I’m seriously considering making the switch from a smartphone to a minimalist phone like the Mudita Pure (or something similar). The idea of being less distracted and more present really appeals to me — but I’ll be honest, it also feels a little scary.
I wanted to ask the community:
What was the hardest part about switching to a minimalist phone?
Was it letting go of certain apps or conveniences?
Did your social life or work habits change?
How did people around you react?
I’m also curious how long it took before it started to feel normal (or even better!) compared to a smartphone lifestyle.
Would really appreciate hearing your honest experiences — good or bad. This community seems really thoughtful, so I figured it’s the perfect place to ask.
Letting people know I’m not available on social media and messaging apps 24/7 any more (urgent? call or SMS).
Writing down directions before a trip to a new place.
Checking account balance at my laptop before going out shopping (moderate severity, this year I began withdrawing cash for groceries and fuel to have better control over spending so I no longer care about account balance every day).
I’ve switched to dumbphones in 2017, but I always kept a smartphone around for when necessary. The effects on my mental wellbeing and focus were immediate.
However, there are some hurdles
Dumbphones are no longer of the quality they used to be and are often buggy, even Nokias.
Society makes it hard for you to go around and you must be vocal. Don’t accept a QR code instead of a menu. Use a card or paper instead of an app for all kinds of tickets, entrances, services,… Paper maps are hard to get.
Public transportation becomes a hell. E.g. Bus schedules are through a QR code, train schedules are more accurate on the app. Some services are exclusively for smartphone users (like shared mobility) or smartphone users have it cheaper (bus tickets cheaper through the app).
People in my country use a lot of Whatsapp but mostly for group chat, which is asynchronous and not urgent. But while traveling or international communication, Whatsapp is the default for calling or texting to avoid expensive international call rates or roaming.
It’s recommended to get a GPS unit for in the car if your car has not one built in.
People moan a lot for things like Spotify, but music is not essential. Mobile payment either, you can use a card or cash. But when I go around, I do want to be able to scan a QR code in emergency (not for menus), use Whatsapp when abroad, and find POIs on the map (preferably with things like opening hours). Not everything in my life is planned ahead and I don’t always have a laptop with me. When in doubt, I do take a smartphone with me but turned off. I have 4 young kids, the las thing I want is to be stuck somewhere because society makes my life a hell without smartphone. At least with the Kompakt you can install some required apps.
While trying to use my phone someone coming up to me saying Wooowwww! I haven’t seen one of those in years, that’s so cool, does it do Everything an iPhone can do? Uh no, it just makes phone calls, and texts. Oh that’s stupid!! It happened hundreds of times, it was 2015 where people called me stupid, by 2020 they’d say Oh I wish I could do that… Either way I was just trying to use my phone, not have a conversation about it.
Luckily with the Light Phone 2 people just thought it was a vape pen and left me alone, and thankfully the Kompakt mostly looks like a smartphone so I don’t think many will bother me.
I gradually started deleting apps until I had almost none left.
I uploaded all my photos/videos to a drive.
I threw my iphone out of a three story window.
I switched to a dumbphone with only calls and texts.
After the initial shock, the adjustment period passed pretty quickly. It took maybe a couple weeks to feel comfortable with the setup. It’s like jumping into cold water. Honestly it was very hard to let go. But after that, it’s pretty much another world. You can think easier, you notice other people on their phones constantly, and you have an entirely new perspective on life. Also, there is a bliss that comes with not knowing the news and people having to update you on everything. It feels very freeing. And If I really need to check things online, which becomes less and less as time goes by, I can use my old IBM Thinkpad.
You’ve just got to be willing to actually make that jump and not half-ass it. But you can do it!
My case is a little different because the MK is the smartest phone I’ve ever owned, but my experience is the mirror of yours: the hardest part for me is to stay calm when society is making my life a hell. It’s a real daily challenge and a real lesson in resilience (I’m not exaggerating). But I think it’s good for kids to see parents struggling and asking around, rather than just pulling out the smartphone. After all, life was tough back then without internet in your pocket. And that didn’t stop us from exploring the unknown.
I also agree with you about the quality of dumpphones. It’s very hard to find a cheap one these days that’s as durable. If anyone has any suggestions, my husband is looking (again) for a good cheap dumpphone.
I switched from a Google Android cellphone to a minimalist, AOSP-based, Google-apps-free flip-phone from Sunbeam Wireless – the F1 Orchid – three years ago.
I had no trouble letting go of social-media apps because I had closed all of my social-media accounts before or around the time of adopting the Orchid.
My social life did not change because my social-media usage had dropped (or was dropping) to zero, and my social life was already in-person, not online. My work habits did not change because I never requested a corporate smartphone from my employer and because I never gave my employer my cellphone number (as I had a VoIP number at home and another in my office).
People reacted to my Orchid with understanding whenever I told them, “It cannot receive email. It cannot open URLs. It cannot play videos. Send to my email address whatever URLs or videos you want me to see, and I will look them later at home on my computer!” The flip-phone form factor of the Orchid made it easy for them to understand!
Hello, my name is Alex and I am a digital addcit
I work long and stressfull hours as an anaesthesiologist, but most of the time when things are slow in the OR I used to pass time with my smartphone. One thing leading to another, I realised I had a very serious problem. I constantly need a dopamine/information fix - something new, something (in most cases) worthless but flashy.
Problem is after several years of abuse I became distant, closed down to actual social events, developed anxiety and depression and so on. The worst of all came when I finally realised that I can actually stop compaining that I lack time (which I want to spend with my family) and actually try to be more present in the free time I have. This opened my eyes that spending 7+ hours a day on my phone is not ideal, that I really don’t need a new dose of worthless information, that I might not be available and reachable 24/7 over my phone and the internet and so on…
First I deactivated my social media, I really just use it for doom-scrolling. I haven’t had a single post in years, but still manage to kill a lot of time per day midlessly watching other people’s fake lives. I managed to drop my screen time to about 2h30min per day but one morning I realised that I really need to decentralize my phone. What happened is I instinctively reached to my phone to see what time it was and one click lead to 40ish minutes of midless scrolling. The painfull part was that I actally realised that the firs thing that I did after waking up was wasting a chunk of time, rather than making coffee for my loved one or checking up on my sleeping kids, or even just taking a moment for prayer and zooming in on the day ahead.
So… here I am - trying my best with the Kompakt. Hardest part is letting “the Jack of all trades” go. Introducing some friction into everyday life. Going out blindly and praying to catch the bus on time. Not having the ability to inpunt the adress of some new place I am now willing to visit after work and just midlessly following the instructions. Not being able to check my banking and finacial apps every time I want to be sure I have sufficient funds in a particular card. Everyday stuff like that.
What was the hardest part about switching to a minimalist phone?
