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I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

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Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#31

Post by sodapopcan »

bilekas wrote: post #24

> They are willing to accept all the conditions of your apps, including sending you personal data, registering an account, etc. I've had this exact problem this morning, I wanted to download the ASD-STE100 https://www.asd-ste100.org/STE_downloads.html#article02-2l and they use a request form to get the download. Unfortunately the last question: > Do you consent to us collecting your data? This form has the only purpo…

I'm currently looking for work and not even 2 hours ago I wanted to look up a company on Glassdoor for the first time in a while. I forgot they were aquired by Indeed. My Indeed login worked, but then I was demanded to give them my phone number to continue. Enough random business have my number so, whatever, but I could not move forward unless I consented to them sending me stuff. Yes, I could use a masked email, apply filters so I never see the junk, etc, but something about that really rubbed me the wrong way so I bailed.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#32

Post by cschep »

eddieroger wrote: post #9

I do have a smartphone, but I don't seem to feel the pain the author feels about being inundated by QR codes and apps. Maybe I have all the apps I need already? Maybe I just don't mind having an app on my phone because I know that I can set it to basically never bother me. Most of my apps have notifications silenced. My home screen is empty, save the handful of apps I do want. And for the little bit of effort I put f…

You're missing the point entirely. You're opting in and enjoying it, great! Do you really believe you chose to opt in? The author is saying that opting out is extremely painful and that THAT is wrong. We should all get to choose if we want to walk around with a smart phone or not. It's now basically required to invest in a privacy destroying device that makes huge corporations that much richer to function in society.

You don't understand why someone would complain about that?

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#34

Post by Cider9986 »

bilekas wrote: post #24

> They are willing to accept all the conditions of your apps, including sending you personal data, registering an account, etc. I've had this exact problem this morning, I wanted to download the ASD-STE100 https://www.asd-ste100.org/STE_downloads.html#article02-2l and they use a request form to get the download. Unfortunately the last question: > Do you consent to us collecting your data? This form has the only purpo…

Don't you obviously consent if you're filling in data to a google form? Unless the form answers go nowhere then it's being collected.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#35

Post by Cider9986 »

Gecko4072 wrote: post #23

From my experience modified iPhones make the perfect dumb phones that you will actually end up sticking with and it's free if you already have one. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45171200 I use this method ^ which lets you keep essential apps but otherwise have dumb phone (no browser, no App Store). Highly recommend. On the other hand, I have turned my laptop into a dumb computer using cold turkey blocker. I've…

> On the other hand, I have turned my laptop into a dumb computer using cold turkey blocker.

Very easily bypassed at least on MacOS unfortunately.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#36

Post by HelloUsername »

burningChrome wrote: post #18

I have a motorola smartphone. I don't have google play installed. I mainly use obtainium for app installation. Its a bare bones phone and it drives my business partner crazy. "Just log into our instagram account and. . .right, you don't have insta installed on your phone." "Can you log into our scheduling app and. . . right, you don't have that installed on your phone either." Some of the more painful things you have…

> Every time my son needs a few bucks in his account, my wife has to do it if we're out

So the burden is on her?

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#37

Post by tamimio »

> following assumptions

You actually forgot the most important one: your phone should be latest and approved by google or apple.

I have an old iphone that is mint clean and fairly excellent battery, a couple months ago I wanted to travel but didn’t want to take my main in case I lose it, turned out most the essential apps won’t install because your OS is outdated, from bank ones to uber, none! Same goes if you tried to install say a banking app on grapheneos.

Those assumptions were vivid during covid, I know personally some people who happened to be in some countries where the “pass” was only through an app on a smartphone, not even printed or screenshots were accepted, only the app to get your basic human needs.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#38

Post by sgt »

> 1. That person owns a smartphone (which is at least a couple hundred dollars).

I live in South Africa, and even the poor townships are full of smartphones these days. My gardener has a fairly recent Samsung. They literally borrow money to buy these things. So if they can afford it, so can you.

It's not that I don't get your point though - it could easily be seen as unnecessary spending when you have all kinds of expenses. But sooner or later, smartphones have become a necessity to get on with life.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#39

Post by charcircuit »

I wonder if the author has actually tried the QR code menus. It's actually incredibly convenient and some even let you pay right on the website so you ever are having to wait on some server to come by your table. You can get more information about the items on the menu than a physical menu and it is just more pleasant to read in general.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#40

Post by eddieroger »

cschep wrote: post #32
eddieroger wrote: post #9

I do have a smartphone, but I don't seem to feel the pain the author feels about being inundated by QR codes and apps. Maybe I have all the apps I need already? Maybe I just don't mind having an app on my phone because I know that I can set it to basically never bother me. Most of my apps have notifications silenced. My home screen is empty, save the handful of apps I do want. And for the little bit of effort I put f…

You're missing the point entirely. You're opting in and enjoying it, great! Do you really believe you chose to opt in? The author is saying that opting out is extremely painful and that THAT is wrong. We should all get to choose if we want to walk around with a smart phone or not. It's now basically required to invest in a privacy destroying device that makes huge corporations that much richer to function in society.…

> Do you really believe you chose to opt in?

Yes, in that I am of free enough will to choose not to use something or do my homework before making purchases. I'm also not saying that you shouldn't be able to walk around without a smartphone, but choices, like speech, aren't without consequence. If you want to pay for something at a location that only takes cash, but you won't carry cash because it's easily stolen or lost, that doesn't mean they have to accommodate you, it means you're not eating their food. Should they take card? Sure, and you should be able to walk around cashless, but the same choice you get to make, they do as well.

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