Hi, I am a new user, but have been lurking for a few weeks and have been interested in this phone since early 2025
I am considering buying the phone but want to inform myself well beforehand.
Is there an existing thread that compiles all the problems people have with this phone? It seems to be scattered all over the forum, so it’s a bit hard to get a grasp of everything.
What I am seeing is two groups of people: some that seem to be in love with it and some who are regretting the day they bought it, but it’s hard to get a balanced and accurate view of the situation.
Hi and welcome to the forum! Great that you’re doing your research before deciding whether Mudita Kompakt is the right fit for you.
You’re right that experiences here can vary quite a lot. Kompakt users are a very diverse group, and digital minimalism means different things to different people. For some, the most important thing is reducing notifications and distractions. For others, it’s privacy, battery life, offline tools, the E Ink screen, or simply having a phone that feels calmer to use.
That’s also part of the beauty of Mudita Kompakt: you can make it your own and shape the experience around what matters most to you. Because of that, there are naturally many different opinions, use cases, and expectations. What may be essential for one person might not matter much to someone else, and vice versa.
Here on the forum, we encourage all community members to ask questions, share ideas, and describe their own experiences. Sometimes someone else’s question or suggestion helps you discover a completely new way to use the device.
So I’d definitely recommend browsing through the different topics, asking about the specific things that matter most to you, and seeing how other users with similar needs are using Kompakt day to day.
It’s also worth noting that we’re working on a new section that might give you a better picture, however it’s still under construction, so please pardon the dust
I was in your shoes for most of 2025, trying to glean from the forum the potential issues before pulling the trigger on the Kompakt. I had the Pure prior and it didn’t work out.
Fast forward to the end of Nov 2025, I finally purchased the Kompakt during the Black Friday sale. I am very happy I did. I had some initial frustrations with the transition from an iPhone, but overall I am pleased with it. I have found that if I kept the same expectations of a smartphone, I would be disappointed, but the Kompakt has resulted in a lifestyle change and with that different expectations. For example, I used the alarm and timer functions regularly on the iPhone, and these functions are either clunkier or don’t exist on the Kompakt, so I just stopped using them and haven’t missed them. I did online banking on my smartphone and just do it all on computer now. Having the Kompakt has enabled me to pare down my phone use to the minimum, have more presence and simplicity in life. When I need more functionality (usually WhatsApp, needing calls/texts in a rural area, traveling outside the country, specific situation with picture taking), I just switch the SIM card back temporarily to my iPhone, instead of fiddling with the Kompakt and getting frustrated. I’d love it if the Kompakt would work flawlessly for those situations but for me it doesn’t make me less happy with it especially since the workaround is so easy.
My experience has been pretty much the same as yours. I too moved my banking and online shopping to my iPad, so I can use my phone as a phone. Once you accept that you need to change the way you use a mobile phone Kompakt is perfect.
Too many people just spend all their time on trying to change it to do what they do on their smartphone, instead of asking themselves “do I REALLY need this function “ and accepting the limitations of anything that can’t be resolved by side loading .
I now check for messages 2 or 3 times a day , the rest of the time the Kompakt stays in my bag, I’ve started reading and drawing again, I’m far more present with my family and notice the little things again. it certainly lives up to the title of “the phone that wants to be used less.
I am so happy that you wrote this because that’s my take as well. Maybe it’s just that Mudita Kompakt is a flexible minimalist phone, and when we say that you can make digital minimalism work for you, it means different things to different people. Personally, I love it the way it is, but maybe people would prefer something more LOCKED IN.
I agree, part of me would be happy for Mudita to say “this is the Kompakt, load any apps that you wish, but we will only make changes to it based on OUR vision of where we want it to go”
Apple change the iphone based on where they want to guide users, they pay no attention whatsoever to requests from owners, the headphone jack being removed, is one of many changes they have made and ignored all comments from its userbase
Exactly - I often find myself baffled by Mudita’s design choices, but I didn’t buy the Kompakt to get the phone I wanted. I bought it because I love the vision of minimalism and simplicity Mudita has. The hardware and software are put together with such intentionality, every piece just feels like it’s in the right place. It’s very apple-esque in a way.
Well, things can change fast…
But before I give an update, I want to thank everyone who responded to my post and the discussion that followed. And a special thanks to @Michal_Kicinski
for taking the time to weigh in here. Your words gave me hope regarding the development of MuditaOS K.
The reason I’m speaking up again is that the quiet nature of the Kompakt was calling me back. It sounds strange, but that’s how it is.
The Fairphone is a beautiful device that works great, BUT—after a while—it unfortunately brought back my old smartphone habits. The device triggered a kind of restlessness in me, the same kind I used to experience. I’d keep glancing at the device, checking emails, browsing the web, and scrolling through my photo gallery. I can’t explain it. Of course, one could argue that it’s just a lack of discipline, but with the Kompakt, it was simply so easy to ignore the device; that’s why I’ve been using the Kompakt again since the weekend. And after just a short time, I felt calmer again. I make calls when I need to, send a text when I need or want to, or listen to a podcast on my way to work. That’s it. Nothing more! That’s how it should be. Despite all the criticism regarding the software—which I still stand by—I have to admit that the Mudita team clearly got something right. Just like the Mudita Pure, the Kompakt radiates calm and peace. And that is exactly what I need in my life.
I’m going to try not to let the wait for updates and bug fixes stress me out anymore, and instead, I’m enjoying the tranquility the Kompakt offers. After this “relapse,” I think I’m truly done with standard smartphones. My wife has taken over the Fairphone now, since her old Gigaset smartphone was already having issues. I’m just glad that for the past few years, I’ve been able to observe and reflect on myself effectively—quickly noticing changes and drawing the right conclusions from them. I also know people who fail to recognize such addictions or issues in themselves and refuse to accept it even when others point them out.
Anyway, it was worth a try, and I think it’s made me appreciate Kompakt even more.
@marko Thank you for coming back and sharing such an honest update. It takes a great deal of self-awareness to recognize how a particular device affects your habits, reconsider your earlier conclusions, and say so publicly. We really appreciate this.
You’re absolutely right that no phone can magically change our behavior. Ultimately, lasting change also requires reflection & effort from the person using it. At the same time, the tools we surround ourselves with can either support that effort or constantly work against it.
What you describe is very much at the heart of what we hoped to achieve with Mudita Kompakt. It’s never been about removing every possibility to interact with technology or demanding perfect discipline. Mudita Kompakt is all about creating enough distance and friction that the phone becomes easier to ignore, allowing it to return to its proper role as a useful tool rather than a constant source of stimulation.
Your earlier criticism of the software remains valid, and we appreciate that you haven’t dismissed those concerns simply because your overall perspective has changed. There’s still work to be done, and feedback like yours helps us understand what matters most to the people using Kompakt every day.
That said, we’re very glad that you gave it another chance and, even more importantly, that it’s helping you feel calmer and more present. Thank you for sharing the entire journey, not only the easy or positive parts.
I’ve been a Mudita user since late last year, and I really love it.
If not for the ability to sideload apps and the wonderful community who has built a couple extra apps specifically for Mudita (davidraywilson, thank you!)…I don’t know if I’d love the phone the same way. HOWEVER, with the exception of the maps app not working for me, even without the Calmcast and CalmMaps/Directory and ability to put Apple music, I’d still thoroughly enjoy it. The most recent update made the keyboard 10x better, so I could see myself using the phone as-is.
My goal when purchasing this phone was to have a “dumb”-adjacent phone..I am addicted to the internet and didn’t want to carry around the internet everywhere I go anymore. I intentionally don’t have the desire for things like a browser, email, AI apps, etc etc that you’d get with a smart phone. I don’t carry the same complaints as some others do because I came to the phone later in it’s journey and am quite satisfied with it, and also may be the better audience for their ethos of digital minimalism.
I’ve tried the light phone (before lightphone 3), and flip phones, in my pursuit of getting away from smartphones and all that come with them. Mudita Kompakt is my favorite.
@hannahjalthea Thank you so much for sharing this. It means a great deal to us to hear that Mudita Kompakt has become the right fit for the more intentional, less connected experience you were looking for.
We’re also incredibly grateful to the community members who continue to build, share, and make the Kompakt experience even better.
