Has anyone gone back to a 'dumb' phone?

[PollyThePony]

I don't like the term dumb phone, but it seems to be what they are called! As in not a smart phone.

I'm going for a sort of halfway house, which has WhatsApp and Google maps, but not a lot else and is very slow moving apparently, so not as fun / addictive as a smartphone.

It shouldn't be a big deal! It isn't a big deal really, but just wondered how other people have found it.

Yes, I have to say that, obviously if I needed it for work, I wouldn't be able to go "dumb".

I will also hang on to my old smart phone for a little bit in case situations crop up where I truly need it. It's smashed anyway, so won't get much for recycling it. But I've honestly never had a place where there wasn't an alternative to using apps yet. I didn't have my phone with me to check into a coffee shop the other day and they just let me use their ipad for example. Also, I don't get out much tbh

@PollyThePony

Yes, I have to say that, obviously if I needed it for work, I wouldn't be able to go "dumb".

I will also hang on to my old smart phone for a little bit in case situations crop up where I truly need it. It's smashed anyway, so won't get much for recycling it. But I've honestly never had a place where there wasn't an alternative to using apps yet. I didn't have my phone with me to check into a coffee shop the other day and they just let me use their ipad for example. Also, I don't get out much tbh

Was this to drink a coffee outside? We're going later, hadn't occurred to me about that but we didn't go to pubs etc last summer so a bit lost.

Never had a smartphone. I'm using a tablet at home, addictive enough. Don't need internet access out of the house in my circumstances, and don't want a power hungry fragile brick to lug about when I can have a tiny talk and text job.

If I want to take photos, I carry a small camera.

Yes Carmel, it was to sit outside.

blurb, it really isn't necessary for my lifestyle either if I'm honest, as I'm wfh and don't really go anywhere much! Except maybe central london, but I can get around there quite easily as it's set up for navigating when you don't know the area.

If things change I might miss my smart phone, but if they don't change I might go full dumb phone next time, even without WhatsApp and maps.

Thanks OP

I don't know why they need it for outside.

Yes, I like the dumbphone. I don't like online maps for some reason, prefer paper.

The tables are pretty close together at this one tbf. I walked past it last week and it was actually quite squeezed in! So, maybe for the best. They had an ipad on hand for people who don't have phones, (or for people who don't have them with them, as in my case).

It's here!

Right, here I go...switching off smart phone and removing sim to swap it into the dumb(ish) phone. Wish me luck! Will log in later, on my laptop.

Well, that was short lived! I started it up and it wouldn't recognise my sim and was a bit faffy.

I have returned it.

I definitely still want a 'dumb phone', but that one wasn't the one!

Oh dear. Maybe it was too stupid to recognise SIM. You need one of medium intelligence

I know, a bit irksome, but at least I know!

I'm actually tempted to wait for my contract to run out in a few months entirely and then getting a properly dumb phone... I can't use my current sim in a really basic phone I think, as it is a 4g sim. Seems a bit bold, but maybe I could do it!

Was it locked to the wrong network?

Cheap robust Nokia's or Samsung's at around a tenner on eBay.

I honestly don't know what the issue was. It was very specific about needing a nano sim, which I had, but it just said no sim. I wasn't loving it even then tbh, so that was the deciding factor.

I'm leaning towards just getting a really basic Nokia and then just using internet at home. I rarely drive anywhere so don't really need google maps and I could probably do without WhatsApp while out and about. I'll give it some thought before contract runs out.

I have never had a smartphone. I have always had a £10 Nokia. I can send and receive basic texts and and make receive phone calls. No internet, camera, Whatsapp etc. I use a lap top for the internet. DH has been trying to persuade me to get a smartphone for years.

I may be missing out on a lot of things, but since I have never had them, on my phone I don't miss them.

I did for a while and loved it. If there was a phone that just had email (for work) i would be super happy. I left Whatsapp anyway and use Signal now which has a laptop app. I am also going to buy a decent MP3 player. Smart phones are the next public health crisis and we need to address it but in the attention economy tech companies have no incentive to manufacture simple, user-focussed devices. It is all about our behavioural data unfortunately

I have a smartphone for photos and WhatsApp but it doesn’t have a sim so is reliant on WiFi to work. It generally lives at home unless I think I’ll want to take photos. Then I use a brick for every day / emergencies .

Advantages of my system:
I can leave the smartphone behind and live my life
Can’t get sucked into internet when out and about
I still read actual books. Lots of them
Battery lasts a week
Doesn’t matter if I drop it or scratch it
Brick has a loop to attach lanyard which has enabled me to keep the same phone for a decade

Disadvantages:
Navigating in unfamiliar cities (which I rarely do) is a nightmare
No record of text conversations because memory is so small
Some services are out of bounds eg Uber

I live in the country, rarely go to the city, and when I do I’m with people who have smartphones so have always found ways to manage. I used to use a smartphone as my only phone and became instantly addicted, stopped reading books, and got neck pain from hunching

Another advantage of my system: I have a good mental map of the world in which I live because I have to remember routes and connections. I worry that having sat nav will make me stupid

It’s crazy how addictive they are.

I actually didn't realise you could keep your WhatsApp on your phone without a sim! That's cool. I am considering getting an everyday nokia basic phone and hanging on to my smart phone like @eeek88. The eeek system, if you will

I have ordered another Nokia, but a more simple one this time and also a new sim card which I can use with it. Going to try using both until my contract runs out and then switching to just the dumb phone with smart phone at home to use a bit like a tablet. I might get rid of WhatsApp anyway, as it can be quite intrusive. I prefer talking on the phone to my loved ones anyway.

Wish me luck...again!

Good luck!

@CarmelBeach please could you share the way to Desmart? I've been trying for years (obv not hard enough!) to either desmart this phone or find a dumb phone with WhatsApp. V excited that you people may have solved my problem!

I've never had a smartphone as I've never wanted/needed one. Ds has one, and dh had one when he was working, but he gave it back as soon as he could when he retired.

I have an ancient Nokia that does calls and texts, and dh has a Caterpillar tough phone that will survive the apocalypse from the look of it. He uses Giff Gaff for his sim card, as he doesn't use any data.

We have laptops, a desk top, tablets etc at home, so are not entirely Luddite, but don't find smart phones necessary for our existence.

My friend is 27 and has had a Nokia since I've known her aged 18. If has become a running joke. She seems quite happy.

I’m still running around with a £10 Nokia just for personal safety when out and about.
Very happy to have a quiet uninterrupted time when I am out of the house - then keep the pleasurable ipad browsing for when I’m at home.

What I am missing is an option to take photos - which upload directly to the ipad when I get home....trying to find a solution for this...

I still use my old pre-smartphone Samsung.