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iPhone dumbphone

stopa.io

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Re: iPhone dumbphone

#121

Post by giancarlostoro »

gruez wrote: post #105

>"Dumbphone" >installs e-reader apps, password apps, ridehailing/rental apps, music apps, gym apps, dev apps, home apps, "Your Internet Provider" apps (?) ??? I get that some of these are essential, but including home automation and gym apps is really pushing the definition of a "dumb phone". It just sounds like the author wants to avoid installing tiktok and games when he's talking about a "dumb phone".

A dumb phone should really be like... 3 retro style games, calculator, sms and calling.

I'd argue you can just stick to default iPhone apps and be fine.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#122

Post by stopachka »

tolerance wrote: post #73
stopachka wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair point! I guess I count that as a "positive" distraction. It isn't every day that the active number there is so 'active'. As you read the post it should disappear with the scroll.

My charitable suspicion is that this blog post is all some sort of esoteric way for you to show off your nifty technology. If it wasn’t for your robust catalog of previous writing I’d be more confident in this. But whatever the case is, you hit on something right here!

Thank you for the kind words about the nifty technology and the essay : )

You know you touch on something interesting. I feel like the best 'marketing' or 'networking' happens over decades. Of course this implies that best 'marketing' and 'networking' are often done for a different goal entirely.

I noticed this in my career. I've always been interested in programming and writing, and it would bring me to ask people random questions over email. I'd find myself connecting with the same person 10 years later, and we'd help each other out in some way.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#123

Post by erikig »

glial wrote: post #80

My wife and I put parental controls on each others' phones. I turn them off for travel (in case I need something unexpected) and then back on when I get home. It sounds crazy but it works great.

Having an accountabilibuddy definitely helps establish and maintain compliance.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#124

Post by gruez »

stopachka wrote: post #115
gruez wrote: post #105

>"Dumbphone" >installs e-reader apps, password apps, ridehailing/rental apps, music apps, gym apps, dev apps, home apps, "Your Internet Provider" apps (?) ??? I get that some of these are essential, but including home automation and gym apps is really pushing the definition of a "dumb phone". It just sounds like the author wants to avoid installing tiktok and games when he's talking about a "dumb phone".

Author here: Ultimately all of these apps were essential for me. "Your Internet Provider" is a funny one -- for some reason XFinity kept failing to charge my credit card. I would come home to find an angry girlfriend without WiFI. I had to install the app to keep some tabs on it, until their autopayment bug was fixed. One thing I like about this setup is that you can decide which apps are 'essential' for you.

>I had to install the app to keep some tabs on it, until their autopayment bug was fixed.

There's no web portal? If so, having the app might make the experience more pleasant, but it's hardly "essential".

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#125

Post by ismokedoinks »

willio58 wrote: post #29

Interesting! I wish Apple would expand on "Assistive Access" mode. - https://support.apple.com/guide/assistive-access-iphone/set-... They made this for people with cognitive disabilities, but it also works great for older people. It just wouldn't work for me. I need Jira, Slack, and GitHub during work hours for example. But I don't want them during non-work hours. I realize I'm describing something actually doable in…

I like Assistive Access, but my biggest issue is that you have to click like 100 times to read any notification. No option to just be able to read a text from the home screen. I found it was even more friction (for my use) to unlock my phone constantly than the regular format.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#126

Post by xattt »

willio58 wrote: post #29

Interesting! I wish Apple would expand on "Assistive Access" mode. - https://support.apple.com/guide/assistive-access-iphone/set-... They made this for people with cognitive disabilities, but it also works great for older people. It just wouldn't work for me. I need Jira, Slack, and GitHub during work hours for example. But I don't want them during non-work hours. I realize I'm describing something actually doable in…

> people with cognitive disabilities

Does… does my phone addiction and inability for self-control qualify as this?

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#127

Post by GuinansEyebrows »

modeless wrote: post #36

I don't understand why people leave email notifications enabled. There is almost no email I get that needs instant action. The one exception is delivery notifications, so I can retrieve the package immediately, and I used a filter to get notifications just for those.

"Dear Sir stroke Madam, I am writing to inform you of a fire which has broken out at the premises of..." no, that's too formal

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#129

Post by darrmit »

I've tried so many things like this over the years and considered Configurator, but my only Apple computer at this point is a corporate Mac that blocks USB access to my phone. It's a great idea, and I'm glad to see it documented.

That said, the biggest shift I encountered in my own phone usage was when I got an Aro box [1]. It's expensive (I got one refurbished), but pretty, and functional, and it has made a HUGE difference in my phone habits. I no longer keep my phone in my bedroom and when I catch myself ignoring those around me in favor of my phone, I can hard cut that off by putting it in the box.

I like the idea of simplifying your phone with software tweaks like this, but I have found the physical separation to be the most freeing, and encourage that if you're interested in freeing yourself from the screen.

[1] https://www.goaro.com/for-families

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#130

Post by jaysonelliot »

Before installing all those apps the author listed, I'd recommend this exercise:

Let the battery die on your phone, and live one week without it. Cold turkey. Tell people in advance if you need to, give them an alternate way to reach you. Replace your phone for that week with a small notebook that fits in your pocket.

During that week, every time you want to do something that requires a smartphone, jot it down in your notebook. Then, fifteen minutes later or so, write down what you did instead.

After a week, you're ready to start using your smartphone again and turn it into a so-called "dumb phone." Read your notebook and think honestly about which things you really needed to do, and which ones weren't such a big deal after all.

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