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?

Wow. Just read the whole thread. People get angry about this! Why?
Op has been accused of being a wind up merchant, a ridiculous old person ( tedious MN ageism) and faux naive.
I have teens, I know they are attached to their phones, but actually I am a bit surprised grown adults literally never leave the house without a phone. In case someone is rushed to hospital in the hour they are having a walk? That might be the unfortunate reality for some people, but not most.I don’t think I could live with that level of hyper vigilance.

I take my
phone out more than my purse. Kind of terrifyied to be without ir!

Id rather lose my keys and purse than mt phone as my phone is everything. It’s in my pocket 24/7.

Are you one of those ridiculous people who only turns their phone on if they're expecting a call?

I often go out to walk dog without my phone xx

Absolutely always!

the phone counts my steps, provides a means to pay for anything, enables me to let someone know if my plans change , enabled me to be in contact with whoever , let’s me write notes if I remember something as I am walking which happens a lot

it acts as a diabetic sensor for many people

I take it everywhere. Even in the garden, ever since I slipped and fell, winding myself badly. DH was working away and ds was at college. Thought for a good few minutes that I was dying and the crows would eat my eyes. 👀 🐦‍⬛.

I’m not 100% sure where my purse is. I’ve had a card replaced, as the old one had expired, this month. The old one had never left the house yet it is my main payment card

I must confess, I’m now mildly irritated.

If you posted on AIBU, they would lose their minds. The collective outrage would power a mid-sized county.

Mine is always on silent but it’s usually on me to record my steps.

Mobile phones, in my opinion, are one of the worst inventions ever. I do not want to be available 24/7, I don't want to be tracked, I want peace and quiet and not contactable. I only use mine for emergencies - my DH is surgically attached to his. We go out for a drink and he is looking at the bloody screen all the time. I really hate them.

I'm wondering whether it's because I HAVE to have it with me at work, that I'm a bit resistant to using it at other times.

Yes, of course, as someone pointed out, I see people using phones all the time in the street. But of course I have no idea what proportion of time they're using them.

And someone else asked about kids - I have 3 but all grown up, youngest 19. It was only the middle that was a colossal pain in the ass for phone addiction as a teenager. Someone said that continuous phone carrying was normal 15 years ago, that doesn't seem right at all. It would have been about 14 years ago that I got my son his first phone, and he was far from the last. They've all left school in the last decade, and there was never any school apps, I just phoned if someone was ill in the morning. They could easily get hold of me in the day, but I could be anywhere, so no guarantee I could get there early anyway.

If I text the kids now, they invariably take a while to respond, sometimes apologising for not having their phone on them.

I take mine everywhere in case a) I break down in my car b) in case I fall over on a country walk and c) in case of any other emergency, including helping someone else.

I have a couple of weirdo neigbours who don't lock their doors. Does my head in as it increases the risk of crime and my house insurance going up.

I have a really old one for emergencies, but it has no internet connection (unless I'm on someone's wifi), and it's usually out of battery or left at home. I use a computer most the day for work, so I prefer to be free from another distraction and screen once I'm away from the monitor. They're not really phones either; they're computers and as useful as they are, they're also incredibly invasive. I'm glad I had a childhood free from it all; for many people now, it's all they've ever known.

If I text the kids now, they invariably take a while to respond, sometimes apologising for not having their phone on them.

You believe that?

You're just down their list of 'urgent'!

My dad doesn't have a mobile phone he's 76. He doesn't want one it works for him.

Yeah I rolled my eyes when my DS said that once. But then when I met up with him and his girlfriend recently she happened to mention, in an exasperated manner, that they were late because DS couldn't find his phone AGAIN. So I think there's at least some truth in it.

My phone goes everywhere with me. And everyone I know does the same.

I don’t go anywhere without mine!
Even parking Apps, loyalty cards! Even if I’m going for a walk I tend to be listening to an audio book or a podcast!

Yes of course I do. Why wouldn't I? If I want to be in touch with my husband, or pat for parking, or check train times, or call an ambulance in an emergency, or listen to music or... so many other things... I use my phone. Not having it with me would defeat the point of having it.

How do you listen to music/podcasts/audiobooks? Or do you just not?

I love having my phone with me and never feel like I have to be “free” from it. I don’t get hardly any unwanted calls or texts. It’s a tool for me to use for everything I need to do over the course of an average day:

• text do after I leave the house to warn him that the car will need defrosting
• check the trains are running
• listen to music on way to station
• pay for train ticket
• book desk at work
• order coffee to pick up on way to work
• work emails
• more music/podcasts/news/MN/reddit at lunchtime
• Contact school in case I’m running late for pickup

It’s just essential to my whole life.

I don't get on with headphones, so no I don't do any audio

No I don't take it everywhere with me - and don't want to be forced to either!. Won't take it if going out for shortish times, or even all day if DP has his on him.