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Is this a European thing? Or maybe a recent big city thing? I am in the US and I have no apps on my phone. I use it for texting and phone calls, nothing more

Is this a European thing? Or maybe a recent big city thing? I am in the US and I have no apps on my phone. I use it for texting and phone calls, nothing more. Everything I could do in the 1970's, 1990's, 2010's I can do today just fine without a phone. For context a couple of years ago I had to take BART into SF to visit some overpriced lawyers. Paid cash for my BART ticket at the ticket machine. I stopped at a coffee shop and bought a coffee, paid with cash. The reason I ask is that I am concerned. Anything Europeans do eventually parts of the US will mimic.

ghaff 3y ago
>Everything I could do in the 1970's, 1990's, 2010's I can do today just fine without a phone. I think it's a few things. - Integration of stuff like GPS that can be done on a dedicated device but are easily done better on a phone through an app. - Ready access to information on the go. (Much of which wan't really available on the go until the 2000s.) There's a lot you could do once the smartphone came out that you didn't have access to before. But there's a lot in general I can do today that I couldn't in the 1970s/80s. - And yes, there are apps for things like parking, public transit, rideshare, airline notifications etc. that are more generally relevant if you're traveling and in cities.
- LinuxBender 3y ago
  That's not so bad. I still use dedicated GPS. I suppose the downside is that a couple times a year I have to pull down map updates for it. All of the other things you mention don't sound like requirements but rather additive data or interaction but not strictly required. Nice to have's I suppose.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    As someone else mentioned, it's probably also true in Europe that a lot of people would see having WhatsApp as close to essential. But, in the US, SMS is pretty universal and certainly for any service you need.
    - LinuxBender 3y ago
      I honestly can not think of any service I need that I must use my phone with. Plenty of things use SMS 2FA but I can also talk to people, face-to-face in most cases. Probably the closest would be the IRS if I have questions because calling them means being on hold for a few hours, otherwise I have to use snail mail which I have done.
    - kefyras 3y ago
      > As someone else mentioned, it's probably also true in Europe that a lot of people would see having WhatsApp as close to essential. What are you referring to? While it may be the most popular messaging app, it's not in any way, shape, or form essential. SMS is also universal, mostly unlimited, and much less weirder than it is in the US.
      - ghaff 3y ago
        I only know what Europeans tell me. I assume different people have different takes on what is essential. And my understanding is SMS can still be pricey. (Not sure what's weird about SMS in the US? It's on my phone. I use it. It can piggyback on iMessage but that's not necessary and is transparent, bubble color notwithstanding.)
        deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
        kefyras 3y ago
        >And my understanding is SMS can still be pricey. It hasn't been for like 15+ years since pretty much every subscription has either unlimited*/or more than you can reasonably use minutes/SMS. >Not sure what's weird about SMS in the US? Don't you get (or used to) charged for incoming SMS?
        ghaff 3y ago
        Both outgoing and incoming SMS used to have charges but (AFAIK) all the major plans now include unlimited SMS. I think the US went to mostly "free" SMS before much of Europe did which probably explains WhatsApp becoming the most common thing. (The only people I use WhatsApp with from the US are international.)
Ylpertnodi 3y ago
>Anything Europeans do eventually parts of the US will mimic. Examples? Nb I have closed a bank account because I refuse[d] to install WhatsApp.
- LinuxBender 3y ago
  Examples? Some cities have been installing concrete filled pipes to close of what used to be access streets into parts of cities forcing them to be "foot traffic only". This started in the EU and became trendy. Now its spreading in the US in big cities. I am not complaining. In some places this actually works out. In some places it hurts business. I guess that is a matter of city planning. Even the really old town I grew up in is doing this now in the part of town that has a bunch of small businesses to encourage more foot traffic. Another example is roundabouts. Some of the small cities are putting these in new developments. I think it's still somewhat experimental in the US as not every small city is doing this.
  - numtel 3y ago
    > concrete filled pipes I believe the word you're looking for is 'bollard'.
    - LinuxBender 3y ago
      Fancy [1]. I wish they were that decorative. I've only seen pipes filled with concrete. I think we lack the artistic influence at least in some cities here. I suppose they are a "make-shift bollard". Redneck bollard? I'll go with redneck bollard. But you taught me a word, thank-you! [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollard
mitthrowaway2 3y ago
> Everything I could do in the 1970's, 1990's, 2010's I can do today just fine without a phone. In the 1990s, I remember payphones being conveniently available, but now I need to keep an eye on my battery if I'm going to phone home. In 2010, I could log into any of my accounts with just WiFi and a password, now I need 2FA and often SMS is the only supported option. Sometimes a phone call. So in order to, say, check my bank account, I now need data and cell signal. That combination can be hard to get in a concrete building or while traveling abroad.
deleted 3y ago
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ghaff 3y ago

>Everything I could do in the 1970's, 1990's, 2010's I can do today just fine without a phone. I think it's a few things. - Integration of stuff like GPS that can be done on a dedicated device but are easily done better on a phone through an app. - Ready access to information on the go. (Much of which wan't really available on the go until the 2000s.) There's a lot you could do once the smartphone came out that you didn't have access to before. But there's a lot in general I can do today that I couldn't in the 1970s/80s. - And yes, there are apps for things like parking, public transit, rideshare, airline notifications etc. that are more generally relevant if you're traveling and in cities.

LinuxBender 3y ago
That's not so bad. I still use dedicated GPS. I suppose the downside is that a couple times a year I have to pull down map updates for it. All of the other things you mention don't sound like requirements but rather additive data or interaction but not strictly required. Nice to have's I suppose.
- ghaff 3y ago
  As someone else mentioned, it's probably also true in Europe that a lot of people would see having WhatsApp as close to essential. But, in the US, SMS is pretty universal and certainly for any service you need.
  - LinuxBender 3y ago
    I honestly can not think of any service I need that I must use my phone with. Plenty of things use SMS 2FA but I can also talk to people, face-to-face in most cases. Probably the closest would be the IRS if I have questions because calling them means being on hold for a few hours, otherwise I have to use snail mail which I have done.
  - kefyras 3y ago
    > As someone else mentioned, it's probably also true in Europe that a lot of people would see having WhatsApp as close to essential. What are you referring to? While it may be the most popular messaging app, it's not in any way, shape, or form essential. SMS is also universal, mostly unlimited, and much less weirder than it is in the US.
    - ghaff 3y ago
      I only know what Europeans tell me. I assume different people have different takes on what is essential. And my understanding is SMS can still be pricey. (Not sure what's weird about SMS in the US? It's on my phone. I use it. It can piggyback on iMessage but that's not necessary and is transparent, bubble color notwithstanding.)
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
      - kefyras 3y ago
        >And my understanding is SMS can still be pricey. It hasn't been for like 15+ years since pretty much every subscription has either unlimited*/or more than you can reasonably use minutes/SMS. >Not sure what's weird about SMS in the US? Don't you get (or used to) charged for incoming SMS?
        ghaff 3y ago
        Both outgoing and incoming SMS used to have charges but (AFAIK) all the major plans now include unlimited SMS. I think the US went to mostly "free" SMS before much of Europe did which probably explains WhatsApp becoming the most common thing. (The only people I use WhatsApp with from the US are international.)

Ylpertnodi 3y ago

>Anything Europeans do eventually parts of the US will mimic. Examples? Nb I have closed a bank account because I refuse[d] to install WhatsApp.

LinuxBender 3y ago
Examples? Some cities have been installing concrete filled pipes to close of what used to be access streets into parts of cities forcing them to be "foot traffic only". This started in the EU and became trendy. Now its spreading in the US in big cities. I am not complaining. In some places this actually works out. In some places it hurts business. I guess that is a matter of city planning. Even the really old town I grew up in is doing this now in the part of town that has a bunch of small businesses to encourage more foot traffic. Another example is roundabouts. Some of the small cities are putting these in new developments. I think it's still somewhat experimental in the US as not every small city is doing this.
- numtel 3y ago
  > concrete filled pipes I believe the word you're looking for is 'bollard'.
  - LinuxBender 3y ago
    Fancy [1]. I wish they were that decorative. I've only seen pipes filled with concrete. I think we lack the artistic influence at least in some cities here. I suppose they are a "make-shift bollard". Redneck bollard? I'll go with redneck bollard. But you taught me a word, thank-you! [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollard

mitthrowaway2 3y ago

> Everything I could do in the 1970's, 1990's, 2010's I can do today just fine without a phone. In the 1990s, I remember payphones being conveniently available, but now I need to keep an eye on my battery if I'm going to phone home. In 2010, I could log into any of my accounts with just WiFi and a password, now I need 2FA and often SMS is the only supported option. Sometimes a phone call. So in order to, say, check my bank account, I now need data and cell signal. That combination can be hard to get in a concrete building or while traveling abroad.

deleted 3y ago

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