I imagine a 3 minute delay on everything would work.
A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
101–110 of 350 posts
Re: A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
#102I've been enjoying a smart watch. I turned off notifications and it only wakes when I tap it.
Is it a cellular watch? Do you allow anything to punch through DND, like if someone calls multiple times in a row, or a Favorite contact messages you?
Re: A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
#103I'd love to quit my smartphone and have looked at options like Lite Phone to replace it. The only issue is my smartphone is now my GPS, my payment method, my home lighting controller, my car/house key, and my health tracker. Plus, was a convenient way to keep tabs on work messages. Half a decade ago I eliminated all my social media. Then about a year ago I started by removing work email and messaging from my phone.Th…
> maybe someday I can evolve to look at the smartphone as a utilitarian device without the addictive qualities.
Good luck.
You won't though, "because sekhurity" - the trend points at everything using your phone as a second factor, and not even via the authenticator app, but vendor-specific push notifications, on a remotely attested phone. Banks and media companies are pushing hard for it.
Re: A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The only issue is my smartphone is now my GPS, my payment method, my home lighting controller, my car/house key, and my health tracker. If you use GPS only for navigation in a car, get a Garmin or something similar. Payment: Is it that hard to use a CC like most people do...? I only recently used my phone for payments (lost card and was waiting for replacement), and did not find it any more convenient than using a…
How did people manage before smartphones? GPS: Garmin, or use a map. Payments: use a card, or cash. Car keys: use the keys that came with the car. House keys: Carry them with you, or get a keypad lock. Lights: use the switch on the wall Health tracker: notebook and pencil
Don't forget that technology has a ratchet effect. It's gonna get worse over time.
> Payments: use a card, or cash.
The card part ends up requiring phone confirmation as a second factor, often online, occasionally offline.
> Health tracker: notebook and pencil
Convenience matters - notebook and pencil method cuts down people benefiting from health tracking by a couple orders of magnitude.
Re: A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
#105I'd love to quit my smartphone and have looked at options like Lite Phone to replace it. The only issue is my smartphone is now my GPS, my payment method, my home lighting controller, my car/house key, and my health tracker. Plus, was a convenient way to keep tabs on work messages. Half a decade ago I eliminated all my social media. Then about a year ago I started by removing work email and messaging from my phone.Th…
> The only issue is my smartphone is now my GPS, my payment method, my home lighting controller, my car/house key, and my health tracker. If you use GPS only for navigation in a car, get a Garmin or something similar. Payment: Is it that hard to use a CC like most people do...? I only recently used my phone for payments (lost card and was waiting for replacement), and did not find it any more convenient than using a…
I understand your points.
My macro point was that the smartphone introduced several very sticky conveniences, so I kept my smartphone instead of adopting a light phone or similar device. Instead, I am working on treating it as an appliance or a utility device vs. a constant extension of my arm.
For example, my two vehicles can be accessed via a smartphone key/app or a card in my wallet. So my wallet is slimmer than before, but it has a credit card, vehicle access cards, insurance, license, etc. I now carry one credit card instead of multiple physical cards since my phone wallet has several to choose from for tap to pay.
I can unlock my home remotely or via a phone tap, watch tap, physical key, passcode, or remotely. Most phone lighting controls are convenient instead of getting up and going to the switch. But the phone allows for finer-grained control of light temperatures, brightness, electrical usage, etc.
If I was determined to rid my life of a smartphone, I could sell my vehicles, buy a non-smart lock for my home, and stop tracking my workouts and diet with the phone app.
At the moment, ditching my smartphone isn't an option. I'm taking steps to treat it like any other appliance or a utility vs. an entertainment or consumption platform, which is where I believe the addictiveness lies.
Re: A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The only issue is my smartphone is now my GPS, my payment method, my home lighting controller, my car/house key, and my health tracker. If you use GPS only for navigation in a car, get a Garmin or something similar. Payment: Is it that hard to use a CC like most people do...? I only recently used my phone for payments (lost card and was waiting for replacement), and did not find it any more convenient than using a…
How did people manage before smartphones? GPS: Garmin, or use a map. Payments: use a card, or cash. Car keys: use the keys that came with the car. House keys: Carry them with you, or get a keypad lock. Lights: use the switch on the wall Health tracker: notebook and pencil
What if your car key is a smartphone app or a card in your wallet? Those were the keys that came with my car.
Re: A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The only issue is my smartphone is now my GPS, my payment method, my home lighting controller, my car/house key, and my health tracker. If you use GPS only for navigation in a car, get a Garmin or something similar. Payment: Is it that hard to use a CC like most people do...? I only recently used my phone for payments (lost card and was waiting for replacement), and did not find it any more convenient than using a…
Not to suggest more gadgets are the answer, but my apple watch covers almost all of these now. GPS, check. Payment, check. Lighting, check. Car/house key, no. Health tracker, check.
My Apple Watch will unlock my home and car.
Re: A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
#108I am so glad to see this backlash. It's been a long time coming. We've tried smartphones out for the past... oh, decade and change. They've been around longer, but were niche enough that they didn't dominate society, and even around the start of the iPhone era, "Crackberry" and such were common enough terms (with "Put all your devices in the center, whoever picks theirs up first buys the next round" being a fun game…
> they ruin social interactions in public situations (think "talking to people in the grocery line"
I DONT WANT TO TALK to people in grocery line, especially when I don't have a phone. I perfectly ok to just stand quietly.
> they're utterly toxic for teenagers
sometimes, and still we have to be sure that its a phone and not society.
Re: A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
>I feel like i would like a phone…but the communication aspects can be problematic. That’s not a phone then. It’s a computer (?)
Exactly. Where can I get a device that I can use away from home, fits in my pocket, and does not receive calls/texts? I value the camera, the GPS, and occasionally the data (not OP).
The Librem 5 may be a good fit for you. It has switches on the side that physically cut off power to the modem or WiFi whenever you want.
Re: A practical guide to quitting your smartphone
#110I quit mine by making it a "landline" while I'm home. It's on the charger next to the bed unless I leave.
Having grown up in a different century, I'm even comfortable if the phone stays behind when I leave.