I am a massive fan of my Mudita Kompakt, and I’ve been using it for months. I like that the hardware includes a headphone jack, slots for physical sims and SD cards, and a small display. These are sadly becoming rare. I like that the software is deGoogled, and I like the phone’s kill switch. I also like that I am not wasting time watching stupid short videos all the time, window shopping eBay, over-flooding my brain with too much information, etc.
Despite this, I’m probably moving back to an iPhone at some point just to fit in with society more. Some people judge me on the basis that I don’t use a smartphone. I find myself going out of my way to conceal that I use this phone out of embarrassment. I can’t do things like use dating apps or gamble with my friends (yes, a friend sent me a dating app link for double dates, but it wouldn’t work on a desktop).
I know that the purpose of this phone is to not have those features, and that is good! I wish I were living through a pre-smartphone era where interactions were more front-facing and didn’t use smartphones as an intermediary, but sadly that is how I see it is now. Additionally, I see society is trending toward an over-reliance on smartphones to function. For example, at my city’s bus stops, there are no maps of the bus routes. In their place are just QR codes or website links to view the routes, which actually just makes it more inconvenient to access a map of the routes than if the county were to simply have signs of the literal maps…
I would be curious about if any of you people have thoughts about these things too, thoughts about this post, or if you have a different perspective.
It’s possible I’m missing some context but honestly, when I run into issues in regards to communication via outside apps and stuff, I just tell my friends my phone can’t do that, and they understand and work around it somehow. Like with the dating app link - why couldn’t your friend just text you the time and place of the date, why did it need to happen through a special app anyway?
I agree that corporations and government services pushing apps has gone too far but I don’t think the correct response is to roll over. If I’m at a restaurant and the menu is on a QR code, I ask for a physical, and if they don’t have one, I leave. If I see a bus line has taken away their physical maps in favor of QR codes I find whatever phone number I can call to give them feedback and I complain, because even for smartphone users that’s a dumb choice, how are you supposed to get around if your phone dies or gets stolen? If I buy a ticket for an event, I print the QR code. If a transit system pushes me to download an app and a digital membership card, I push to get a physical one instead, and so on. It takes extra work for sure, but I see it not just as a matter of me getting to make my choices in life, I see it as standing up for other people like myself, who do not want these over-digitalized services. Being the sand in the gears is how we slow this whole thing down.
So far the only thing my friends have given me shit for in regards to my phone is the picture quality, but that doesn’t bother me, I wasn’t much of a picture-taker anyway and I plan to invest in a nice camera at some point for travel. Mostly my friends find my choice of phone neat, or even admirable. A few of them have said things to the effect of “I wish I had the guts to make a change like that” or asked me for some guidance on finding a phone that would fit their own needs.
I guess my point is the way we combat these things is by sticking to our guns (phones?). If it turns out it’s literally impossible for you to navigate the place you live without a smartphone then I’m very sorry that you’ve been pressured into that, and I hope you’re able to find a compromise. Maybe keep the MK as your main phone but keep a powered off smartphone in a farady bag on hand, so you can use the hotspot to get it online when you absolutely need it?
Yes, the pressure of society, companies and governments to depend on the smartphone is strong and clear here. It is a little different in each country. Defending ourselves against this is natural if we want to maintain the possibility of being offline.
By transferring a significant part of human activities to the online world, we become much more controllable, and it is only a matter of time before mass abuse of power occurs. Of course, for our own good.
Therefore, let’s look for ways to make the world a more pleasant and free place, even for those who want to be dependent on technology. There must always be a choice.
My Kompakt becomes a conversation piece. Most tend to say they wish they could break free from big tech but because of whatever reason, they can’t. I tell them about my own journey…took years, starting with the LP2. It started as a secondary phone. It became a weekend or downtime phone - a little too basic to become my primary phone. Today, it is my running phone.
Then LP3 and Kompakt came out - got both around the same time - Spring 25., the 3 before the K. Still moved back and forth from a more minimalist phone and my iPhone - two numbers. Slowly, founds ways to keep the iPhone home more regularly. Started traveling without my iPhone. Decided the Kompakt was more my vibe. Now, ~14 months later, I only have 1 phone and 1 number - my Kompakt. I’ve never been happier. Never been more engaged. And my FOMO has become JOMO (Joy of Missing Out). Oh, and got a second Kompakt in case I ever have to send my primary one back to Poland for whatever reason.
In the end, most leave wishing they could start the journey and more than one has begun. Two of my colleagues at work are now joining me. One with the Mudita, the other with the LP3.
Bottom Line: If you are happy, who cares what others say/think?
@sleepbyslowdive, I feel you about the societal pressure. I have gone through times where I don’t feel like advertising I don’t use a smartphone because it has caused inconveniences. I feel that way in situations for example where I’m meeting relatives and they send dozens of messages over WhatsApp in a short period of time and the location of meetup can change quickly and they expect everyone to be following messages closely.. Or when there’s photo exchanges. We all have kids and everyone takes a lot of pictures. So far in those times, I switch back to an iPhone. Maybe due to FOMO since I don’t see my siblings often.
That said, as I get more and more comfortable with the Kompakt and care less about what others think (I think in my case, they find it amusing and really don’t care), I want to stop doing that because I agree with @TechVampire that unless there is push back, things will just get worse.
I think we have to stick to our guns. We choose these types of devices for a reason. Sometimes I need to tell friends why I have a minimal phone, the benefits for my mental health, etc. I’m not expecting them to understand though. I am aware of the many practical sides of smartphones, and I love them for it, but I am just trying out something else for now. There are no fixed rules for things. Even though everyone is doing the same thing, you can still do whatever you want. It’s also fine to not always be reachable everywhere. I think a lot about my phone free childhood lately. How normal it was not to have a phone. It’s important to put question marks on everything. Why are we so dependant on certain technology? Why do all these companies want a piece of my attention? Why should I allow this? Why should I have access to everything all the time? What are the effects on all of this on me and society? You said you are a massive fan of your Mudita, that means this device is working for you. It doesn’t have to work for anyone else but you.
Besides that I would say having some sort of tablet for home use is a great solution for this kind of situation, to keep in sync with certain friends- or work related apps. In my case, it lets me do everything I would have normally done on my iphone, just not on the go. When this kind of situation arises, I tell my friends or clients that I’ll check later when I’m home.
I completely understand this & I have to agree with most that was said here. The pressure to use a smartphone is huge these days, not only socially, but also because so many services, workplaces, and public spaces assume that everyone has one. Choosing something different can sometimes feel like deliberately making life more difficult. And I sometimes feel like people (friends & family) are sometimes the worst offenders in this, at least that’s my experience.
At the same time, I do think we are beginning to see some pushback. More people are questioning constant connectivity, setting boundaries around their devices, and looking for simpler alternatives. I get it, not everyone will give up their smartphone entirely, but even questioning whether we need to be available and connected ALL THE TIME is actually an important shift.
I also don’t think digital minimalism has to look the same for everyone. For one person, it might mean using a very basic phone, or Mudita Kompakt out-of-the-box. For someone else, it might mean adding a few essential apps while removing the distractions. There shouldn’t be a purity test. And people shouldn’t be pigeonholed into a specific use case. That’s just me.
That’s one of the things I personally love about Mudita Kompakt. It’s minimalist enough to reduce the noise, but flexible enough to adapt to what someone genuinely needs. That’s a very difficult niche to fill. Most phones are either designed to keep us constantly connected or are so stripped back that they become impractical for many people. Kompakt occupies the space in between and allows each person to decide where their own boundaries should be. And that’s actually very important.
We even wrote about it:
Personally, for me (and I’ve been quite open about this), digital minimalism isn’t AT ALL about using as little technology as possible. I, for one, want to use technology on my own terms.
When staff at a restaurant tells me I need to scan a QR code to see their menu, I look them in the eye, smile, and say “No thanks ! I’ll have the paper menu please !”. If they insist I’ll say “No thanks. I came here to relax, not to work”. (Restaurant managers finding a way to reduce their costs and pretending it’s in our own interest ! Cheeky bastards !)
When my Mum’s bank turned off their web banking platform and went “App only”, she switched banks (and told them why).
When an acquaintance or a business tells me I can only contact them through WhatsApp, I tell them “oh too bad, bye then”. (I’m lucky that my friends and family like me enough to install Signal - even though it’s apparently a HUGE hassle to have one more app on their little dopamine-machines).
When my gym replaced their access cards with a mandatory App, … well, I’m not sure about that one yet - check my other forum post about it
All this might come across as a bit flippant, but it’s important to hold strong against the madness of unrestricted digitalisation. Do it with a smile, explain kindly to those who will listen, and leave behind those who won’t. You won’t miss much, and you’ll regain some of your time, privacy, and, at the risk of sounding pompous, dignity !
When I tell people that I have NEVER had a banking app and never used NFC to make payments with a phone, they look at my like I came from another planet. But it’s the truth. I can do online banking- no issue there, but don’t ask me to an app on my phone.
- even though it’s apparently a HUGE hassle to have one more app on their little dopamine-machines).