To think we will have to leave our phones at home

Ah I’m wivvya!!

2 factor authentication!!

I have so many apps that have this that I’ve got to take 2 phones out and about with me - my current one and my archaic one !!

Just don't wave it around in your hand and keep it in a bag or secure pocket unless you're using it and don't be a phone zombie. I'm amazed at the number of people who carry phones in their hand

You can tell a mile off from behind when someone’s walking along staring at their phone. Their head is bent slightly & they’re walking slowly. They’re definitely not paying any attention to possible thieves.

It’s most annoying when they’re doing it on steps & blocking everyone else’s way.

Sorry, my fault. When I try to log in to some stuff on my work laptop, it sends a code to my phone & I have to enter it to prove it’s (probably) me.

Don't be absurd. Millions of Londoners are walking around with smartphones every day. You can't get into any apps on my phone without my fingerprint.

It's not realistic for most of us.

My train tickets are on my phone. My bank cards are on my phone. What am I supposed to do?

If you NEED to use your phone when walking down the street, face inwards towards a wall etc?

otherwise just keep it in your pocket till you get where you're going?
Also get a lanyard case

I am not addicted 🙄 However I work in London, I have a mobile phone provided by my employer which I need for work, and even if I didn’t, these days we want to be able to make calls, use maps and ticket apps etc.
If you were driving in London and your car broke down, how would you phone your rescue service? Phone boxes are not a thing anymore. Or do you think driving in London is Really Dangerous too?

Sorry I’m being a bit naive here what’s 2FA?

Most of the important information on my phone is backed up to the cloud ie contacts, photos etc and are synchronised to my iPad which rarely leaves my house. I deliberately don’t have my bank app on my phone, it’s on my iPad so I do all my banking transactions when at home. I’ve not yet has a situation when I need to contact my bank from my phone but if my card is stolen while out shopping, the number to phone is in my contact list. I hope that makes me safe enough but I could be wrong!

With 2FA, I couldn’t access half the stuff I need to at work if I didn’t have my phone!

Disingenuous, especially for those of us who live & work in London. Phones are wallets, train / tube tickets etc. I never access bank apps in public though, just in case.

Although when someone’s playing their phone at full volume on public transport, & has refused to turn it down, I’d applaud anyone nicked it.

I never used to take my Smart phone to work .. when I said to my line manager “I don’t bring my phone to work” - she looked at me and said

“WHY???” 🤣 as if I’d just said the most preposterous thing ever !

No, I don’t think Londoners or anyone else will leave phones at home. That’s OTT and defeats the purpose of them. Many people use phones for directions, checking public transport timetables and ordering Ubers etc.

That said, although I have passcode/Face ID on my phone, my Monzo app is not password protected which is something to think about. I do walk with my phone out sometimes, the reason being I have poor direction skills and often use google maps to get around!

I’m going to find out if I can get some kind of passcode put on the monzo app, but it’s not my main account where my salary gets paid so I’m not too worried. I have nationwide for that which does have a passcode on the app.

When I’m not using my phone though it’s always in a zipped bag or pocket and I’ve never once lost it or had it stolen in my life and I’ve spent most of my adult life in London although I don’t live there now. Nowadays I actually work from home and don’t go far in my quiet town most days, so it’s even more unlikely I’d get it stolen on an ordinary day although I do go into my nearest big city a couple of times a month.

People need to be more aware of their surroundings and not walk around staring at their phones, oblivious to who is around them. When you look at the videos of phone thefts in the city, that is generally what is going on. You wouldn’t just stand on a high street with £350 cash in your hand blithely not paying attention, so don’t do it with an expensive phone.

It can be a pain a checkout when it can’t scan your face properly and wants your passcode.

This equally applies to expensive watches and other jewellery.
We should just be in sackcloth and bean necklaces. That'll teach them

This

I am just back from a break to London and was mindful of this but mine is on a strap I wear like a bag and kept it under my coat

No, that's daft.
Store it in an inside pocket out of sight. Don't keep it in a rear pocket in jeans or half hanging out of a front pocket.
And don't wander down the street with it in your hand where people riding past on bikes or walking past can grab it easily and make off with it.

Or people are taking a sensible approach to risk rather than making their lives harder?
Not everyone is such a wuss.

Suggesting it's NECESSARY to leave phones at home to protect ourselves causes increduality and, in my case, laughter. It's such a ridiculous over the top response.

It's the kind of thing my (completely paranoid) PIL would say.

Because that’s the whole point of a mobile phone. People just need to secure them correctly and buy phones with proper security features.

We don't need to leave them at home, but I never walk around a city with a phone in my hand, and it baffles me that so many people do. I never take my phone out on the Tube - I don't need it. Phone stays safely in bag, which I hold onto carefully. People just need to use a bit of common sense.