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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think mobile phones are NOT a necessity?

300 replies

Hypergear · 23/02/2020 10:10

Inspired by the thread regarding schools confiscating then.
So many people think they NEED a mobile phone now, and view it as a necessity and not a luxury (which I think it is). Yes they're great in many ways and can make life a lot easier but I just can't get my head around people who genuinely think they could not go about day to day life without. My DM for example, thinks there is no way in this day and age it's possible to live without one, this actually makes me lol as she never used one at all until around 18 months ago!

AIBU?

OP posts:
U2HasTheEdge · 23/02/2020 13:09

I work in the community. I need a mobile phone if I break down, end up in an emergency situation and to be contactable. I couldn't do my job without one, at least not safely or efficiently.

A lot of the people I work with contact me through text.

They could email me and I can read my emails back at the office on my computer but that is of no use if I am not in the office for a while because I am out all day.

My children's school contacts us through an app.

My husband is unwell, if he needed me in a crisis he would stuffed if I didn't have a mobile phone.

So some people can manage perfectly fine without one. Many can't.

cologne4711 · 23/02/2020 13:09

I agree to a point, but, apart from emails, I'm not sure how you use an iPad for communication. It would be useful if it was possible to run WhatsApp on it

I use WhatsApp on my laptop so I expect there's an app for iPads too.

Aragog · 23/02/2020 13:10

Oh and I forgot the use of the map too - something else I'd have to have separately if didn't have phone access.

okiedokieme · 23/02/2020 13:10

When I say no landline I mean literally no phone line, use mobile as a hotspot for internet, when renting it's cheaper than getting a line installed

MarieQueenofScots · 23/02/2020 13:13

But the fact that jobs have evolved to use current technology doesn't make that technology an 'essential' in the broader sense - i.e. for personal use. A motorcycle courier couldn't do their job without a motorcycle but that doesn't translate to a motorcycle being an essential possession

That’s what I’ve said throughout the thread. For some people a phone won’t be a necessity for others it will. It’s that simple and why the OP can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”.

It always amazes me how many people say they don't have landlines. The reception on mobiles is still quite poor on occasion

I’ve only ever found one place I can’t get a signal. And that’s on a train between Leeds and Manchester. A landline wouldn’t help.

adaline · 23/02/2020 13:15

I agree to a point, but, apart from emails, I'm not sure how you use an iPad for communication. It would be useful if it was possible to run WhatsApp on it

Lots of iPads come with SIM cards and mobile data too. And you can always connect to Public wifi connections to use them. Most coffee shops, cafes and restaurants have free wifi these days.

Fizzlestix · 23/02/2020 13:15

I'm not sure how you use an iPad for communication. It would be useful if it was possible to run WhatsApp on it.
It is.

But the fact that jobs have evolved to use current technology doesn't make that technology an 'essential' in the broader sense
Except it does, unless you’d prefer to not have your job.
A motorcycle courier is not the same, as a car or push bike will do virtually the same job in most instances. If that isn’t the case and the motorcycle is able to do something different and that something different is what the job requires then a motorcycle is an essential part of the job. It becomes necessary to carry out that job. That is the definition of essential.

PhoneLock · 23/02/2020 13:15

I use WhatsApp on my laptop so I expect there's an app for iPads too

There isn't, I just checked.

As far as I am aware, to use WhatsApp on a laptop, you have to have a mobile phone. It doesn't work otherwise.

AutumnRose1 · 23/02/2020 13:16

You can use iPad as a phone.

Bloluks · 23/02/2020 13:19

You could live without one but would be a lot more isolated and worse off in an emergency.

My phone has my whole life on it. Not just pictures or phone numbers and social media but little things like a clock, calendar, alarm, reminders, lists, shopping, banking, bills, loyalty cards, satnav, camera, emails.
If I came out without it I would genuinely be lost, and that isn't me being young, dumb and reliant on technology. It's simply because that's how the world is now.

Having everything one tap away on your phone is way more time efficient and a lot less complicated.

BarbedBloom · 23/02/2020 13:19

Well I need SMS for any online banking transaction as they text me a code - there isn't a landline option. No one I know has a landline so calling their mobiles from one would cost a fortune. The uni where I work is bringing in 2 factor authetication done by texting a code. It is also becoming cashless with the intention of paying by phone. A lot of the buses here now have digital passes, you can still pay cash as they acknowledge some elderly people may not have phones but they say it will be phased out over the next ten years.

The world is different now and things change. A lot of people would have said broadband wasn't essential but life would be difficult without it - even Universal credit needs it now.

This is why I advocate screen reduction for children, but think it is pointless trying to ban it entirely. The world will only become more screen based as time goes on.

PhoneLock · 23/02/2020 13:19

You can use iPad as a phone

How?

cologne4711 · 23/02/2020 13:20

I’ve only ever found one place I can’t get a signal. And that’s on a train between Leeds and Manchester. A landline wouldn’t help

You can get a signal of sorts in most places, but it's not much good if people fade in and out of the conversation. It's not the getting a signal at all, it's getting a quality signal which means you can hear everything the other person is saying (and vice versa).

I did a training course online the other week and had the audio on my mobile phone rather than the computer, and I missed about 10% of the trainer's talk. That would not have happened if I had used my landline or been able to use the computer (the software required a phone unfortunately).

On another occasion someone phoned my landline, but she was using a mobile phone and I missed 1/3 of the conversation.I really don't think they're that great.

AutumnRose1 · 23/02/2020 13:21

phone I honestly have to battle real life now but it’s probably best to google your particular model. It can be handy though, my bestie travels a lot for work and sometimes she uses that rather than run down her mobile.

BarbedBloom · 23/02/2020 13:21

Oh and you have to scan the QR code from your mobile to use whatsapp on a laptop

cologne4711 · 23/02/2020 13:22

I need SMS for any online banking transaction as they text me a code - there isn't a landline option

I receive an SMS but you can also do it via email. So you don't necessarily need a mobile phone.

thegcatsmother · 23/02/2020 13:22

I would say landlines are unnecessary and obsolete in this day and age
I’ve only ever found one place I can’t get a signal. And that’s on a train between Leeds and Manchester. A landline wouldn’t help.

I live in Cornwall, and the mobile signal in our house is dodgy to say the least. There is a village in Devon where we used to go for a week in the summer when we were abroad, so only a couple of years ago, where there is no mobile signal at all. Landlines are still essential in rural areas.

AutumnRose1 · 23/02/2020 13:22

Re emergency

Mum used to rely on dad’s mobile and I used to tell her off.

She finally understood why a mobile was good when she was hospitalised around 65.

JellyfishandShells · 23/02/2020 13:24

I agree to a point, but, apart from emails, I'm not sure how you use an iPad for communication. It would be useful if it was possible to run WhatsApp on it

Most of my friends and family have iPhones so we use iMessage, which is on iPad. I have a small iPhone, so prefer to use my iPad when in the house for browsing and messaging. . There is handoff enabled so phone calls come through to my iPad, as well as FaceTime - though it does feel a bit odd talking at an iPad .

I do use WhatsApp on my phone for some groups I am in or some non-iPhone friends and contacts, as well as texting them.

I do wish WhatsApp was compatible with the iPad, though.

curlsnotfrizz · 23/02/2020 13:24

I need mine. I did not even replace my laptop when it died.

My mobile is my phone (no landline), I do all banking stuff online, all of the kids school dinners/clubs need to be managed via ParentPay. School will not accept cash. I have family abroad so WhatsApp has been godsend.

I use email private and for work, I could go on and on. I could no do without it.

How would you do such simple things as paying for school dinners if it was not for a phone.

The world is set up in a way now that you just need it.

Aragog · 23/02/2020 13:24

I agree to a point, but, apart from emails, I'm not sure how you use an iPad for communication. It would be useful if it was possible to run WhatsApp on it

I use WhatsApp on my iPad and my MacBook.

Re other iPad communication: iMessage, FaceTime, Skype, FB Messenger, Wi-Fi calling, online text messaging services, a whole raft of social media apps inc Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.

Mummyoflittledragon · 23/02/2020 13:25

Phonelock
An iPad can work as a phone on FaceTime WiFi.

coconut21 · 23/02/2020 13:26

I manage fine without mine but other people can get proper anxiety when separated from their phone (saw this on a documentary) but do find it really odd when skint people come on for advice and the breakdown shows £50 a month on mobile phones

TiddyTid · 23/02/2020 13:26

Mine is my:
Mobile office
Sat nav
Main contact
TV and radio
Camera
Diary
Bankin
Candy Crush Grin
Music
Kindle
Weather and laminitis check (horse related)

Aragog · 23/02/2020 13:27

I think a WhatsApp on iPad does need to be connected to a mobile version as well.

But there are other alternatives out there too.