How to Have a Dumbphone in 2025
If you want to, you can.
When I started this Substack, I had a lot of things I wanted to write about. I still do, but my current season of life truly doesn’t afford me a lot of time, and I am prioritizing other things right now. With six young kids, quasi- homeschooling, trying to feed people healthy meals (a full-time job), and a very, very PRN nursing job, plus stacks of books to read, I am pretty stretched thin.
Still, I continue to read and think about the topic of digital addiction every day, and I have many in-real-life conversations with people who are fascinated by my flip phone. “I wish I could get rid of mine,” so many people say. I think there are a plenty of valid reasons to keep a smartphone, but I also strongly believe that if you REALLY want to get rid of yours, you can. I never would have dreamed of getting ride of mine a few years ago, but here I am, two years in, and with no current plans to go back. So, how does a human in 2025 manage life without a smartphone? Like, for real? Here, I will break down for you my own hacks to free myself from the pull of the smartphone, and a few other methods to detach, if that is your goal.
When pondering a switch, identify non-negotiables. Mine were GPS and the ability to group text. As much as I’d like to have a keen sense of direction and a map in my back pocket just in case, ain’t nobody got time for that. While I am working on honing my directional skills, I feel much safer doing that with a GPS. (I do actually have a Garmin in the car too, so I could have gone without GPS on the phone, but it really is helpful.) And we all remember (or do we? I’m realizing how old I am…) how annoying group texts were with ye olde flip phones. Between my friends and family (near and far), a bevy of kids who have bevies of friends, and political texts to which I always reply “STOP. PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP”, I do a lot of texting. I found a flip phone that has GPS and group texting, in addition to having a hotspot and some other cool features. (Also it’s really fun and dramatic to hang up the phone with a SNAP. Major point for that.)
But what about the apps?? you say. I get it and I am not a complete Luddite, though I sort of want to be. Here’s my Big Secret. I actually still have my old smartphone. It’s locked away in the cabinet, and only gets pulled out for a very few, specific purposes. What do I use the old smart phone for?
My kids’ school app. The school knows I don’t have a smartphone and so they call me if anything is remotely urgent. Granted, my kids go to a low-tech hybrid cottage school, so they are super willing to accommodate me. But most of what needs to be accessed from the app, I can do on my laptop, though it’s definitely handy to have a device for a quick message, etc.
Occasional Target or grocery pickup orders. I connect it to my hotspot for 5 minutes, then turn it off. The use of data guarantees that I don’t dilly dally and waste time on it when I’m out and about.
A couple group chats that are on Signal and GroupMe. While I’d prefer to just group text, I don’t expect everyone to cater to my weird life choices. But the truth is, checking those apps once or twice a day is plenty. I don’t need to see every message coming in, in real time. Sometimes I do, and that’s fun, especially when my brothers are on a roll.
Sometimes Spotify for podcasts/ music. My husband and I prefer CDs and DVDs to streaming, so often we limit ourselves to the music we own, which is a freedom in and of itself. But there are definitely times that I download a podcast to bring in the car on the very rare occasion that I’m driving somewhere without kids, or times that I pull up a playlist on Spotify. It’s working for me right now.
Occasional Marco Polo. Sometimes, you just have to send your faraway best friend a Marco Polo.
I use it as a camera. But I take far fewer pictures now, which is FANTASTIC, actually.
It might sound cumbersome to be managing two devices. What I realized, though, was that having everything in one place was precisely my problem. I would pick up my phone to do something and then waste precious time on 10 other things. I was sick and tired of that. We all know that multitasking is actually an illusion, and makes us far less efficient. Having tasks separated into different devices is the ultimate time-saving hack for me. I realized that separating these tasks and capabilities made me far more discerning about whether or not I actually needed to do them right now or even at all, as well as placed a barrier between my distractible and addictable brain and its drug.
Another great option is to switch your SIM card between smart and dumb phone as needed. I know people who use their smart phone all week, then pop their SIM card in a dumb phone for the weekend. Some do the opposite. Any measure taken to detach oneself from an object of inordinate attachment is efficacious. Don’t underestimate the power of even a few days a week without the internet in your pocket.
There are a number of “dumb” phones available now that make it more feasible to give up the smartphone. If you are interested in trying it out, I would suggest looking into the Wisephone, Lightphone, or Sunbeam Wireless, but I know there are others. I also enjoy perusing r/dumbphones on Reddit: “A community about dumbphones, dumbed down smartphones, and feature phones. Join the revolution and enjoy the simple life!” Lots of good stuff there.
Maybe the internet in your pocket is not a drug for you. Maybe you have figured out have to truly cultivate silence and focus in your daily life, even with a smartphone. Maybe you are so detached from the thing that you can sit on the toilet for 5 minutes and not wish you’d brought your phone. If this is you, keep on keeping on. But if it’s not, and you really want to give life without a smartphone a try, I’m here to tell you that you can.
There is much more I want to write on this and so many great pieces I could link to for further reading on this topic, but for now, I would definitely check out School of the Uncomformed and The Convivial Society for two of my favorite Substacks exploring technology and culture. I’d love to know if you have a dumbphone or if you are thinking about making the switch! Even after two years, I do feel like a bit of a freak sometimes, and ironically, The Glorious Internet is a place where I find some comradery in this unusual life choice.
I just can’t have it on my phone. ;)
You’re so cool. I love your system and the way you break it down! And glad that no matter how hard you try, the political texts will still find you. Slash Christopher.