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?

So your smart phone helps you get free donuts. Then once in a blue moon it's useful in an emergency. And you carry this thing around with you all the time and I expect you have to charge it every day. Maybe you have to check that it's fully charged before you can go out. And you pay hundreds of pounds to do that.

I've got a mobile phone but it's not a smart phone. I've got a laptop that I use for banking and a few other things. I don't have a contract. It's just pay as you go. When I'm out of doors I use it for telling the time and for taking photographs. It has keys not a touch screen so it's easy to use. It's quite small and goes many days without needing recharging.

Yes, but it does more. And I’d never just carry a bank card. It would be in my purse. Which is bulkier than a phone.

Oh sweet summer child ... why would anyone need to lock their door? Why would anyone need to communicate by telephone away from home? Why are they called mobile phones?

It’s not just a bank card, it’s the whole purse with all the bank cards, loyalty cards, /coins that are always loosely in your purse! So yes much heavier and bulkier than my purse that doesn’t fit neatly into a pocket so has to go into a bag!

Well I am 37 and have had to phone 999 7 times in the last 6 years- only once for a family member. Once because of a fight on the street, once having found someone on the street, once for a fire I came across, and 2 for accidents I came across.... As well as once for CPR...
And once a family friend had to phone one for my dad when out for a walk... You really don't know when you will need it

Im with you OP. I rarely carry a mobile phone. I did know that everyone else did though.

Only you can answer that op but yup don't ever go anywhere without mine

If someone else is at home then I can understand you not taking your keys, still bit weird not to lock the door behind you.

I'm 47 and similar in age to you. I take my phone everywhere with me including between rooms. I sometimes wonder why and am working on leaving the phone in a different room to lessen the dependency.

You are the minority!

My car was written off about 1-2 mins from home. I was 10 cars back at a red light and the car behind me didn't brake and hit me. Luckily I had my phone to call emergency services and my friend to come and help me get home.

Similarly got rear ended when I was much longer and mobiles weren't common. Luckily a cabbie saw the accident and called the police. The car that hit me had called friends (who arrived before the cops) and they all became abusive and got arrested.

Anything can happen that means you need help.

Plus I hate the sound of people talking so only listen to ad free music streaming, for which I need the phone!

No I mean when on foot. I obviously take keys when driving, but I try not to drive locally since I'm only insured on the van

Ten years ago I still took it everywhere. In particular I took it horse riding and running, I used to have an arm band instead of a flip belt though. I have been glad to have it even then when I had a tyre blowout and could call for help, or when I saw a friend have a bad fall from a horse and was able to call the yard and send someone out in a car to chase the loose horse. That one was fifteen years ago maybe.
The sort of emergencies I might need these days are paying for something, listening to a podcast, looking at a map, taking a photo, texting my husband - my phone is on quite a short umbilical cord and I don’t like going out without it.

I’ve worked in social media for 16 years and my phone is basically welded to me at this point. I don’t know anyone of our generation who doesn’t bring their phone everywhere!

My 84 year old Mum always has her iPhone close by, which I'm pleased about, given all her health issues.

Oh come on! No one goes anywhere without their cellphones nowadays 🙄

The mobile idea is so you can take things about, not that you must. I really don't care if you do, I'm just surprised. But I'm getting a little tired of the snarks that. mobile means it must be transported at all times.

You know you can turn it off right?

Hang on, you’re calling other people weird when you’re the one leaving your emergency contact device at home and NOT LOCKING YOUR DOOR??

🤣😂 cripes.

You wouldn't be pleased if she needed it and it needed recharging, or she needed it but wasn't able to co-ordinate her fingers well which is something that can happen with people who get ill. Wouldn't she be better off with something different than an iPhone, something that doesn't need to be charged so much and something with keys rather than the touch-screen?

No, nor without securing their property.....

I exclusively use my phone to pay so yes I take it everywhere. So does everyone I know. If i’m going to someone’s house or somewhere where I don’t actually need it on my person I might leave it in the car though.

No insurance. I was aware that not taking keys and locking up was unusual. I'll admit that I wrote that because I knew it would blow people's minds (as it seems to do in real life). But I am surprised everyone's going on about insurance, I didn't know that was so common. I thought you'd only bother if you had loads of expensive stuff. I'm in social housing, so it'd only be my stuff, not the bricks and mortar.

Maybe the poster’s mother has considered all of those things and decided that an iPhone meets her needs?

Love to know how that would stop it feeling heavy in my shorts pocket

I couldn’t afford to replace everything in my house if it was destroyed in a fire so I have insurance. If you could afford to buy everything again then good for you!

Fair enough. I'm prob just exasperated and slightly bitter because my bloody husband hardly ever takes his mobile out with him (whilst getting annoyed if I don't answer mine while out) even though he almost missed being present at his mother's passing when the hospital staff were calling him over and over. And that he didn't learn his lesson and actually did miss his father passing when the care home called him over and over and he was pottering around waitrose cluelessly.

But you "don't care" about such stuff ... so why did you even waste your time with posting? Though obviously realising I'm the fool for responding to this dross.