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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

#221

Post by GJim »

noman-land wrote: post #217
culebron21 wrote: post #162

Learn to say "no". It's freaking easy. I do have a smartphone, and every time someone asks me to install something on it, or ask for my phone number for "accumulating bonuses", I say simple and dry "no" looking into their eyes. When there's a queue behind me, they'll just show loading icon on their face a couple of seconds, and then proceed, because of pressure. Otherwise, when there are no more people, they feel lik…

You can just as easily say "no thanks" and smile instead of being a creep who stares at people silently. Some checkout worker is not your enemy.

Personally, I respond by winking and asking the cashier for their phone number.

This does rather quickly establish the fact that, no, neither of us are giving our personal details to people who don't need them..... and asking for them is creepy.

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

#222

Post by iggldiggl »

SoftTalker wrote: post #160
bufordsharkley wrote: post #56

I've still never had a smartphone (technically my flip phone, a Kyocera Dura, is an android device, but it can't install apps so I'll consider it suitably "dumb") Occasionally I need to tote along a tablet because several places (some MLB venues, for one thing) will either require a smartphone, or impose a severe surcharge for the convenience of not using it. Anyway, I really regret that we didn't impose dumbphone pr…

The problem is not smartphones per se. They are very handy. They eliminate the need to carry a thick wallet full of physical ID cards, credit cards, membership/discount cards, etc. They help you if you are lost (who even gets lost anymore, with navigation and maps in your pocket). They let you access information and entertainment wherever you are. The problem is the tracking and invasion of privacy, and that all trac…

> The problem is not smartphones per se. They are very handy. They eliminate the need to carry a thick wallet full of physical ID cards, credit cards, membership/discount cards, etc. They help you if you are lost (who even gets lost anymore, with navigation and maps in your pocket). They let you access information and entertainment wherever you are.

> The problem is the tracking and invasion of privacy, and that all traces back to ads.

The other problem is, what happens when your phone breaks? With more and more things slowly becoming app-only or mandating smartphone-based 2FA, we're slowly getting to a point where when your phone breaks, you're going to have major difficulties buying a new replacement phone in the first place.

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

#223

Post by iggldiggl »

yreg wrote: post #208
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…

It's pretty annoying when traveling to new countries, which I do often. Always figure out all the apps I need to use local transport, to park, to charge the car, etc. In plenty of regions you also need special (often confusing) wallet apps to be able to pay for stuff without local bank accounts. I would appreciate it if more of this ran on the web as well.

> Always figure out all the apps I need to use local transport, to park, to charge the car, etc. In plenty of regions you also need special (often confusing) wallet apps to be able to pay for stuff without local bank accounts.

And everybody's favourite, apps that have been region-locked to local-inhabitants-only, because foreign visitors don't exist, right?

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

#224

Post by gib444 »

tonymet wrote: post #12

We could all be a bit more humble about the onerous “tools” we’ve built . I have a lot of sympathy for the elderly, and the ridiculous rituals they go through just to book an appointment, fill a subscription, buy tickets to a concert, order groceries. The McDonalds app is 15+ screens to order a burger. Compare that to walking in a, “hi, how are you, I’d like a Big Mac meal with a Coke, here’s my money, thanks”. Let’s…

Agreed

Btw (not sure what you were suffo) but you can still order via a human at most if not all McDonald's in the UK. You just need to go up to the counter, smile and wait a few seconds for someone to come over, and pay cash. Pretty effortless

But I don't go in there for other reasons such as poor value, long wait times, wrong orders and fed up staff

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

#225

Post by theandrewbailey »

lanfeust6 wrote: post #122
Animats wrote: post #116

I have no business-based "apps". If it's not on F-Droid, I don't have it. Google Play Store is turned off. So far, the only thing I've found that absolutely requires a Google account is Waymo. This is probably a violation of common carrier rules, since Waymo is legally a common carrier. That forces Google's terms of service, including the binding arbitration and no class action terms, on Waymo riders.

That's how I roll, but I also have a couple of sandboxed apps like MS Auth that I sideloaded. I learned last year that, not shockingly, major sports venues now require showing digital tickets for entry, but thus far it's been possible to access them with a browser.

Earlier this year, I went to a concert that required the Ticketmaster app. I searched desperately for an option to print off a paper ticket, but didn't find one. I enabled the Google Play features in GrapheneOS to install it, and I hated the Ticketmaster app experience the entire time. (Concert was great though)

P.S. Stop sideloading apps. Don't use Big Tech vocabulary for something that we did before. You installed the app, regardless of how you did it.

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

#226

Post by theandrewbailey »

spankibalt wrote: post #52

Never had a personal smartphone, just work-issued ones that usually stay on-location after a shift. Yeah, it can drive people up the wall. I don't care lol.

Based. If an employer wants me to install something, I'll ask them for a phone to install it on.

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

#227

Post by account42 »

SoftTalker wrote: post #165
cfeduke wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The example could be hyperbole, but Home Depot and Lowes both offer a wide selection of "smart toilets" and if we think "oh this is just a weird niche thing that will never catch on" let's remember how difficult it is to not purchase a Smart TV when television shopping these days.

Most appliances have "smart" features now, it's getting hard to avoid. But I've never enabled them. My dishwasher and my clothes washer have both bluetooth and wifi features but I never set them up. I just use the controls on the device. I have no interest in getting information about my appliances when I am not physcially in front of them.

Yes, but the controls on the device cost the manufacturer a couple of cents that they will be happy to not pay as soon as they can get away with it. First it'll be (in some cases already is) the advanced or rarely used functionality. Eventually you'll be expected to connect the damned thing before it can be used at all.

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

#228

Post by account42 »

b112 wrote: post #68
cfeduke wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The example could be hyperbole, but Home Depot and Lowes both offer a wide selection of "smart toilets" and if we think "oh this is just a weird niche thing that will never catch on" let's remember how difficult it is to not purchase a Smart TV when television shopping these days.

I cannot envision what a traditional, but smart toilet may do. By traditional, not Japanese or anything of the sort. I'm sure it's also not taking medical samples. So what on earth could it do?! Report the flushes!?! Why? Are you going to magically decide not to crap as much? Just baffling.

I could see someone trying to sell a toilet that reduces the water amount depending on your business as an eco feature.

Or one that automatically ads cleaning products and notifies you on your phone when you need to refill them.

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

#229

Post by account42 »

SoftTalker wrote: post #160
bufordsharkley wrote: post #56

I've still never had a smartphone (technically my flip phone, a Kyocera Dura, is an android device, but it can't install apps so I'll consider it suitably "dumb") Occasionally I need to tote along a tablet because several places (some MLB venues, for one thing) will either require a smartphone, or impose a severe surcharge for the convenience of not using it. Anyway, I really regret that we didn't impose dumbphone pr…

The problem is not smartphones per se. They are very handy. They eliminate the need to carry a thick wallet full of physical ID cards, credit cards, membership/discount cards, etc. They help you if you are lost (who even gets lost anymore, with navigation and maps in your pocket). They let you access information and entertainment wherever you are. The problem is the tracking and invasion of privacy, and that all trac…

> membership/discount cards, etc.

Those are just the precursors to all the unwanted apps and shouldn't have existed either.

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

#230

Post by account42 »

iamnothere wrote: post #175
runjake wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotal, but I've encountered a number of places where it's more or less required. - Restaurants: Menu is QR only. In one case, ordering food was QR only. - Queueing up at my local Costco optical department requires scanning a QR code. - Various other check-ins for various other government agencies and businesses. - Urgent care check-in paperwork requiring QR code. No paper, and typing the loooong URL in manually i…

Have you tried saying “my phone is broken”? I doubt it’s as stringent as you think. I have never had an issue and I don’t carry a smartphone. Usually they just hand you a paper menu or a tablet depending on what you’re doing.

Often there technically are other options but this is still like saying you don't need to participate in society and can move to a cabin in the woods.
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