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I’ve even considered ditching my smartphone entirely here and there. I’m not convinced its utility outweighs its use as an ad-driven anxiety rectangle constantl

I’ve even considered ditching my smartphone entirely here and there. I’m not convinced its utility outweighs its use as an ad-driven anxiety rectangle constantly vying for my attention. Combined with the steady loss of features, I’m wondering if this decide is really a tool or a burden. Something to ponder, I suppose.

robin_reala 9y ago
I rarely see ads on my phone, I guess through a combination of using an adblocker in Firefox and mostly paying for ad-free apps. Is it really a major problem?
suprfnk 9y ago
Turn off all notifications. Delete all non-tool apps; you know, the apps that want you to spend time in them. Keep only the tool apps. You won't spend 30 minutes scrolling through your navigation app, or your music app, or through the pictures you made, or looking at the weather forecast, or... These are all very useful features. I wouldn't throw out the baby with the bathwater.
- enobrev 9y ago
  The Galaxy S8* has a "Do Not Disturb" mode which allows you to whitelist contacts for incoming calls and messages, and apps that can create notifications. It's meant to be a temporary setting, like to turn on while in a meeting or while sleeping, but I have it set to run 24 hours a day, only allowing people in my "favorites" to call me, everyone in my contacts list to message me, and only allowing notifications from a couple apps. I just set it up a week ago, and I absolutely love how little I'm bothered by my phone now, including no more calls from bots, which I was receiving around 4-6 times a day. * I assume most recent Samsung equivalents have this feature as well. My S6 had it.
  - ddalex 9y ago
    LineageOS as well has this feature. Put it on a Oneplus (to get rid of Chinese Spyware TM), add an Adblocker and True Caller (leaks agenda information, but we used to have phone-number books) and you'll have an actually decent smartphone experience. When I'm testing new smartphones in stores, I'm shocked at how crappy the experience is compared to the LineageOS, both in terms of UI, and in terms of interruptions and notifications and ads shoved down the user's throat
  - letientai299 9y ago
    I often see complains about mail or bots spamers. But I don't get why? I use smart phone several years and rarely has a random phone call from an unknown number, which real person on the other site. And I never got call from bots. Could you share your experience about bot phone calls? What in it for them?
    - enobrev 9y ago
      You seem to have been down-voted. Wasn't me. Just like email spam, I assume there's enough benefit to be worth the cost, which is far less than it used to be now that, much like the transition from physical mail to email, a computer can do the calling for very little cost or effort. I used to get a a few random spam calls from people a week, and still do from time to time. They're generally trying to sell me something; trying to ask for my vote; trying to convince me that I'm in trouble for one thing or another and I should give them some personal information or money to get out of it. As for being called by bots, if I answer and I don't hear a human voice within a second or two, then I assume a computer just dialed me. It might play me a recording; It might connect me with a human. Regardless, it was a bot that called me to begin with, and I've no interest in speaking with or waiting for the unsolicited demands of computer programs. I used to be able to keep a list of numbers to block with whatever dialer app I was using, but it's gotten incredibly easy for these spammers to spoof numbers. The big trend in the past couple months seems to be to use numbers that have the first six or seven numbers of my full ten-digit phone number. So if my number was 444-555-6666, I'll get random calls throughout the day from 444-555-6777. It's obvious when I see the number - especially since my number is from a city I haven't lived in since 2012 - but harder to block via standard phone apps. This is why the white-listing of a "Do Not Disturb" mode better suits me. As for why I get so many spam calls, it's hard to say. I've had this number for almost 20 years. I'm sure it's been sold and resold for pennies hundreds of times. I'm sure it's also on plenty of database dumps from various hacks as well. No matter, switching numbers seems to be more hassle than it's worth. I assume whatever new number I get would be just as bad. What I _really_ want is for phone numbers to become obsolete. Just a random UUID that means "Call / Text / Message enobrev" in someone else's device, where I can maintain a whitelist of who can connect to my devices to talk / chat / etc.
- nmd 9y ago
  In addition to this I've found disabling Safari on iPhone (Settings -> General -> Restrictions) has been the final step from turning my phone from a distraction device into a smart tool.
- flyinghamster 9y ago
  That's basically the approach I use, though it helps that I'm a Facebook refusenik. I do have Firefox installed, but I generally only use it during downtime for a quick news skim, or to look something up. Otherwise, just about everything I install is a tool of some sort or other. And there's no way in HELL that I'm going to put anything financial or medical on my phone. That's just asking for trouble.
- cageface 9y ago
  I've banished all apps that contain any kind of endless news feed. I still use my phone for messaging, hailing rides, maps etc but no longer have any reason to pull it out all the time to check for new junk information. I also worry a lot less about taking pictures because I don't have anywhere to post them.
CompuHacker 9y ago
Any apps you have shouldn't rely on access to the Internet; they should make use of the hardware and resources you have. Remote into a "real computer" to do the important things.
Arnt 9y ago
I've been using a Unihertz Jelly Pro for a while now. That's tiny and runs android 7. The thing that has surprised me most is that it's all utility. I can run Google Authenticator, I can read what I need to read, I can find out when the bus leaves, but the phone is no fun. The tiny screen doesn't attract or tempt me. I thought I'd get something small that fits in every pocket, but stumbled upon something else. Maybe more. (Same thing with more detail: http://rant.gulbrandsen.priv.no/unihertz http://rant.gulbrandsen.priv.no/unihertz)
blattimwind 9y ago
I replaced my smartphone with a wristwatch; that way I get rid of that stupid thing and I'm waaay ahead even of Apple in terms of removing features. Its kinda funny how removing features is defended by "well it makes them simpler and lighter and smaller", meanwhile 99 % of all smartphones are basically tablet-sized nowadays with insanely large and unwieldy screens.
- addicted 9y ago
  This is a really good point. Very few software developers or product designers will argue against simplifying their apps reducing complexity within their apps. However, at the aggregate level, I.e. the device level, the message is the opposite. Apple, Google, and 3rd party devs and businesses keep promoting the idea of more apps which essentially eliminates and overwhelm the benefits a user may see from simplicity at the app level. A good example are messaging apps. While each messaging app may have simplified (even as they add features) for a regular user, they have to worry about 3-4 different messaging apps as well as which contact has to be contacted through which app. Do I use iMessage, FB messenger, Hangouts, WhatsApp to contact a person? This is something Apple and Google should be tackling at the platform level. Windows Phone, and WebOS before it, made some token efforts towards this through their hub concepts, but they were destroyed by lack of support, and lack of open standards. We really need to be promoting more open standards to enable users to control their phones, instead of becoming slaves to them.
Cbasedlifeform 9y ago
My last smartphone was an iPhone 5S (which IMO is the nicest of all iPhone designs). The battery eventually died... I still think about reviving it. In any case I then got a cheap (30 quid IIRC) dual-sim little Nokia which takes a French and a UK sim card (pay as you go) and quite cheap for regular calls. Works like a charm, the battery lasts for days, and I don't worry if I lose it. Separately I have an iPod touch which gives me some control over smartphone addictive behaviour as it only has wifi. And it has the headphone jack :) I absolutely refuse to buy a device without one. I used to joke with friends about "smartphone zombies" in the streets but now it is no longer a joke. It's genuinely scary to be on a train or subway and see everyone glued to their phone without looking up. Mothers and kids each staring at screens instead of interacting. I was a big Steve Jobs fan when he was alive, but now wonder if the iPhone (and its competition) are destroying society the way automobiles destroyed much of the physical world.

robin_reala 9y ago

I rarely see ads on my phone, I guess through a combination of using an adblocker in Firefox and mostly paying for ad-free apps. Is it really a major problem?

suprfnk 9y ago

Turn off all notifications. Delete all non-tool apps; you know, the apps that want you to spend time in them. Keep only the tool apps. You won't spend 30 minutes scrolling through your navigation app, or your music app, or through the pictures you made, or looking at the weather forecast, or... These are all very useful features. I wouldn't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

enobrev 9y ago
The Galaxy S8* has a "Do Not Disturb" mode which allows you to whitelist contacts for incoming calls and messages, and apps that can create notifications. It's meant to be a temporary setting, like to turn on while in a meeting or while sleeping, but I have it set to run 24 hours a day, only allowing people in my "favorites" to call me, everyone in my contacts list to message me, and only allowing notifications from a couple apps. I just set it up a week ago, and I absolutely love how little I'm bothered by my phone now, including no more calls from bots, which I was receiving around 4-6 times a day. * I assume most recent Samsung equivalents have this feature as well. My S6 had it.
- ddalex 9y ago
  LineageOS as well has this feature. Put it on a Oneplus (to get rid of Chinese Spyware TM), add an Adblocker and True Caller (leaks agenda information, but we used to have phone-number books) and you'll have an actually decent smartphone experience. When I'm testing new smartphones in stores, I'm shocked at how crappy the experience is compared to the LineageOS, both in terms of UI, and in terms of interruptions and notifications and ads shoved down the user's throat
- letientai299 9y ago
  I often see complains about mail or bots spamers. But I don't get why? I use smart phone several years and rarely has a random phone call from an unknown number, which real person on the other site. And I never got call from bots. Could you share your experience about bot phone calls? What in it for them?
  - enobrev 9y ago
    You seem to have been down-voted. Wasn't me. Just like email spam, I assume there's enough benefit to be worth the cost, which is far less than it used to be now that, much like the transition from physical mail to email, a computer can do the calling for very little cost or effort. I used to get a a few random spam calls from people a week, and still do from time to time. They're generally trying to sell me something; trying to ask for my vote; trying to convince me that I'm in trouble for one thing or another and I should give them some personal information or money to get out of it. As for being called by bots, if I answer and I don't hear a human voice within a second or two, then I assume a computer just dialed me. It might play me a recording; It might connect me with a human. Regardless, it was a bot that called me to begin with, and I've no interest in speaking with or waiting for the unsolicited demands of computer programs. I used to be able to keep a list of numbers to block with whatever dialer app I was using, but it's gotten incredibly easy for these spammers to spoof numbers. The big trend in the past couple months seems to be to use numbers that have the first six or seven numbers of my full ten-digit phone number. So if my number was 444-555-6666, I'll get random calls throughout the day from 444-555-6777. It's obvious when I see the number - especially since my number is from a city I haven't lived in since 2012 - but harder to block via standard phone apps. This is why the white-listing of a "Do Not Disturb" mode better suits me. As for why I get so many spam calls, it's hard to say. I've had this number for almost 20 years. I'm sure it's been sold and resold for pennies hundreds of times. I'm sure it's also on plenty of database dumps from various hacks as well. No matter, switching numbers seems to be more hassle than it's worth. I assume whatever new number I get would be just as bad. What I _really_ want is for phone numbers to become obsolete. Just a random UUID that means "Call / Text / Message enobrev" in someone else's device, where I can maintain a whitelist of who can connect to my devices to talk / chat / etc.
nmd 9y ago
In addition to this I've found disabling Safari on iPhone (Settings -> General -> Restrictions) has been the final step from turning my phone from a distraction device into a smart tool.
flyinghamster 9y ago
That's basically the approach I use, though it helps that I'm a Facebook refusenik. I do have Firefox installed, but I generally only use it during downtime for a quick news skim, or to look something up. Otherwise, just about everything I install is a tool of some sort or other. And there's no way in HELL that I'm going to put anything financial or medical on my phone. That's just asking for trouble.
cageface 9y ago
I've banished all apps that contain any kind of endless news feed. I still use my phone for messaging, hailing rides, maps etc but no longer have any reason to pull it out all the time to check for new junk information. I also worry a lot less about taking pictures because I don't have anywhere to post them.

CompuHacker 9y ago

Any apps you have shouldn't rely on access to the Internet; they should make use of the hardware and resources you have. Remote into a "real computer" to do the important things.

Arnt 9y ago

I've been using a Unihertz Jelly Pro for a while now. That's tiny and runs android 7. The thing that has surprised me most is that it's all utility. I can run Google Authenticator, I can read what I need to read, I can find out when the bus leaves, but the phone is no fun. The tiny screen doesn't attract or tempt me. I thought I'd get something small that fits in every pocket, but stumbled upon something else. Maybe more. (Same thing with more detail: http://rant.gulbrandsen.priv.no/unihertz http://rant.gulbrandsen.priv.no/unihertz)

blattimwind 9y ago

I replaced my smartphone with a wristwatch; that way I get rid of that stupid thing and I'm waaay ahead even of Apple in terms of removing features. Its kinda funny how removing features is defended by "well it makes them simpler and lighter and smaller", meanwhile 99 % of all smartphones are basically tablet-sized nowadays with insanely large and unwieldy screens.

addicted 9y ago
This is a really good point. Very few software developers or product designers will argue against simplifying their apps reducing complexity within their apps. However, at the aggregate level, I.e. the device level, the message is the opposite. Apple, Google, and 3rd party devs and businesses keep promoting the idea of more apps which essentially eliminates and overwhelm the benefits a user may see from simplicity at the app level. A good example are messaging apps. While each messaging app may have simplified (even as they add features) for a regular user, they have to worry about 3-4 different messaging apps as well as which contact has to be contacted through which app. Do I use iMessage, FB messenger, Hangouts, WhatsApp to contact a person? This is something Apple and Google should be tackling at the platform level. Windows Phone, and WebOS before it, made some token efforts towards this through their hub concepts, but they were destroyed by lack of support, and lack of open standards. We really need to be promoting more open standards to enable users to control their phones, instead of becoming slaves to them.

Cbasedlifeform 9y ago

My last smartphone was an iPhone 5S (which IMO is the nicest of all iPhone designs). The battery eventually died... I still think about reviving it. In any case I then got a cheap (30 quid IIRC) dual-sim little Nokia which takes a French and a UK sim card (pay as you go) and quite cheap for regular calls. Works like a charm, the battery lasts for days, and I don't worry if I lose it. Separately I have an iPod touch which gives me some control over smartphone addictive behaviour as it only has wifi. And it has the headphone jack :) I absolutely refuse to buy a device without one. I used to joke with friends about "smartphone zombies" in the streets but now it is no longer a joke. It's genuinely scary to be on a train or subway and see everyone glued to their phone without looking up. Mothers and kids each staring at screens instead of interacting. I was a big Steve Jobs fan when he was alive, but now wonder if the iPhone (and its competition) are destroying society the way automobiles destroyed much of the physical world.