They skipped right over getting a dumbphone or a crippled Android device.<p>I drive a 30 year old car through the southwest US. I'm resourceful, but I'm not careless. I'll continue to carry a phone in case of breakdowns.<p>A few years ago my checking account was drained while I was on vacation. It was pretty nice having a phone with a cell number that matched what was registered with my bank.<p>...<p>Delete social media off your phone. A smartphone without social media is a tool. A smartphone with social media is a prison.
I don't have a cell phone, because I consider that the costs outweigh the benefits. Recently I started experiencing more often the effects of people assuming that everybody has a cell phone.<p>* I couldn't scan QR codes at restaurants to see the menu, after the pandemic. The server was able to find an old paper menu but warned me that prices had changed, and I had to order without seeing the new prices. This is less of a problem now as most restaurants went back to paper menus.<p>* My place of work recently installed 2FA that assumes we are always near a phone, and they don't want to provide an alternative such as a yubikey, so I cannot log on to the network unless I'm at my office or at home (where I have a landline).<p>* I use a car-sharing service and they want to switch to an "app-only" system for booking cars, which I guess will require me to install some kind of Android virtual machine on my computer.<p>Truth be told, those are minor annoyances in the grand scheme of things.
Most of these 'issues' are not with phones themselves, but just personal discipline and habits. Not to say they're not real problems, though.<p>However, having world-brains in our pocket isn't just quality of life and convenience any more - it's become foundational and isn't going away soon. Reliance on them is only going to increase as time goes on. (Until they are replaced by something even more powerful and useful)<p>I admit fully that the erosion of privacy <i>is</i> a problem, but it's one that we're just going to have to deal with IMO. It's the cost of being a part of modern civilization. If you want to live in the middle of some woods on your own water and power, fine. Otherwise, I'd say you just need to deal with it.
Spent all of 2021 using only an Alcatel “dumb phone”. It had an 8gb memory card for music, picked up FM radio, and had alarms and (very) basic internet access good enough to skim Wikipedia.<p>The thing that made me go back to a “smart” phone was that it was completely useless for group texts. If there was a dumb phone with better MMS support (and maybe a few other chat apps) I would go back instantly.
As a user and proponent of free software, articles like this are why most people don’t take the free software movement seriously.<p>Their suggestion to give up your cell phone and find a landline or pay phone instead makes this sound hopelessly out of touch. A tablet connected to WiFi making VOIP calls is at least a cumbersome solution unlike a walkie-talkie!
When it comes to "making phone calls," good luck trying to get anyone to pick up the call. With the rampant prevalence of scams and telemarketing, unless you are in a circle of like-minded individuals, these mysterious calls are likely to be ignored.
If you want to have a phone available anytime, you are better off having a cellphone that you can turn ON then having to look for a pay phone (those are mostly gone).
While ultimately, adopting this lifestyle is a personal choice, it is inevitable that it inconveniences the people around them and complicates things.<p>I indirectly know someone like this, who can only be reached via landline, has no email or mobile phone, and asks others to print photos for them, among other things.<p>Some individuals may be understanding and accommodating, but I can see how others may engage with you less, especially if you make this transition suddenly.<p>I believe that unless you are willing to make significant sacrifices within your circle of contacts, this may not be a viable option. Unless you know someone who is already living this lifestyle or is willing to join you in this change, it could be challenging.
I'm not going to argue with the creed or the idea. I'm just going to note that replacing your phone, as per their page, replaces one brick of glass with:<p>- Pen & Paper<p>- Flashlight<p>- MP3 Player<p>- Camera<p>- Watch<p>- Paper / Laminated Maps (arguably, a boring GPS could replace this)<p>Not listed, but they also replace:<p>- Audio Recorder<p>- Radio (news, weather, emergency alerts)<p>- Magnifying glass/binoculars<p>- Compass (To go with the maps, especially if you don't use a standalone GPS device)<p>- Calculator (arguably not necessary, agreed)<p>- Measuring tape<p>- Fidget Toy<p>It's always fascinating to me how much a smartphone phone saves us from carrying.<p>EDIT: If your goal is to reduce how much your phone can interrupt you or demand your attention, might I suggest turning off all (ALL all) notifications. It's a lot easier to be intentional about your phone use when it can't make a grab for your attention.
Sounds like RMS, which is to say not going nophone but borrowed or land line only.<p><a href="https://stallman.org/rms-lifestyle.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://stallman.org/rms-lifestyle.html</a>
<p><pre><code> > Asking strangers to borrow their phone
>
> In a pinch you might need to borrow a phone from someone. Try to exhaust all your other options first.
</code></pre>
Ya, nope.
There is a joke about how Seinfeld would have no conflict if everyone had phones.<p>Everything mentioned makes life harder, waste more time, and cause confusion.<p>Since having kids/hitting my 30s, I've been uninterested in social media(on my phone). I'm so bad about checking my phone, I might wake up in the morning and see I've had a missed text message from 7:30pm.<p>Regarding the OPs mental state... uninstall those apps?
Don’t entirely understand how the author cites privacy concerns for going NoPhone, then suggests Walkie Talkies as a viable alternative.<p>I’m all for people ensuring their privacy and moving away from proprietary software, but the alternatives given come across as too idealist.
I'm thinking of getting an apple watch with the cell phone. It's not usable for web surfing and other addictions, but it still has phone, messages, and maps, which are what I really can't do without.<p>Anyone tried this?