I Don't Have a Smartphone

Cider9986

I want to use GrapheneOS without the ability to access the browser and without the ability to install new apps. At least without a password. A long one written down on paper would be enough friction for me. You could also give it to a trusted person. You can also write/give only a portion of a password and then memorize the other part. Afaict there's not an effective way to do this like you can on iPhones with Apple Configurator [1]. Removing appstores from secondary profile and browser with ADB has a workaround (which I won't say in case someone uses that setup). Another drawback is enabling ADB is bad for security. Dumbphones are stupid because they're overpriced, not secure, and lack awesome apps like maps or Signal. And I already have a phone. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45171200 this is seriously great if you have an iPhone, I used to use it before I switched to GrapheneOS.

binaryturtle

I do not have one (and it's actually true.) And it's not easy. :-(

hi41

I went back to a old Motorola phone not once but twice. Both attempts were unsuccessful. For directions I got a Garmin potable gos navigator. Once I was coming back from somewhere with my kids and it was 10:30 pm. They were hungry and wanted pizza. I used the Garmin gps and went to the restaurant but it was closed. That happened because the gps unit did not have the latest information. My family was mad and I went back to smartphone. The second time my extended family living outside the country were mad because they couldn’t call me on WhatsApp. So I went back to my smartphone. Totally two failed attempts at using a dumb phone.

bravoetch

I get it, I really hate it too. When I don't want to use my phone, I just leave it somewhere in the house and forget about it for a couple of days.

Eric_WVGG

> Just in my toilet, I’m supposed to have an app for the seat, an app for the flush and one for the ventilation. There should be some sort of unofficial rule that if you’re writing something that strains credulity, you should actually link to something that explains it.

rlv-dan

Installing an app vs scanning a qr code is vastly different. That being said, I won't do either to see s menu.

buttocks

No one actually believes you if you say that. Even if it is true.

eddieroger

I do have a smartphone, but I don't seem to feel the pain the author feels about being inundated by QR codes and apps. Maybe I have all the apps I need already? Maybe I just don't mind having an app on my phone because I know that I can set it to basically never bother me. Most of my apps have notifications silenced. My home screen is empty, save the handful of apps I do want. And for the little bit of effort I put forth to tweak the device to my liking, I get the world in my pocket - a full browser, every song I've ever liked, every picture I've ever taken, all my scanned documents, etc - not to mention all my loved ones available at a moment's notice. My battery lasts long enough, and when it doesn't, it's because I was using the device. I just don't understand the complaint I guess. Make the device work for you, not the other way around?

zkmon

When you buy something from a medium-sized shop in India, they would insist for your phone number, as their POS app have that field as almost mandatory. I had to fight at a pharmacy checkout, holding up the queue behind me, as I refuse to give my phone number.

megous

So what do you do if your flushing app breaks? Or the manufacturer goes out of business and flush tracking servers go down? Or google decides to suspend it while you're on the toilet?

tonymet

We could all be a bit more humble about the onerous “tools” we’ve built . I have a lot of sympathy for the elderly, and the ridiculous rituals they go through just to book an appointment, fill a subscription, buy tickets to a concert, order groceries. The McDonalds app is 15+ screens to order a burger. Compare that to walking in a, “hi, how are you, I’d like a Big Mac meal with a Coke, here’s my money, thanks”. Let’s all have a bit more humility, and even humiliation, for the absurd protocols we’ve imposed on everyone.

zzril

The list is missing a couple of points, including: "My camera isn't working." "I don't have a QR code scanner app." - And, of course, since we've already shown we're fine with bending the truth a little if it helps our case: "I scanned the QR code. It leads to a porn video. Are you going to argue with me about that over a couple of pixels, or will you be so kind to give me the plain URL?"

juleiie

Not having a smartphone is a new status symbol flex. The poorer you are, the more of your life you must waste looking at a screen instead of gazing upon beautiful landscapes and friendly faces. Still it’s a step up as usual. Next stage will be probably those too poor to afford anti aging vs the muti centenarians that can. And yet those that can’t afford multi centenarian lifestyle will live super well compared to today poorer class. Hunger, true hunger is eliminated where I live at least. Healthcare too is rather universal. Good country. And yet people will be furious at this inequality of lifespan and everyone understands it deeply as „dystopia”. Medieval peasant would thought he is in heaven and yet we live in a dystopia and that is widely understood and I concur.

gib444

> "I don’t have a smartphone," is what I tell people and professionals nowadays I did this today too. I happened to walk past a branch of my bank, and remembered my debit card is playing up due to wear-and-tear, so I popped in to order a replacement. I made the request and the first response was "do you have our banking app, you can do it on there?". "No". It wasn't even busy. (I also happen to have my mortgage with my bank, so paying quite a lot of interest to them each month...)

general_reveal

I’m always in voice group chats , and fellowshipping is more important to me then being digitally free.

9cb14c1ec0

This is why Google's war on sideloading is so terrible. It does very little to make people safer, and it restricts user's ability to make a free market choice about which companies they transact with.

burningChrome

I have a motorola smartphone. I don't have google play installed. I mainly use obtainium for app installation. Its a bare bones phone and it drives my business partner crazy. "Just log into our instagram account and. . .right, you don't have insta installed on your phone." "Can you log into our scheduling app and. . . right, you don't have that installed on your phone either." Some of the more painful things you have to deal with: - Chromite and Iron Fox filtering out a ton of stuff so a lot of sites simply don't work - Organic maps is slow and hard to use compared to Google and Apple maps. - Fairmail that blocks a ton of images and other code - which is good, but had to get used to seeing everything blocked visually. - Not having any banking apps on my phone. Every time my son needs a few bucks in his account, my wife has to do it if we're out. - The open source weather apps are not very accurate. Usually within a few degrees, and the radar is hit or miss. Kind of odd that we have to try so hard to ensure our own privacy. I'm up for a new phone this Fall so I'll most likely be moving to a newer Pixel and will get Lineage or Graphene installed on it.

tobadzistsini

I don't eat meat or watch television. I'm whiter than you.

ocd

I've been able to say this truthfully up until 4 years ago. I was perfectly familiar with iOS and Android, and I could pick one up and use it as competently as anyone else. Was the same even when I decided to get one 4 years ago. Not having a Google and Meta account remains true for me. Never had a Meta/Facebook account at any point in time, and I deleted my Google account a decade ago. It is frustrating dealing with people not willing to accept this is an option people have, and anything requiring an app is a dealbreaker for me. I didn't realize it was quite as bad as the author suggests with his various household items, but I am worried it will continue to get worse in that way without laws in manufacturing partitioning technology from life.

Gecko4072

From my experience modified iPhones make the perfect dumb phones that you will actually end up sticking with and it's free if you already have one. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45171200 I use this method ^ which lets you keep essential apps but otherwise have dumb phone (no browser, no App Store). Highly recommend. On the other hand, I have turned my laptop into a dumb computer using cold turkey blocker. I've never seen anyone talking about this here. I'm a standard user (for hardening reasons). And set up so I haven't watched YouTube largely for years because it's blocked and not at all in the past few days. It's flexible to configure and then because it's literally impossible to bypass you never try and then just end up living a calm life. (No ai, no reddit, no crappy news sites, etc.)