I have decided to try to spend the next 30 days using a “feature phone” as my primary phone. As of 4PM today I have pulled the SIM card out of my $1000 iPhone XS Max and it is now inside of a $69 Nokia 6300.
Why Would I Attempt Something so Silly?
I embarked on this idea because I want to free myself from constantly checking and looking at my phone. I’d like to be more present in my everyday moments, whether with my wife, my kids, or even just being alone with myself.
This is something I have been thinking about doing for a long time — at one point I was swapping moving my SIM card between a $20 LG phone and my iPhone but that became too cumbersome. And the LG phone was too unusable for it to be a realistic endeavor.
I have tried to remove apps from my phone, I have quieted notifications, most of my WhatsApp groups are muted forever, and I don’t ever use Facebook. I never turn my ringer on, and I am even pretty good about not looking at my phone in front of my kids. Often I will even leave my phone plugged in the kitchen over night 😱
But even with all of that, I still didnt feel like I could get away from it. I felt this constant need to keep checking my phone
“did anyone send me a message?”
“did anyone post something funny in a Whatsapp group?”
“what’s happening on Reddit?”
Or while I am cooking dinner: “Oh, I should email that person and tell them something…” Then drop everything and stand in the kitchen typing an email that totally could have waited.
Often I’d remember that I need to buy something and instead of writing it down to do later, I’d pick up m phone right there, do tons of research and buy something that could have waited. Meanwhile I come back to reality and forget where I was.
The worst part was this feeling in between tasks that I needed to just sit and check my phone… while my kids were in the bathroom… whenever I sat down to eat… when I have 5 minutes of down time (which always turned into hours of scrolling). It was that constant need to keep checking and filling in the quiet gaps of my life that really just did not feel good.
I felt like I was spending my down time looking at my phone vs doing things I really love such as reading or writing. Or exercising.
So I decided to give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen — a missed whatsapp message?
Granted I don’t think that doing things like shopping online or checking Reddit are bad. What bothers me is fighting the urge to that I need to do it now when it really can be done later. That’s the better version of myself that I’d like to become.
The Way We Use Phones Has Changed
When cell phones first came out they were a convenience, but really mostly used for emergencies. Soon they became a primary method of communication via text and voice, but we still had many other in-person interactions.
Over time, our mobile phones got smarter and more capable, and as a result of their convenience they eventually became the primary method of engaging with many apps, services, and tools. And because they are always in reach, it’s so easy to just turn to them whenever a thought pops into my head. It’s easy and convenient, and somewhat addicting.
Now this is not a rant about how smart phones are running people or society. I happen to love my iPhone, and I love the access and convenience it provides me with. That access and convenience is especially pronounced when were out and about and away from computers.
The thing is that nowadays I’m always near a computer or an iPad. I work from home and rarely ever leave these days. I dont see that changing anytime soon, and one of the things I have observed over the past year is how much more I use my phone — even though another tool is close by.
My goal is that instead of always immediately reaching for my phone, I will wait until I am able to sit down at a computer or with an iPad. My hope is that friction will help me be more present. I am aware that this will likely mean more time in front of a computer, but I am OK with that.
I’m Not Totally Getting Rid of My Phone
It’s important to note that I am not completely getting rid of my phone. I still think it is a valuable tool for the rare occasions for when I am out of the house. So while I have removed my regular SIM card from my iPhone, I have replaced it with a Data-only SIM card from Hologram.io (more on that below).
This will allow me to use my phone when I am not in the house, though I really plan on trying to not use it at all.
For the next 30 days my iPhone will be in a drawer, face down next to my desk, or at the bottom of a backpack while I focus on using a Feature phone as my primary cell phone.
Some Tactics — How is this Done?
- I ordered this phone from Amazon.
I chose this phone specifically for a few reasons:
- It supports WiFi, which is important while I am at home
- It supports bluetooth so that I can talk on the phone with my AirPods
- It has WhatsApp
- It has Google Maps (in case I need directions)
- It has a built-in browser
The above were all elements that I was not willing to let go of, and that is why I splurged for the $69 version.
2. I put a SIM card from Hologram.io in my iPhone
Go to hologram.io, sign up for a free account and order a SIM. It costs $1/month and you pay for each MB of data you consume. The SIMs are meant for IoT, but the cool thing is that it will work on many different networks.
In order to get the Hologram SIM to work on your phone you must change a few settings.
- Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Network
Set the APN to hologram (without any username or password) - Go to Cellular > Network Selection
Try a couple different networks
3. Replacing a couple apps from my phone
I came up with a great “hack” for using wallets:
- I use a starbucks gift card from my wallet app to pay in store
- I use the Target wallet app to pay in store
For both of these, I took a picture of the QR code that shows up when I try to pay and stored it on my feature phone. When I get to Starbucks or Target, I plan to open that picture and have them scan it. I’m 98% confident this will work.
I use authenticator apps on my phone to get into email and other sensitive websites. I dont have a solution for that other than to keep my phone near my desk 😞
4. Turn off iMessage
Unfortunately I had to turn off iMessages to make this work. Head Settings > messages and flip iMessage off.
The reason I had to do this was that whenever someone with an iPhone would try to send me a message it would no go thru because my phone was set to receive iMessages. By turning it off, the messages now come through as regular SMS
More updates to come
I plan to write a few updates with things I’ve learned, observed, and accomplished during my experiment.
