I’m making my first post here on Leminal Space because I hear it’s a better alternative to Reddit. One that’s more privacy-oriented, less rage-baity, and less pro-corporate.
About 9 months ago, I made the switch from a smartphone to a flip phone, and boy did it make my life so much better. I’ve become less dependent on technology, and I’ve become more self-sufficent. Printing maps with MapQuest and MyOSMmatic have been quite a lot of fun. And I also feel smarter because “Googling things” have become much more inconvenient.
Carrying a notebook with me has also allowed me to draw more, and I also feel less distracted. Anyone else switched to a flip phone? If so, what are your ways to manage life without a smart phone?
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Friend of mine blogged about it:
i was thinking of using a steamdeck+ gsm router as an everything device
printing maps? i cannot tell if this post is a caricature or not
What’s wrong with printing maps?
I suppose the only thing wrong with printing maps is that it wastes paper and ink, but at the very least you don’t have to worry about location tracking, and you become less dependent on technology. You don’t have to worry about battery, internet, or “recalculating” whenever you take a wrong turn.
Once I was driving at 100 km/h and Google suddenly told me to turn right in 100 or 200 metres (rural road). I almost soiled myself. True story.
Well, paper is renewable and black ink is mostly carbon. There’s an environmental impact, no doubt, but the data center running Waze is got an impact too
Inconvenient but studies shows that offline navigation is better for our brains
That brings me back to the 1990s.
I had a print map for a while but I know my city way too well so I didn’t need it anyway.
I did. I have an s22 flip. Not fully “dumb”, it runs android mobile. But so lacking on resources it is basically a dumb phone, with Spotify and maps. Fits my use case fine and much less distractions and constant gamifiyijng. I Miss NFC payments the most and my banking app won’t even run on it, but it does the job of being a communications device just fine.
I’ve though about one of these but the videos I’ve seen make it look very annoying to use.
They are, and that’s the idea. Rejecting convenience allows you to think and be more independent.
I am Einstein and the most independent person alive right about now then. I’ll flat out go to 5 failed invidious links that take forever to not load just so I don’t have to use YouTube. What an absolutely disgusting platform! I can’t believe people still use it. I’d rather just make my own goddamn videos and entertain myself for all the bullshit they do.
I have been thinking about it for quite a long time, my dream is a linux e ink minimal smartphone, i think it would be the right mix between convenience, freedom and minimalism
If you wait long enough every smartphone becomes a dumb phone 😒
Well. I don’t have a dumb phone but I installed e/os on my fairphone and didn’t install all those tracker apps. I like things like signal and writing with my friends, but I don’t like google shoving me ADS for their crap services down my throat
My daughter switched to a flip phone around the same time. She was mostly inspired my my wife and I, though we went different directions. I am on GrapheneOS with no connected external accounts of social media, while my wife got a Minimal Phone with an e-ink screen which curtailed a lot of social media and doom scrolling and increased ebook reading.
My daughter’s flip phone (Nokia) actually has turn by turn directions, though it is clunky. It can technically play music from an sdcard, but it is also very clunky so she doesn’t bother.
I used a flip phone and eink device (Sunbeam F1 Pro Maple paired with Boox Palma) for 1.5 years after realizing I was addicted to my smartphone. Last month I switched back to just a smartphone (Pixel 9a w/ graphene OS). I loved using the flip phone, and I attribute that period of my life to big changes in how I see technology in general. However, I realized I didn’t really need that setup anymore, plus I never liked having to carry two devices with me. During that time I found what I need/want in a phone and can comfortably determine what is helpful and unhelpful for my life. Essentially I broke my addiction and these days barely use my phone.
How are you handling random 2-Factor challenges to email? (CGP Grey has a story of the DMVs sending codes to his email while physically at the location.)
How many people have a story of needing email while out in the physical world? (Email adoption is still not 100% in the USA, 92.4% in Nov 2023.)
My workplace requires me to login with an authenticator app, but they also “required” me to use the Microsoft Authenticator App (jokes on them, I use Aegis Authenticator).
How I manage to get around this is by carrying not one, but TWO dumbphones on me. (Depending on your dumbphone, only one would be required.) My main dumphone (Sonim XP3 Plus) is perfectly compatible with my carrier (T-Mobile), but it can’t install apps/APKs. My secondary dumbphone (Kyocera Digno 902kc) isn’t compatible with my carrier, but it ABSOLUTELY CAN install APKs.
Depending on your dumbphone, you might not need two like me. You probably only need one. You might not even need a Japanese Flip Phone as your secondary. As long as it connects to WiFi and can install APKs, you’re good.
I wouldn’t call a phone that can install APKs a dumb phone.
Then by that logic, dumbphones in America practically don’t exist. If you live in the US, you NEED a 4G VoLTE phone if you intend to call and text people. If you have anything lower, you CAN use a third party calling and messaging app, but you will need WiFi at ALL TIMES.
That being said, just because it installs APKs doesn’t make it a smartphone. Not all APKs are compatible with dumbphones. Even if they are, a lot of them are inconvenient if not impossible to use. Good luck being able to use Facebook on a dumbphone.
The whole idea of the “ideal dumbphone” is to have a phone that has everything you need and ONLY that, but you’re not going to be using it a lot or feel dependent on it.
Idk how general it is, but for my uni acc 2fa you can simply get a USB stick with tokens on it. Friend does the same for their e-id to avoid linking it to their phone number.
That is a cool workaround. I have not encountered it personally, but I am glad someone has.
A few weeks ago I pre-ordered the new Jolla phone, which is not a dumbphone by any means. But I am still curious, whether some of the benefits you described still apply, when there are no android or ios apps present.
Thanks for your writeup!
I tried the 2017 Nokia 3310 and a Samsung dumbphone but I think that my Google Pixel is waay better than those two.
I tried an Alcatel candy bar phone but I don’t recommend it. The parts are cheap. The keypad can feel inconsistent. Eventually the static on the line got so bad that I had to abandon it after about 1 year. Not worth it!
How unfortunate. Just trial and error, I suppose. What dumbphone do you use, now?
I gave up. There are only two options in my country. Maybe it’s possible to order Nokia 2780 from Amazon but right now it’s summer and I want to use an e-scooter app.
For quite some time I used an indestructible, iconic Nokia just for telephony, and a tablet with MiFi router for everything else.
Now I’m using GrapheneOS on the phone and tablet, which is tethered. The tablet is Google-free.
I can’t use a Nokia, RIP. The old Nokias are incompatible with 4G VoLTE, and the new Nokias aren’t very good, at least not as good as the old Nokias.
Buy a (refurbished) Pixel, install GrapheneOS without Google Play. Use only libre software.
I didn’t have to switch because I’ve never used a smartphone to begin with. My current dumbphone has a great UI, touchscreen for easy input even though it’s a very small screen, headphone jack, SD card slot, etc. It can act as a hotspot and has maps/voice navigation and current weather + daily forecast. The Tello service plan I have (uses T-Mobile network) is about $9.40/month. That’s with 1 GB data, but you can get unlimited data if for some reason you want that.
There is also a subscription available ($3.50/mo) which gives you live updated maps, voice dictation, and hourly weather+radar but I haven’t needed those things (edit: though I’d like to have the radar). I just use the offline maps (more private anyway–you periodically download the latest map data), and I don’t need the other stuff. (edit: I have a Sunbeam Wireless phone and live in the US).
There are some inconveniences of course, like all the businesses you interact with want you to install their tracking apps, but I wouldn’t put that kind of crap on it even if I did have a smartphone. The main one that causes me issues is the grocery store that has special discounts (“digital coupons”) on some items if you use their app. I already have their damn store card which gives me the sale price on most stuff but now they also have this digital deal crap. I can work around that by going to their website ahead of time and look at what all digital coupons they have that week, and click on the ones I want so they will be on my card, which gives me the discount at checkout without needing their app–but I strongly resent having to do that. If they want to put something on sale, put it on sale for everyone! But no–it’s all about tracking you. Pigs. But I digress. Point is I get by fine without a smartphone, ymmv.
May I ask what phone you’re using? Sounds nice!
It’s a Sunbeam Wireless F1 Pro.
