Dumb phones

Thought I’d make a thread for dumb phones.
@CYOA has shown some interest. I’ve just picked up a Nokia 800 tough to try and break my smartphone addiction.

Any others out there?

The light phone 3 looks quite good too!

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Interesting.
I tried a year or two ago with a Nokia, only managed a few weeks before going back to smart phone.

Good luck!

I found the bargaining I was doing with myself interesting. I wanted a smart phone that was dumber than an iPhone. “I need a dumb phone that can do banking, calendar, WhatsApp across two phones, maps, basic web, etc etc.”
When really the answer is that I managed before I had all those things, so I can manage without them now. My brain has become used to having all that information instantaneously, and I think that’s the problem more than anything else. Because in reality, most stuff can be done later, when at a computer. Already not having my garmin watch buzzing with notifications is nice.
And my brain isn’t in the constant loop of trying to do or just look at stuff.

But the question is how long will I last?

Does the Nokia 800 have any internet access? I tried to downgrade from smart to dumb, but could still access the internet so just spent ages browsing sites on a tiny shitty screen. Like a fucking alcoholic drinking hand gel just to keep the DTs at bay. Depressing.

I think I'll go for a feature phone as my main whip after I leave my current job (which requires me to use some smartphone apps)
That Nokia looks alright, I definitely need something robust.

Even texting is a headache. Which I’m discovering is a bonus. It’s annoying to interact with the phone. I’d really need to be wilfully desperate to try and browse with it.
I think if I just had a cheap android, I’d find something to waste my time with online.

I am interested in the light phone 3.
I wonder if it will ever support WhatsApp.
https://www.thelightphone.com/shop/products/light-phone-iii

That's an expensive dumb phone!

Nokia 6300 4G seems popular and this review makes a great point, that it's a great hotspot..

https://www.reddit.com/r/dumbphones/s/9WPY6GcYGa

Already not having my garmin watch buzzing with notifications is nice.

If the dumb phone is working for you then that's great but as an alternative, my phone has been on 'Do Not Disturb' for the last fortnight and it's great.

I have exceptions set up so that family can reach me but that's it, no mates, no apps.

I already had notifications off for a lot of stuff as I can't deal with the constant pinging and buzzing that some people seem to not mind but going full DND is great. Things are there if/when I want but aren't getting in the way when I don't.

Been thinking about this for a longtime and have bought dumb phones. But not used them.
Am constantly trying to sell things I have accumulated so use what'sapp a lot a and signal to chat to a few friends.

Tho few people ring any more.

My work phone. No emails to check at home, battery lasts a week, dropped it a lot no dramas

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No one looking at the Zanco T1?

https://amzn.eu/d/4YzyYC3

Only if they’re looking at a 5-stretch at ‘scrubs…

I started my teens on dumb phones (Nokia 105, 106). Only when Google Classroom/Teams etc. became too much of a dependency did I let them move to smartphones, with some form of MDM/parent software to curb addictions and bloody SM.

I'm now thinking I should get a dumb phone myself. Like many of you though, there are just too many things I now use a smartphone for. Maybe better management, use of downtime-like-features and some bloody discipline is better.

I think it depends on your requirements, right?

I've been using mine too much and getting distracted recently. But even if I cut back to an ideal I'd still want signal, whatsapp, a good camera , listen to music and navigate/commute. I also need the authentication for work.

There is also a risk Imo of falling into the buyer trap of buying another thing, when you may be able to adapt your current device.

Authentication is a good point actually; text isn't the most secure method and I'd need to access the TOTPs (could do with an offline smartphone). Only the uber-geeky stuff seems to support external devices like e.g. a Yubikey.

Similar story for me with navigation and more. Yes, there are devices out there (at a cost), but I don't have in-car sat-nav installed.

Smartphones are just too convenient and too distracting.

Don't you have to install all the distracting apps and log into your account and then leave notifications on? My iPhone doesn't even have a notification LED so if I am not right next
to it and it's in my field of view I don't know if there is anything new.
Can you still do video calls over the internet on a dumb phone or do you have to start paying
for phone calls again?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xouEd5cVE8

Derek Zoolander wants his phone back.

They've e said they're looking at a way of incorporating it into the second gen so I'd have strongish hopes of it. My gripe with the 3 is actually adding a camera to it.

So far so good.
Texting is annoying. So I do it less.
There is nothing to do on it when I pick it up, so I pick it up less.
I’ve been taking my iPhone with me, but because the process of tethering it is a bit annoying, it only gets used for unavoidable stuff like satnav.

The main thing I’ve noticed is that my brain engages before interacting with stuff, and overwhelmingly the result is: “I don’t care about that enough to look at it”, where I previously would have happily doom scrolled through countless random articles, forum posts, YouTube shorts etc.

Time will tell.

Update? How’s it going

The phone is a proper piece of shit. WhatsApp support is ending jan 2025 lol.

I don’t know if the phone is the answer. But I’ve become more engaged with the over use of my phone in general. Progress I guess!

Ha! Progress is progress.

I think I’d like somehow a dumb phone and a smart phone on the same number, and to have smart phone free days / weekends / evenings. Checking out entirely isn’t realistic for me.

i have used a dumb phone for a year. a very cheap one called Sol.

people literally stop talking to you as much. people can also be weird about me not using a smartphone, it seems alien to a lot of people.

Not being to use apps has been annoying sometimes. Im still a big user of a desktop computer but so many things require me to scan a code, social media doesn't have the same features as on the phone app versions. i feel as if i will use a smartphone again.