t have a phone except that family can reach me in emergency. I have an iPad for when I do need to access everything else but am not at home or in work. Although, I don’t bring it everywhere.
[1] it was a bill phone in the name of my back-then-newly-deceased startup, I had tried to change it to my name, the account manager and other people said yes no problem and I went home waiting for a bill, which never came, then a few months later they disconnected me and wanted more money than the phone or the contract were worth to get it reconnected. I decided its not worth it.
I could have got a prepay SIM easily enough, but, oddly, I found being unreachable weirdly liberating. Yes, it was awkward that I had to plan ahead by organising when and where to meet people, checking messages (and maps) on wifi and so forth, but knowing that once I stepped outside, that I would be completely disconnected, was actually a great feeling. I knew that while I travelled to the office, nobody would bother me, I knew when I was out shopping, nobody would bother me. It was my time, disconnected from work, from friends/family/random people, from news that I really didn’t need to read...
Nowadays, I have an iphone which I use for whatsapp/telegram/signal, email, idle browsing when I’m not at home, very very very rarely a phone call. I think when this phone eventually dies, I’ll replace it with a cheap emergency-only phone, basically, like when I didn’t have a phone except that family can reach me in emergency. I have an iPad for when I do need to access everything else but am not at home or in work. Although, I don’t bring it everywhere.
[1] it was a bill phone in the name of my back-then-newly-deceased startup, I had tried to change it to my name, the account manager and other people said yes no problem and I went home waiting for a bill, which never came, then a few months later they disconnected me and wanted more money than the phone or the contract were worth to get it reconnected. I decided its not worth it.