I am considering purchasing this phone but it seems to me that its a smartphone. You can sideload apps, Does this not make the phone a distraction? For anyone currently using the device that has sideloaded apps are you on your phone a lot? To me I want to me on my phone as little as possible. I
1 Like
One big factor for not wanting to spend time on it is the e-ink screen that is rather small. Audible and Spotify works fine but does not suck you in and I cant imagine doom scrolling social media to even be possible in an addictive way.
1 Like
So for you using the phone you donât find yourself glued to it? that is my concern as I have a severe tech addiction
No not at all, the small, low refresh rate, and black and white screen is rather hard to get sucked into.
3 Likes
Thereâs no video, no colour, a 4.3-inch 800x480 pixel screen with slow refresh, no selfie camera, no Play Services, no 5g connectivity, 3gb Ram and 32gb on-board storage.
How âdistractingâ do you think such a device could be? All I do with it is read books and listen to music. Oh, and use the Offline+ âkill switchâ (all the time).
Iâm loving it. Has changed my life for the better!
8 Likes
It is technically a smartphone (anything more advanced than a bar phone with few utilities). However, as others say, the screen and performance makes it not that much tempting. Also, you canât install any apps youâd like because of no Google services.
On the other hand, there are people who find chess or maps a threat to their addiction.
On the third hand, even if you get a bar phone, your corporate/personal laptop will remain a problem if you donât add additional countermeasures. Been there, done that.
As for the Kompakt, I can forget about the phone for a whole day. When I get to my car, where my former phone resides for some special cases, I can sit in the car for even an hour scrolling stuff. For that reason Iâm looking to revert even further from smartphone utilities (banking, navigation, etc.).
The only reason Iâd keep a smartphone then, is Teams for corp calls when Iâm on the road, WhatsApp because laptop app needs to stay in sync once in a while, and Revolut which is useless in its web version.
1 Like
100% this.
1 Like
Concur 100%
@APL80 Thatâs a really good question, and one that comes up often.
Mudita Kompakt isnât meant to be a âtraditionalâ smartphone, even though it has the technical ability to sideload apps. We like to call it a minimalist E Ink Phone 
The operating system was designed from the ground up to stay minimal, distraction-free, and purposeful. Thereâs no app store, no push notifications, and no endless feed-style apps.
Yes, technically you can sideload apps, but the experience is very different from Android or iOS. Itâs not about entertainment or scrolling. Most people who sideload choose practical tools (like a podcast app or a specific messaging app) rather than things that encourage overuse.
Personally, Iâve found that the phone itself encourages you to be on it less, not more. The E Ink screen, the slower refresh, and the lack of addictive design patterns all work together to keep you present. Even with sideloaded apps, itâs not the kind of device youâll be glued to.
If your goal is to be on your phone as little as possible, Mudita Kompakt is designed with that in mind. The sideloading option is there for flexibility, but youâre in full control of how simple or feature-rich you want your device to be.
Check out this thread where our community members debate the topic
2 Likes
Hey, I have had a severe tech addiction too. I smashed my iPhone and bought a literal dumb phone, with physical numeric keypad, etc. Zero apps. No internet. Itâs been brilliant. However, I do have a problem in that an app which is pretty essential for me - Signal - needs to be tied to a mobile phone device before it will work on the desktop app. For some reason, my desktop app still works even though I havenât switched my smashed iPhone on (obviously) for about a year now. I keep getting warnings that it might cut me off at any point, but so far, so good.
What I would suggest to you is to ask yourself if you need any apps that cannot operate without the use of a mobile device. If the answer is no, DONâT buy the Mudita Kompakt. Just buy yourself the dumbest phone you could possibly find, with 4G (for better phone signal) and no apps. You therefore wonât have the internet or scrolling problem.
If the answer is Yes, let me know.
1 Like
By the way, I have accidentally stumbled upon a German company that keeps manufacturing oldschool rotary landline phones, but also landline-styled wired handset, and a 60s style phone that looks like a landline but itâs actually taking a SIM card (so itâs the dumbest option possible, rather to keep in a car than roaming on the streets with it lol).
1 Like
Probably not. Depends on how addicted you are in my opinion. I get addicted to social media apps as well and I have found that I am barely on my Mudita. I use it for texting and calls mostly and I sometimes use the Mudita apps intentionally. I agree with what the others are saying about the small phone display and how the phone is eink minimizes addiction potential. I have actually not downloaded any other apps on there including Spotify. I havenât bothered with it because personally I donât want those apps on my phone. If you think youâll be addicted and side load a bunch of apps, perhaps you could look into the LPIII? I had the Light Phone for about two years before switching Mudita and there is definitely not much that you can do on it!
1 Like
After using the Kompakt for a few months, my old iPhone SE II feels like standing in Times Square by comparison.
The colors, notifications, animations are all designed to keep you tapping, swiping and scrolling. Adding some convenience and necessity apps only worsens things by mixing business and pleasure.
From a certain point of view, yes, the Kompakt is a minimalist smartphone. OTOH, itâs trying to do exactly the opposite of what my iPhone aims to do.
2 Likes
Iâve been using an Hisense A5 eink smartphone for years and I should add that
-
Beautiful colours are one reason our phones are so addictive. Really. An e-ink screen helps a lot !
-
But this is not silver bullet. If you install âfavourite addictive appâ on the Kompakt, you will still manage to use it âtoo muchâ. (itâs like methadone instead of heroine)
Solving addiction is really hard and will never be totally solved. You need to accept you have a problem, you want to solve it, it will be hard, there will be relapse. You need a clear plan of what you want to achieve and what sacrifice you are willing to make.
I see too much people complaining that their favourite app is not working on minimal phone X.
Well, thatâs the very point.
You need to clearly define âwhat you need to surviveâ and sacrifice âwhat you wantâ because everything you want but donât absolutely need is probably part of your problem.
In my case, I absolutely needed Komoot and Garmin app, for my bĂŻkepacking trips. Thatâs why I could not use a dumbphone. And the Kompakt is exactly what I dreamed. I even installed a Wikipedia app because, not having any web browser, Iâm confident it will not be too addictive.
But you need to find your own way.
Good luck !
4 Likes
I think in the end philosophically I donât want a phone you can sideload anything on, I donât like smartphones they have ruined this world, thanks for everyones help I am done with the forum
peace
2 Likes