"Dumbphone"/flip phone users? (+EDC)

[FinleyIsHere]

i really, really wanna get a dumbphone for myself but its hard finding one here in australia and finding one with a headphone jack that could play mp3s is a struggle 

but i'll be honest, im still on the fence about getting one for sure, since i worry that it'll be on my drawer collecting dust while i still use my smartphone for most things which would well, obviously suck ass,

and i cant really let go of my smartphone tbh, it has my banking app and social media that i use [...twitter, IM GUILTY OK I KNOW THAT ] its a toxic relationship, i cant let it go cause its so fucking funny but i wanna let go so bad since its so goddamn toxic its harms both my mental and physical health, literally

so that's why im looking to get a feature phone at least, all i want it to have is hotspot and ability to play music with my wired earphones thats it

if anyone got any suggestions please help me out man!!!

[TheFrugalGamer]

@FinleyIsHere One thing you might try to do is have a "trial run" with your existing phone. Simply treat it like a dumbphone, without having to shell out the money for one.

That would mean, firstly, that you can keep your music on it. In fact, I think that's one of the best things about smartphones! I LOVE having my music on hand, whether it's stored locally or I'm using a streaming service, whatever. We can talk about toxic phone use all day, but it really comes down to how you use it, not the capabilities of the thing itself.

Next you'd uninstall all the apps that enable the doom scrolling behavior. There are also apps that put limits on your screen usage and force you off after a certain amount of time has passed--definitely look into those. Sometimes just putting a few screens in between yourself and the bad behavior can push you away from it.

Thirdly, turn off all the notifications you can. Obviously you'll want the important ones, especially if you're caring for family or friends who need to reach out to you. But social media apps that are throwing up notifications about who posted what just now? Ugh, NO THANK YOU. Turn that stuff OFF.

And lastly, I like having something on hand to turn to when I'm bored or need to fidget. Usually that's my e-reader, but a paperback book also works. A notebook that I can journal in, a small fidget toy, a gameboy, you don't have to buy anything new, just something you have on hand that you can turn to during those few moments you'd spend on your phone. It does take a conscious effort to not pick up the phone, but it'll get to be second nature after a while. It's just re-training yourself.

You might also consider turning off wi-fi/turning on airplane mode for a bit. You'll still be able to get calls, but your social media apps will have a harder time phoning home (depending on your service plan and the like).

[rnottelovesowls]

and i cant really let go of my smartphone tbh, it has my banking app and social media that i use [...twitter, IM GUILTY OK I KNOW THAT ] its a toxic relationship, i cant let it go cause its so fucking funny but i wanna let go so bad since its so goddamn toxic its harms both my mental and physical health, literally

i'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but... that's always the excuse. remember, it's not OUR fault that everything in our lives requires a smartphone app to function. if you go dumbphone, you have to boycott things that require apps or QR code scanners. that's what i do in protest of the "smartphone economy". might mean you'll miss out on certain things, but you'll be better for it. we didn't need twitter then, and we certainly don't need it now

i don't have a dumbphone, but just a years-old iPhone SE whose app library i've restricted heavily; all social media, internet browsing, and even downloading new apps, is blocked. but as far as feature phones go, the one i've always had my eyes on is the light phone. it's definitely not cheap, but it has pretty much everything you could want a phone for, plus it's built to last' no modern iPhone can claim that. the difference between the light phone 2 and light phone 3 is that the former has an e-ink screen, is smaller, and connects with micro-USB and AUX; and the latter has a camera, is bigger (and more comfortable, i've heard), and connects with USB-C. take your pick

[solsgarage]

I use a Kyocera 902KC!! I'd only recommend it if you're willing to do a bit of work to sideload stuff (and if you're in the USA like me you're limited to a few providers), but I love it. It has expandable storage so I have a bunch of music on it. I can scan qr codes, use a web browser, etc. I think OrganicMaps works on it, but I prefer using an sms-based service for navigation/weather/location info! more info on that here

I do also have a need for my bank apps, but you can usually call your bank for balances/transfers or use an atm! also re: social media, I've found that not having a convenient way to access it has made it WAY easier for me to disconnect. I haven't used any of them for years, but just deleting the apps/blocking access was a great starting point. I do still have my smartphone, but I mostly use it for navigation (when it's a long trip) and mobile games.

if anyone wants better specific recommendations, definitely check out /r/dumbphones! there's a ton of resources and people are generally happy to help you find a device that works for you.

[Horsey Chobunso]

I've looked into feature phones many times, and eventually I will make that shift, but I have too many things in my life right now that require my phone, or at the very least, the ability to scan a QR code and open a web page. I understand the sentiment stated earlier that avoiding all of those things is a way to protest them, but the reality for me is that it would mean just functioning in my current world and not being able to do things with my friends. The Light Phone in particular is a project I'm very interested in, but I have a bunch of groundwork I need to do before I can really commit.

I've since settled on a middle ground by greatly reducing my smartphone usage. Everything on my phone that functioned around content algorithms has been deleted (or hidden in the case of YouTube) and I switched to Olauncher as my homescreen, which allows me to hide all icons and only keep a short list of essentials on my home page. I was doing really well and keeping my phone screen time around 60mins a day, but I've gotten worse at it lately.

[FinleyIsHere]

@FinleyIsHere One thing you might try to do is have a "trial run" with your existing phone. Simply treat it like a dumbphone, without having to shell out the money for one.

mmm alrighty, i'll treat it like that for as long as i can and for the music ive been thinking about investing in an mp3 player, so that i can
1) not rely on my phone so much and
2) so i can save up on storage :D
but if i were to get a feature phone, its more of a smart phone but i found one that piqued my interest, the unihertz jelly star its small, compact, and has nfc
but right now im looking to save my money so i'll use my smartphone like that, again tysm!

[haumeaGeth]

Popping into this thread with an update!

After using my F1 Horizon Bluebird for eight months, I am unfortunately going to go back to a smartphone. I do absolutely adore this little flip phone -- it is such a delight to carry around, the buttons have a perfect tactile clickiness, the call quality is shockingly good, and the battery life is pretty impressive. However, it just doesn't provide the same accessibility that I need to function in my day to day life.

Being disabled, I need easy access to Uber more than anything, and sideloading isn't possible with this phone. My city has also blocked off all parking meter coin slots, forcing you to either pay with credit card -- which I don't have -- or via an app. I'm also looking to get a smartwatch to help me monitor my heart rate. As much as I hate giving more of my data to ~Big Tech~, it's either that or a cardiac alert dog, which just isn't feasible for me at this point in my life (not to mention that the dog would probably rip my arm off trying to get me to actually sit for a sec). There are also a number of apps that just made my quality of life a little better, namely the large text app, since most of my friends don't know Sign Language.

Besides that, the rest of my EDC is going to stay the same! I got a bunch of CDs from my husband for my birthday, I'm looking to get a discman so I can use said CDs on walks, and I just got a fresh notebook that's half the size of my previous, already-tiny notebook!

I would just say that, if you're disabled, I would closely monitor how you use your smartphone for a month or two before deciding to try out a dumbphone. I don't regret the experience at all, but it has been a tricky eight months.

[SugrPawz]

I am personally a full time user of mine. over 6 months in and I try my best to not bring a smart device to supplement when I go out.

Personally I am using a cheaper feature flip phone. TCL Flip 2. Its simple. Its something that knowledge of how it works benefits my job. And it was cheap so I got it for Christmas. I would love one of the Horizon F1 series but justifying the costs with the rise in price for EVERYTHING is... not really something I can do.

[Sabertooth Pigeon]

I use a smartphone but I do have an old phone lying around that I'm sometimes genuinely tempted to switch to... It's a Samsung J700 that used to belong to my late grandfather. It's not quite a fliphone, it has a sliding mechanism instead. I'm quite fond of it, though I'm kind of worried about its battery. It's an old phone and I'm not sure it would hold long. But I suppose I could always get a replacement battery for it or buy a different one entirely. The real concern is convenience and access to certain apps like the maps or the bank app. Perhaps swapping phones depending on the situation could be a good compromise?

[sphinx]

It's not a flip phone, but I've been using the LightPhone II. In about a week it will be about a year since I started using it.

I did hang onto my old smartphone but I keep it at home and use it only when I need to use a certain app. Usually for Facebook Marketplace since I try to buy things secondhand as much as possible. The LightPhone itself I bought secondhand on ebay and it was a little pricey but you can get a great deal if you bookmark the search and you have more patience than me. The great thing about technology trends is that early adopters get bored with it and resell on ebay or FB marketplace at a fraction of the cost, so if you wait for the trend to die down you can get some pretty neat tech for a good price. But I digress.

Daily use of this phone quickly felt very natural and comfortable. The phone is e-ink and so it's only in black & white, but uses very little battery. It does calls obviously, but also does texts with use of a digital qwerty keyboard that pops up when you flip it horizontal to start texting. In that way, it felt like texting with a mid-00's sidekick or LGenV3, which is what I used to have. Having a keyboard like that was a huge factor in my decision to get this phone. Look T9 texting is a cute novelty and slightly nostalgic, but for me it's best left in the past. Just because I lived through it doesn't mean I wanna go back.

If someone happens to text you an image or video, the text is sent to your email and you can check it later. I don't really mind this. The whole point of the phone is to not get sucked into it, so it serves its functions of relaying quick messages so you can be on your way without lingering too long. It's fine.

It also has toolbox options you can add - a simple calculator, a calendar, podcasts, and music. I like the podcasts feature. You can tell it which ones to give you from the dashboard on the LightPhone website and whenever new shows come out boom they're there on the phone waiting for you. The music feature is...barely functional. You're better off using a dedicated mp3 player like I do.

It also has a hotspot feature that's pretty powerful. For most of last year I didn't have home internet and just lived off the hotspot. (I use Visable for phone service which is a flat rate of $25/month with true unlimited data. Great deal.)

Okay so... companion tech. I use a mp3 player for music, a digital camera for pictures, and a Garmin GPS for road trips. I also carry a little notebook in lieu of a notes app, and either a book, a sketchbook, or a pack of playing cards should boredom arise. It rarely does though.

I will say since switching my anxiety seems to have gone down quite a bit. There's an adjustment period but it's amazing how quickly my mind became content with the silence and stopped craving that constant dopamine hit. I was a late adopter of the smartphone to begin with. I had my LG EnV3 until about 2016. The peer pressure to join the PokeGO craze was too much to ignore, lol.

Anyway, if you're considering dumbphones but need a qwerty keyboard and would still like some podcasts, I feel like the Light Phone II is a great compromise.

[hein]

I bought the banana phone Nokia 8110 4G in 2018, used it for a good while. Then my job required me to use a phone. So I used that with minimal apps. Then I went back to the 8110 but at that point, KaiOS was dead, WhatsApp was reaching EOL. I bought a Nokia 235, it was fine. But recently I went back to my iPhone again, just because of the fact that it doesn't get in the way. I like the hassle of asking for directions, don't get me wrong. It makes me feel alive. However, the world has sadly changed and me using a dumbphone just isolates myself. I don't use social media on it, never have. I've never even used Tiktok before (I'm just not the target audience). My iPhone now just helps me speed up simple things, as well as being useful for work, it's like an upgraded PDA for me. Saving things, notes etc. Wonderful.

[Horsey Chobunso]

Anyway, if you're considering dumbphones but need a qwerty keyboard and would still like some podcasts, I feel like the Light Phone II is a great compromise.

I'm very interested in the Light Phone 3 but its really expensive for me right now. I may be able to ford a used 2 if I can find one. I'd have to switch carriers too but that's not that big of a deal. I really love the idea of an e-ink minimal use phone, but with a bit more functionality than a full feature phone.

[sphinx]

I've heard the Light Phone 3 has some issues, but maybe they smoothed that out since then. My feeling is, if you want closer to a LP3, you're better off getting a Minimal Phone.

I was very much considering getting a used one once it hit the market because real tactile blackberry keys really appealed to me. But I ended up going with the LP2 because the Minimal Phone at launch reportedly had a lot of bugs. Again, I'm sure they've since fixed any issues. Hella expensive new, but I always buy secondhand. There's always plenty of people who quickly give up on their new toys.

[iSmile]

For a little longer than a month, I've been using a Sonim XP3:



For a very long time, I've had this strong desire to break out of the Google&Apple mobile phone "chokehold", and I saw only 3 ways out:

• By using a de-googled mobile OS, based on Android
• By using a Linux phone (I know, I know... I know that Android is technically Linux, but you already know what I mean by this)
• By reverting to a dumbphone

I was mainly thinking of the first 2 options, and the option 3 didn't really come through my mind much... Even though, throughout the last decade, I have had feelings and intrusive thoughts to just get a dumphone for once...

I ended up doing a lot of research, and firstly decided to get a Fairphone. I felt like I needed some Android applications, so I was thinking of initially using e/os for some time, until I'd get a second device (a tablet), and install e/os on it, and then I'd be installing Linux on my Fairphone, and carrying that around in my pocket.

That was the initial plan, however, I've had some financial issues, and had to postpone this. As time went by, I done more research and more thinking, and eventually decided that the best option of all was going the dumphone route.

I still stand by it being the best option, as it cured my smartphone addiction, which I didn't even put that much significance in, until it.

I am perfectly fine not having my brain needing constant stimulation, and I use my phone, pretty much exclusively for messages and calls, and I don't go to my phone phone when I'm bored.

This also led to a constant feeling that everybody around me is a zombie, but that's a different topic, I suppose...

The only reason I didn't want a "proper" dumbphone is because pretty much everyone I know uses WhatsApp as the primary means of communication. People in here rarely use SMS, as they actually have to pay for it. So, I'd argue that if I got a proper dumbphone, there would be almost no reason for me to have a phone in the first place, because 99% of people around me use WhatsApp for communication.

If I could find a proper dumbphone which only has WhatsApp somehow, that would've been perfect for me... I believe it used to be possible, back when KaiOS supported WhatsApp, but they stopped supporting it years ago...

Through my research I found a lot of phones which fit what I was looking for. Some required some additional work, while others were exactly what I wanted from the box... Some of them were de-googled, others had stock Android... some had some other OS's etc... (I recommend this website for anyone looking for a phone to buy: https://www.dumbphones.org/ - as there is a dumbphone finder near the bottom of the page and it is extremely useful!)

I live in this country in the Eastern Europe, in the middle of nowhere, and unfortunately, when trying to find an option of buying such a phone, I ran to so many roadblocks... To be fair, I'm totally ignorant on online buying and credit cards, since most of my life I've just been using cash for everything. I have a debit card, as it's unfortunately required to have a bank account in order to be employed, but I rarely use it. Mostly I just go to an ATM and withdraw my salary and use cash...

I tried buying a phone over Ebay, but it didn't accept my debit card, neither my mother's nor brother's... I tried PayPal, it didn't accept my card either... I was really close to giving up but then I managed to somehow miraculously find a Sonim XP3 on a local ads website of a neighbouring country (I luckily knew of the website and went there searching for phones, with little hope anyways)...

Even after that, I've had so many roadblocks and it took over a month to get my hands on this phone...

Now, I've done a more detailed review of the phone on this thread of the Onio's Forum, but I'll just give some very short summarised points in here (this post is already too long, and I apologise :nervous_smile: )

* Phone is beautiful
* Phone is very strong and waterproof
* Phone is de-googled (but based on Android 11)
* Phone cures smartphone addiction

Downsides:
* Phone has poor language support (nothing other than English, Spanish, Korean and Chinese)
* Phone doesn't support any appstore, all apps need to be sideloaded
* Case is very difficult to open (and requires a bunch of force) - I was constantly afraid of breaking it
* The "cover screen" often doesn't work - displaying static or nothing at all - very inconvenient cause often you don't know who's calling you, and opening the case immediately answers the call - also if you wanna just check the time quickly, it's quite inconvenient
* The keyboard is kinda "heavy" (if that's the right term) and not too enjoyable to press... Also sometimes it doesn't register a keypress, or registers it twice... quite unreliable
* Phone has no touchscreen - EVEN THOUGH APPS REQUIRE IT (even some system apps do)... This is a major flaw with this phone, and it's almost unusable without a Bluetooth mouse... I look like a moron when I pull the mouse out of my bag but yeah...
* When the phone overheats, it just shuts down. We've had quite a hot summer, so I've had this happen a bunch... And then, when it does this, you gotta remove the battery and then you can start the phone again... I'm not sure whether this is a flaw with my particular phone, or if it's the issue with this model in general.

There's a lot more to say, but you can read it on the other forum thread I linked.

The only reason I got this phone is because it was literally the only one I was able to acquire. I don't recommend this particular model for anyone considering buying this phone, and I instead recommend researching the website I linked and also watching video reviews of these phones. I was aware of a bunch of these problems with this phone, but I've had no idea of the severity of issues with it...

I'm still using it as my phone, and it's the only phone I carry around with me (even though I still keep my old Android at home, until I can get a tablet)... I struggle with the phone, but I feel like the struggle is worth it, as long as I'm not carrying Google in my pocket!