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diego's blog

I tried a dumbphone, but don't extrapolate from my experience

Today, I want to discuss dumbphones and why they are harder to pull than anticipated.

Dumphones are phones with fewer capabilities than standard smartphones. Some lack a touch screen and are more complicated to use; others don't have Android or iOS and don't allow "normal apps" to be installed. Some phones were designed as dumb from the get-go, and others were recognized as potentially dumb and adopted as such later.

I wanted to try a dumbphone mostly because I wanted to limit how much time I spend doomscrolling or simply avoid being bored.

TL;DR: If you don't want to read much further, my experiment failed this time because of Uber, Digital Payments (Venmo, Mercaopago, bank transfers, etc.), and WhatsApp Web.

That's it, thanks for reading 😂.

How it started #

I had already used a dumbphone for close to a month back in 2020, and my memory of the experience is that it was wonderful in a strange way. I felt free leaving the house without a phone. It was a rebellious act that I had not anticipated before.

I have toyed with the idea of going back, but I never really tried to go for it.

Last week, I went to my phone operator, got a physical SIM card, and charged my dumbphone. I was using an e-sim, but lo and behold, my dumbphone (I still had the same one) only supports physical SIM cards.

I was ready to take it for a spin. I was excited about the prospect of reducing my digital use as much as possible.

One week later, I failed.

The Positives #

Battery life. I think we have forgoten how glorious it is to have a device that you don't need to charge every day or every other day, it's just liberating. Imagine going for a weekend trip and not bringing any chargers!! That's wild in my world.

Automatic Less Screen Time

There is no way to have fun with a phone like that. It's horrible and reminds you that looking at the clouds is easier than trying to answer texts on it. Trust me, you don't want to try that.

The flip side of that is that my digital communications suffer a little bit--not a lot, but enough to be noticed. All my friends use WhatsApp, and as much as I would love to get rid of it, there is no way on earth that I'm getting away without using the app. My dumbphone runs KaiOS, and it has Whatsapp but not the web app, which makes typing, sharing links, and photos cumbersome.

The negatives #

**Whatsapp Web. **My dumbphone runs KaiOS, and it has Whatsapp but not the web app, which makes typing, sharing links, and photos cumbersome.

I might have stayed another week with the phone if I had access to WhatsApp web.

Digital payments. More and more stores are requiring digital payments. You would think having a debit or credit card would suffice, but it doesn't anymore. Many stores don't want to pay the fees associated (good for them) or don't want to pay taxes on their sales (bad for them) and force you to either pay in cash (not something I am looking forward to) or wire them money (bank to bank). This requires the bank's app, which - no surprises here - is unavailable.

I was fortunate to have cash the week I was using the phone, but I could see how last weekend I might have been in a pickle without access to cash and a way to pay my restaurant bill.

Uber. This might be more specific to me. I travel a lot for work, and they have an Uber Business account. On my personal time, I'm happy waiting for a taxi outside, but I can't do that when I need to bill the office. I could have a separate phone for work, but should it be a dumbphone?

Closing thoughts #

When I first attempted to use a smartphone in 2020, WhatsApp Web was the only reason I could not use the phone. It's annoying, but it's kind of workable.

Today, it's harder. As more things become digital, the choice narrows for those willing to use less technology, and I'm afraid we will reach the point when that choice is no longer available to us: it will be screens or screens.