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iPhone dumbphone

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Re: iPhone dumbphone

#281

Post by esperent »

vmurthy wrote: post #218
jaysonelliot wrote: post #130

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 you…

One aspect of no phone is how to deal with payments. Specifically UPI payments in India. These are QR code based payments and it is getting more difficult to pay by cash at many locations. Right next to that is OTPs from financial institutions.

On the way towards the same issue in Vietnam. You can still pay with cash everywhere but it's becoming more and more normal to use QR codes. I guess in the next year or two I'll start to see places that only take QR. It's very convenient... unless you don't have a local bank account, or your phone runs out of battery, or, as happened to me 30 minutes ago, your bank's system goes down.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#282

Post by klabetron »

I’m in denial about needing to curb some pretty bad habits so won’t comment on that.

But! I have a fairly “smart” home for controlling my lights, etc. I control it with Siri and the Home app. When friends/family with iPhones stay with me, I just add them as a guest.

Just left town for a few weeks leaving my home & dog to a sitter… with an android. I’ve got an old iPhone that I ended up doing all of the Screen Time/Parental Controls hacks to lock down to must a smart remote. I didn’t love the result. I’m looking forward to using the OP’s post to guide me in making a better dumbphone/smart remote. Thanks!

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#283

Post by sneak »

devonsolomon wrote: post #96

Thanks! Great idea to use configurator. Turning my iPhone into a dumb phone has been one of the best things I ever did. My relationship with my phone was weird (using it for distraction from anxiety, zoning out on it etc) and all this has gotten way better, I’m finding I can focus again. (I’ve set something similar up using an ad blocker app, but it was a bit of a hack.) I’d highly suggest installing Dumb Phone (dp)…

It silently surveils you and uploads your usage data to the developer (and Google).

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#284

Post by jajko »

pj_mukh wrote: post #271
miika wrote: post #264

This is how I cured my social media addiction. I turned my iPhone into pure utility device by uninstalling all the entertainment apps. I only allow music and podcasts as those don’t require my active attention. Then I have an iPad mini at home which has all the entertainment and social media stuff installed. However I don’t have many opportunities to use that device during the day.. After maybe a week of having this…

Sorry basic question. You can still access all the social media from the browser eh?

Stay logged off in the browser, don't carry (unique, complex) password around if you have to.

But this is desperate level of proper addiction, when serious hard look at one's life is by far the best course of action. Professional help is not a bad idea neither. Life can be pretty amazing, but screens won't get you there, in contrary its cheap basic addictive 'fun' for poor.

Many years ago I removed all FB apps and messenger from my phone (due to their crappy engineering their constant snooping of user's activity was, draining batteries fast even when not using them). Have them on desktop only. Pretty amazing move, can't recommend enough.

There is something magical in 2025 to practically disconnect from all the social noise. But one can't be total piece of s*it who can't stand themselves of course.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#285

Post by jajko »

macNchz wrote: post #175
jaysonelliot wrote: post #130

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 you…

I find that regular wilderness backpacking trips in places without cell service accomplish this kind of reset in a fun, social (bring friends!) way that provides plenty of exercise and fresh air, with the added bonus of being a reasonably "normal" explanation/antidote to the social pressure of those "you're doing what??? I need to be able to reach you!"-type conversations. There's the added bonus that being fully out…

This is the way. I've spend few weeks back a wonderful time on remote islands in heart of Sulawesi, Indonesia. I even bought sim card for the operator that was supposed to have some coverage there (to stay connected a bit with kids back home). Suffice to say no phone signal for week and a half, I don't mean internet, not even sms.

Pretty amazing, one focuses on actual adventures, people, food, culture, coral marine life, diving and so on. It felt like spending 2 months there.

Then coming back to all this cheap pathetic crap was a proper 'bleh'.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#286

Post by adamors »

CalRobert wrote: post #273
pj_mukh wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry basic question. You can still access all the social media from the browser eh?

This is my weakness. I really miss leechblock since changing to iPhone

I use Burnout Buddy, it can block both apps and websites, you can set up custom rules, time based, usage based or triggered by Shortcuts (for instance I have one set up to block Reddit when I enter the gym).

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#287

Post by pavlov »

pj_mukh wrote: post #271
miika wrote: post #264

This is how I cured my social media addiction. I turned my iPhone into pure utility device by uninstalling all the entertainment apps. I only allow music and podcasts as those don’t require my active attention. Then I have an iPad mini at home which has all the entertainment and social media stuff installed. However I don’t have many opportunities to use that device during the day.. After maybe a week of having this…

Sorry basic question. You can still access all the social media from the browser eh?

On the iPhone you can use Screen Time to block social media apps, and it will also block their websites.

However since you're the account owner (rather than a child), you can always just bypass the Screen Time block... But at least it adds a barrier.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#288

Post by mcny »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #113
em500 wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I need Jira, Slack, and GitHub during work hours for example. So do I, but I certainly don't need them on my phone. For the longest time the only work app I had on my phone was some 2FA thing. Then asked them to either buy me a phone or a yubikey. I got a yubikey (and my phone complete free from anything work related).

I tried this for a bunch of work apps that require 2FA. They pushed back hard enough where I was threatened with getting written up. I relented and installed MS Authenticator on my personal phone. I'm still bitter about the intrusion of work stuff on my personal phone.

I absolutely hate Microsoft authenticator. Why does it need its own app? Google Authenticator, Auth Apple Passwords, freaking Aegis, everything works with TOTP and piece of shit Microsoft has to go off and do its own thing like that nonsense Duo.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#289

Post by akuji1993 »

nmlt wrote: post #280
octatrack wrote: post #268

I often leave the house without my iPhone. Here is my full stack: - Ask wife to set up screen time passcode and not tell me - Block social media and other distracting websites in Screen Time - Set a 1 minute time limit on distracting apps - Keep the phone in the garage as much as possible - Get an Apple Watch cellular so that I can still communicate with people, make payments, get directions etc when I am out and abo…

Apple actually finally managed to allow 0 minutes as a time limit. Screen Time really needs to be finished by Apple, with a few more features, like more allowing certain apps at certain times (not just disallowing one set of apps at a certain time).

Thing is, Apple's not really interested in you using your phone LESS, so they don't really have an incentive to make it easier for you.

Re: iPhone dumbphone

#290

Post by mixermachine »

miika wrote: post #264

This is how I cured my social media addiction. I turned my iPhone into pure utility device by uninstalling all the entertainment apps. I only allow music and podcasts as those don’t require my active attention. Then I have an iPad mini at home which has all the entertainment and social media stuff installed. However I don’t have many opportunities to use that device during the day.. After maybe a week of having this…

Also great video regarding this topic: "You Need to Be Bored. Here's Why." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orQKfIXMiA8

I now regularly force myself to "actively" do nothing for 15 minutes and just think.

All the things I put into my brain as "todo, please remember" at some point in time are coming back during these 15 minutes.

I get quite a lot of clarity with this exercise. As soon I pick up my phone afterwards and start browsing the clarity evaporates which feels bad. So wasting time on my phone becomes less and less appealing to me.

Lets see where this leads me. I so far wasted quite a bit of time with my phone.

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