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?

My 94 year old grandmother has an iPhone!

Why? People that use their phones to pay do you also carry a bank card with you? What if the mobile system goes down?

I was at a London restaurant recently and their card machine stopped working. No problem, DH went to the cash machine and drew out cash. Three people in the restaurant had no bank cards only phones so could not pay. None of them knew what to do. One was phoning a friend to ask them to bring some cash to the restaurant. I just thought they were idiots.

Loads of people have said similar points, and I concede I'm less safe. But I dunno, been wandering around the countryside since I was a kid, it just seems overkill to take it 'just in case'.

OP is winding us up

I'm glad I had a phone with me (emergency mobile, not smartphone) when I got locked inside my bathroom because the door handle failed. I had to phone a friend.

If I am out and about, I usually have it on me. But when at home it's usually in my handbag under the stairs.

Feels like overkill until the day you sprain your ankle and can’t get up.
Plus it’s not actually particularly onerous, carrying a phone.

I guess I got into the habit of bringing it with me when DD was small, in case the creche or school were looking for me. I have an office phone, but they might be trying to contact me on my lunch hour (when I might be out buying a sandwich or having a wander around the shops) or on my way to/from work.

DD's a young adult now, but I'm mindful that she might run into problems and need to contact me. For example, if she had a problem with the car or if she needed money for something.

Also, my Dad is elderly and if there was an emergency with him, I wouldn't want to be out of reach for an entire day. My Mam went into town shopping, the day my Nana died. It was before the days of mobile phones and we had no way of contacting her, to tell her that the hospice had phoned. By the time she got home that afternoon, it was too late. Her Mam had passed away and she never got to say goodbye .

I do! Never leave the house without it

I want to know how to contact them without a phone me. Smoke signals?

If I’m with my kids and husband, then I will leave my phone in the car or at home if we’re all out together.

Otherwise, it goes everywhere I go!

So you don’t lock your door nor carry a phone… are you from the dark ages?!

I take my phone in case I need to call someone, make a payment, check weather, take a photo etc…

I'm 76. I socialise with a great many over 60s and all of us take our phones everywhere with us.

I know no one, old or young, who leaves their phone at home when they go out, where ever they're going.

However, I know no one who goes out and leaves their door unlocked.

Always take it whenever I leave the house. (Sixty something, so not exactly part of the phone generation either.)

My DP hasn’t even got a phone and has managed not to die from it yet

I just don't understand how come most people seem to need it a lot, and I don't

I don't need mine a lot, but I always take it with me, just in case I do.
Because sometimes I do. A couple of occasions when I've been stuck in traffic and I have an appointment for example.
Mind you, on these occasions it's usually a day that I've forgotten it.
So basically I always take it with me unless I forget. But I don't often actually need it. Hope that's clear.

No, I used to have a phone with lesser charge. It just doesn't cut it at all.
If I'm doing 250 drops in a day, that means I'm out of the van once every 2 minutes minimum. You just don't want to be messing about with a lead (however minimal) all day, hundred of times.
And then once you get to the dark evenings, using the flash for delivery photos etc, it just kills it

As a woman, I want my phone on me at all times so if there’s danger, I can call for help or if I injure myself, I can get help while I’m in a vulnerable state.

As a parent, I want my phone on me at all times so if there’s a problem with my child, or they get injured, I’m not incommunicado for a few hours.

That’s quite aside from using it for music, podcasts, or for paying for items.

I’m going to guess you’re in the fortunate position of never having been either injured or in danger, or of having to be summoned urgently for your child.

I don’t think you have to be “tied” to it to keep it with you to be safe.

As for not locking your door when you go out…..I hope that doesn’t bite you on the arse. The people that tell you to leave parcels inside the door could be inside but don’t want to be disturbed, or there might be others in the house. Everyone thinks their neighbourhood is safe, until it isn’t.

I don't always go out with my phone, its not always needed, I have cash and card to make payments, I have a boring life and hardly any friends/family which is probably why I leave it at home sometimes!

Of course they were doing this ten years ago. Have you been living on a different planet?!

I’m the same age as you and everyone I know - and I mean everyone - has been taking their phone with them everywhere for at least 20 years, probably longer.

I'm with you OP, I don't take my phone everywhere either. I find it quite liberating!

It does piss me off when people expect immediate replies to messages though. Not everyone is glued to their phones!

you say you don’t like carrying things but if you don’t carry your phone so surely you must carry a purse/wallet that has things like your bank cards, store cards etc instead?

what about the gym, how do you get in, mine is an app on my phone.

I only carry my phone, EVERYTHING is on it:

• bank card to pay
• notes app with my shopping list
• store cards for points/discounts
• Oyster card if I’m in London
• travel tickets for trains/planes
• event tickets
• NHS prescription prepayment certificate
• DS school app for reporting absence/checking timetable/topping up dinner money
• gym app to gain access
• music for listening to in the gym, running, cycling, connect to my car

how do you deal with all of these things, they’re part of daily life?

if I could I’d have a lock on my house that worked with my smart phone do that I didn’t have to carry keys 🤣

I use a smart watch if going walking or anywhere active. It's the same functionality.

We have biometric doors so don't need to worry about keys. I would NEVER leave my door unlocked!

I always wear a small cross body bag so I can have my arms free and not actually have to hold a bag. Keys, bank card, phone, lipgloss.

In the 200-s I didn't carry my (rather clunky) mobile phone - I'd take it if I was going into London or to an event where I'd be in charge of other people's children, but not just to the shops or around my neighbourhood. By the 2010s I had a phone with a much better user interface, camera and useful internet, and I always have it if I'm out of the house now. In the same time it has gone from being primarily a phone/text device to effectively a personal computer.