Surely you don't carry your phone everywhere?

[SEmyarse]

Every time there's a discussion about civil liberties, for instance at the moment with ID cards, people always say, why are you worried they can track you by your phone anyway. But that implies that people are always carrying their phones.

I have a phone, I have to for work, and it's very useful outside work as well. I sometimes use it for navigation, and on certain instances I might take it with me if there's a chance I'll need to liaise with someone while out. Super helpful technology.

But surely people aren't taking it to the shops, or on the school run, or out for a walk in the countryside?

I mostly do , but I would hate it to be almost compulsory to have to have one on me and to be locked out of anything without it.

Mind counts my steps so I tend to take it with me when I’m out and about.

So what happens if you try to pay in a shop or restaurant and their card machine is not working? I can go and draw cash with my bank card as DH did when it happened to us in London. You would be like the 3 people with no card only a phone who had eaten but then could not pay.

Also what if your phone network goes down?

People rely on phones far too much and it's a bit silly really

id go to the atm and get the money out too, which you can do with banking apps.

Um, I don’t think it’s weird. I’d venture to say most ppl will think it’s weird not to take a phone to these places. It’s fine that you do things differently, but you are doing it differently to most in the country. That doesn’t make most people weird!!

Always. My work phone normally stays in my laptop bag unless I am out of the office during work hours.
My private one is with me when I am out, the same with a set of keys. I buy troursers with pockets so I don't need a bag/coat in summer.

At home my phone is normally somewhere in the house, living room most likely, at work it lies on my desk.

I have my bank cards there, how can I pay otherwise?

True. Not weird, just a practise that suits them!

It doesn’t .

Have you really not noticed that everywhere you go now people have phones in their hands?

10 years ago I had physical store and bank cards, they are all on my phone now, along with train tickets and so on.

I do carry it everywhere. Pay wirh it. And it's my 'watch'.

Was that a mistake? Did you mean 94?

TLDR: You're the odd one out. But if it works for you. Then it's fine isn't it, just don't criticise others for doing what works for them. Phones are MOBILE for a reason. Oh & yes, it's only since the stroke I haven't been the emergency number for a couple of kids (their schools) so I wouldn't have gone anywhere without my phone prior to that. As another poster has said, she was able to call an ambulance for someone else. Maybe you're never anywhere that other people would be able to do that? Lots of reasons why other choose to have their phone & you don't.

My reasoning...

I am looking at buying an Apple Watch, mainly because (as per my user name) I had a stroke (well 2 together) at the beginning of the year & im a bit unsteady on my right foot. Feel shit from the medication (sick, dizzy, faint) & feel vulnerable (it's fucking awful, I'm 'only' 56 & they still don't know why I had it) and would feel 'safer' with a falls alarm (I like to walk on the common) & as I live alone, in the shower too, just in case so I'm not lying on the bathroom floor for weeks until someone bothers to look for me! Or I start to make enough of a smell that next door call the police! 🥺😅

anyway, I like the idea of a cellular one so I don't have to carry my phone (need to use a cross body bag now as my hands have been affected by the stroke too) & it's a pain & makes me feel more of a target to wrong uns.

however I'd have to move my phone to a more expensive plan (giff gaff don't support watches not many do) AND pay for a monthly watch plan too - so quite a bit more than I pay now, so I have been thinking about it quite a lot and I'm not sure I'd often choose to leave my phone at home from the camera aspect anyway. I rarely go anywhere in the car that I don't end up scrolling on my phone for a while (usually while waiting for an appointment or having a coffee).

What if your phone network goes down?

I didn't know you can use your banking app to get money out (not that I would want to as I have a bank card) and I would guess that the 3 people stressing about not being able to pay for their meals did not know that either.

you can still pay with Apple Pay with the network down.

What your phone network never goes down!!!! Unlikely

You're a bit of an outlier with that, OP. I also suspect you know that most people take their phones everywhere, not to be in 24/7 communication, but for paying for things, taking photos (me), id, etc.

If we're going for a walk or hike, then I'll take a backpack with water, a snack etc. so a phone isn't any additional hassle.

@SEmyarse i'm the same age as you and have probably taken my phone everywhere for at least 15 years minimum

Do you take your phone with you if you are meeting friends, they might be late or something? Do you go out a lot or very little?

I don't pay on my phone, I do have notes my shopping list on it. I just take it in case I need to call anyone or they need to call me. That's usually my elderly mother to be fair.

i've got one male friend who goes out running without his phone, but apart from that, I think pretty much everyone i know takes their phone everywhere. And it's not new.

where I live before, I might go across the street to the shop without it but probably not - because of my shopping list.

One of my neighbours recently had a weekend away and didn't even take a bank card with her. Everything was on her phone.

don't get me started on not locking your home door!

You can withdraw money with your phone at contactless ATMs. But if I’m away from home I take my cards too in case anything happens to my phone.

That's exactly why I have the Chromebook. Some things are easier on it with its bigger screen. I don't need it much though, and I haven't had a desktop computer for donkeys' years. Even when I was last working in an office we used laptops all the time.

Exactly.

Oh I have noticed all the saddos glued to their phones. Holding up the bus queue while they fumble for their phone and then it takes 3 or more goes for it to work. Walking along the street with their faces in their phone totally oblivious to the people walking towards them.

I have mine pretty much all the time. On the school run I leave it in the car but always have it handy. Carry my cards in there so I don't take a purse or anything else.

Yep. Use it for business and leisure so it goes everywhere.

Go for a countryside walk with my dogs every day and definitely take it. Signal is patchy but if I need to contact someone I’ve some chance with a phone and zero chance without it.

If I’m going to the countryside I need it in case I fall and break my leg and I need it at the shop to pay for things. The only time I don’t take it is I’m going for a local walk with a friend as we only need one between two of us. I left my phone on a bus recently and it made me realise how much I need it - I rely on Face ID for so many things and lots of online services use 2FA. I work in marketing and I know how heavily I am/could be tracked (not so much the physical side of things although you do get shown ads based on who you spend time with) and it’s not something I worry about heavily. IME everyone who worries about it talks about things that could or might happen, not things that actually are or will happen. And they also don’t really understand technology tbh 🤷‍♀️

Shops - I use my phone to pay and my loyalty card is on it as well. And it’s useful if someone in the house remembers something they forgot to add to the shopping list and can message me - or I can ring them in turn and ask them to check a cupboard or recipe.

Walk in the countryside - I like to take photos. On my phone. Unlike many MNers I don’t assume a catastrophe will befall me if I step out of my front door, though.