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 take it 90% of the time.

If I’m doing the school run, doing a quick walk or popping to the corner shop I wouldn’t take it.
But I would take it everywhere else.

I don’t have my phone on me at work. So Mon-fri 9-5 I don’t have it on me and so the evenings and weekends are the only times I get to check my emails, do my life admin, message friends and family etc and I do it all on my phone, so I will often take it with me and do these things when I have chance.

I go nowhere without my phone, surely out and about is exactly when you may need it. Stuck in traffic on the school run. Navigation on a walk, or looking for a nice pub for lunch or a pint.
My phone is my wallet, my shopping list, my loyalty card, my boarding card, my memory, my map, my camera, as well as a communication device, voice and message

Does it not strike you that you might find it kind of handy to have with you if you break down or are in an accident??

yes we all coped pre mobiles, but the world was a different place. More people would stop to see if you needed help but now unless you're obviously injured most people assume you'll have a phone to get suitable help.

So do I. And if I left my house unlocked, I'd be robbed and the insurance would not be amused.

I'm 57 and my phone absolutely goes everywhere with me. However, it is turned off at night and not with me in my bedroom, unless I know ahead of time that one of my adult DC is struggling and might need me.

All the time outside, bizarrely, rarely have it to hand at home …

I m with you OP, I certainly don't take my phone everywhere with me. As for paying for things I can use my fitbit.

Yes, it can go down. Of course it can. So can bank systems and card networks, but rarely both at the same time.

I always have my crossbody handbag with me which contains phone, wallet with bank cards and my house/car keys.

That's how I like to do things. If I have my bank/credit cards most handy then I pay with those. If it's my phone then I use that. So I always have a backup. I also sometimes use cash, which might sound alien to some people, and even to some businesses these days.

These days even if I go for a walk up the hill behind our house, I take my phone. I never used to, but I use it to count steps and now I'm getting on a bit, on the off-chance I had an accident and needed DH or a medic if I fell.

I don't use my phone to pay for things though. I really don;t like being dependent on one machine for everything. My last phone spectacularly crashed and died one day and I'd hate to have relied on it for payment, theatre tickets, travel etc. I try to keep paper back ups of important stuff if possible.

I'm same as you op, but I recognise that I am quite unusual and most people are glued to their phones all the time. Think basically some people don't have or use laptops so do everything on their phone. I will take mine with me if I am going out for the day or on a long car journey, for example, or meeting up with people where there might be delays but I really dislike the push (by supermarkets and banks) to get everyone carrying their phones everywhere - apps for reward points etc. I once stayed somewhere where you needed a phone to enter the property, wondered what would happen if you lost signal, or phone went out of charge.

Well that’s ok then. It’s well knows that burglars only use the front door.

You don’t need network coverage to withdraw money or pay with contactless.

If you are a weirdo OP , so am I! I wouldn’t think to take my phone to go for a walk- and I do this most days. I was meandering through fields this morning with nothing in my pockets. I also sometimes don’t bother taking my keys.
I mean, yeah, I could suddenly fall down/ have an accident (a tree branch falling on me?) but there are plenty of dog walkers etc around and someone would find me eventually.
We did used to leave the house without a phone, not THAT long ago so it’s not that risky surely!
I also often don’t have my phone in the same room as me in the house and people get annoyed when I don’t text back immediately. I keep telling them not to text- ring- but apparently even though everyone is clutching their mobile telephone actually using it to make a phone call is beyond the pale…
Im not that ancient and I’ve been using a mobile since 1997 it’s just that I’m not it’s slave.

Assuming this isnt a wind up, and even if it is,to the people saying they haven't anything worth stealing inc OP; burglars don't always walk into your house and decide you have nothing worth stealing and walk out again.

If high value / quick sale stuff isnt immediately obvious then they'll ransack the place, turn everything upside down, break things, kick cupboards in, relieve themselves on your floor (yes, really) and generally make you wish that capital punishment still existed, such is the feeling of violation. NB not literally on capital punishment.

So 'it wouldn't happen to me' is not the best approach. Get some contents insurance and lock your door fgs.
And, yes, everyone I know has their phone with them.

I don't go anywhere without my phone. I have a school aged child who is palliative and has needed blue lighting to hospital several times over the last twelve months, if school need to contact me I want to be reachable. If it's the weekend I always carry it along with their rescue meds and the DNaR.

Bus pass, Google pay, Apple music, fitness and just needing to be reachable.

My phone is a vital medical device, I have to carry it everywhere.

As far as apple pay etc, it doesn’t need network access to work, thats why it works on aeroplane mode.

It’s a bit silly that I want to be able to call 999 and that I have trauma due to being raped. Got it.

ETA I still take my purse. I have a crossbody bag. I take both.

Yes, I take it everywhere, why not, it isn’t that heavy or big? It was very handy when the car radiator leaked, also when out for a walk to receive a message someone else needed help. I wouldn’t want to be in a stuck lift without it neither. Those are just the emergencies, for pleasure photos of the moment before sunset, recordings, or finding a lovely restaurant etc.
Never thought I would find it so useful 10 years ago though.

Are you sure you’re only 49? Your words are the words of my 81 year old mother in law.

I'm in the minority it seems . I just had a hospital appointment i didn't take it . It was low on charge and I do have a.charger in my car but I decided to leave it at home instead. I often go out without it.
I can't use it at work anyway so I might leave it at home some days

I just put it on silent on walks if I want to be 'off leash' but then I still have it if I need to call for help,

I'm the opposite; I do carry it everywhere, but I don't always have it near me at home or in the office.

I hate the fact that because we do carry our phones most of the time we are all supposed to be instantly accessible all of the time. Everywhere you go now people are constantly on their phones.

You’re at it, you have to be.

All the discussions everywhere about phone addiction, problems with phones in school and you’re blinking your eyes and scratching your head asking if people really take them everywhere?

I hope none of your family ever need you in an emergency. And yes I know they wouldn’t have been able to get you all the time 50 years ago but the point is it is the expectation now.

How strange! You obviously don’t have children?! If you had you would keep your phoneso you could be contacted in case of emergencies. My son had dislocated his elbow and broken an arm this year at school. So things do happen. If I walked around the countryside not being contactable that would be a disaster!