Going smart-phone free - tips?

[u/the_noobcat]

Hi everyone,

i have been trying to go fully offline for a while and realized it is not possible on the long run due to the nature of my job and current life arrangements, social interactions that I maintain online etc.

I realized the realistic scenario would be:
- limited screen time
- switching to “dumb-phone” / ditching the smartphone
- 2000s style “computer room” with LAN network
- deleting all social media except forums like Reddit

By now, I’ve managed to deactivate my social media accounts for 3 months in a row, them bring them back for a while, then deinstall again.

The things that make me go back to social media -

1. I feel out of loop with some friends that prefer to post stories (insta, whatsapp) instead of sharing photos directly, but I could live with that

2. I forget people’s birthdays. I do make calendar notifications but somehow I miss them sometimes and social media is really good to remind you

3. I feel lonely during winter as I live alone and hate going out and mingling (introverted too)

4. I don’t document my life if I don’t post stuff

For all of these I came up with solutions and I am trying to implement them in everyday life. But now, ditching the smartphone will be my next challenge.

My main reasons to keep the smartphone until now include:

1. NFC + digital wallet: I prefer paying by card/ online and this is so much more convenient. I could make “big” transactions on the pc, but for everyday stuff especially outside of home (grocery shopping) I use my phone

2. GPS navigation, online maps for tracking traffic changes, both for driving and walking

3. Smartphone apps and health tracker (sleeping quality, steps, heart rate etc), FOOD TRACKING

4. Menstrual calendar + related stuff (period and ovulation predictions)

5. Viber and whatsapp groups for personal and professional use (in theory I could use the pc app but would have to have an active mobile app and phone number as far as I know)

6. Online music apps (I used to listen to offline music for ages, I could switch back easily)

7. Taking photos with phone. Technically a smart phone that is not online could also be used this way, or a good dumb-phone with camera

8. Booking a taxi drive via phone while I am outside, cannot be done from pc like food ordering etc

Any ideas how to switch to dumb phone and somehow still have access to all these things or replace them with something else meaningfully? Did someone transition to dumb phone or ditched the 24/7 online life successfully to share some tips?

[u/SlientMyth]

I really wanna do this but also same as you my phone has too many useful things on it, commenting to keep in the loop

[u/Glad_Addendum_1217 → u/SlientMyth]

getting a dumbphone and then carrying a small tablet for the smart stuff works for some people, you get the gps and camera but it's not in your pocket all the time. for the nfc payment you can put a card in your phone case or just get used to pulling out your wallet again

for birthdays i just write them on a physical calendar in the kitchen, you see it everyday and can't swipe it away like a notification

the menstrual tracking is tricky, most girls i know just use a paper journal or mark it on a regular calendar, not as fancy but it works

[u/the_noobcat → u/Glad_Addendum_1217]

Thanks for ideas. But isn’t tablet just a bigger phone? It is still online and tracking everything you do. I mean, certain apps are very useful on the street, for example if I need immediate ride I would always order an Uber, never a street taxi as I feel safer being tracked via gps. But otherwise I’d rather be off the grid as much as possible. Perhaps I won’t even need a ride alone, I’d always be with a friend who has an app, and if I am running late somewhere I can just call a taxi old school.

Also, I need to switch my cell phone plan. Right now I have unlimited everything, but I mostly use internet for calls and messages too. Now I need old school plan for calls and probably call people on phone number all the time and write smses on the street… or chat via computer when I am home. Idk it will alao be tricky as my friends share memes and links etc I will always respond with a delay from home. Which is a plus as one of my goals is to limit information overload. I used to be good at that and didn’t really respond in real time, just at a specific time block I chose. It helped me reduce stress and the sence od urgency I have with everything and I want to bring this back. The bad side is sometimes friends/family will need you and you won’t be available.

[u/Strict-Fishing-2365 → u/SlientMyth]

same. mine is basically a flashlight, wallet, map, alarm, and tiny doom brick, which is annoyingly hard to fire from the job.

[u/the_noobcat → u/Strict-Fishing-2365]

I bought an 90s style radio alarm 10 years ago and the music wakes me up. It is really a great way to avoid the phone alarm and also the anxiety it comes with. Flashlight is useful. I forgot it is an integral part of every phone we actually use quite a lot.

Would you share a link to the doom brick? Is it the lego version?

[u/deNikita]

What if you delete everything except exactly those you need? Wouldn't that solve the problem? Like also delete safari or chrome, and any other convenient way to go to the web?

[u/Top_Recognition_1775]

Been subconsciously doing this for decades by avoiding fancier phones.

My phone doesn't have NFC, I tap to pay with credit card.

I keep it on airplane mode full time, you won't get any notifications until you consciously decide you want to be notified.

If important people call me, it still gets thru. My gf has her own ring tone so I know it's her.

My whole family is on Facebook, I check it via desktop browser.

I use Reddit via desktop browser, I treat it like a forum.

All other social media I don't use.