I have switched to a feature phone to allow myself to be bored from time to time and mainly to prevent myself from wasting time that could be better used in activities that while not necessarily more important, they are either more fun or fulfilling in some way. I have been daily-driving a feature phone for over two months and i have noticed some changes so far: I think i'm a bit more emotionally stable, a bit more creative, and enjoy small things a little more. And i even feel like i have more free time.

Have any of you tried or considered switching to a feature phone? I know this might not be for everyone, but i think this might be worth a try.

I only switched from a feature phone during covid, in order to scan the location QR codes. I've not found any downside to having a smartphone, and a few pain points in my life, like forgetting to put money in the right account, have been eliminated. I generally ignore my phone unless I'm at work, where I'll listen to audiobooks while doing tasks that only require half a brain, or while cleaning.

It's probably a lot to do with the habits developed around device use, rather than the device itself. Thinking about it, I really treat my smartphone very similarly to the previous brick in most ways.

My reason for liking my old dumb phone: It was one of the indestructible Blu models with the hard shell and an air gap between the case and screen. I still somehow broke the screen by rolling over it while working under a trailer. *warping ensues* :crack: Buying another used for $15 to figure out menus for transferring to SIM was smart idea.
I only stopped using it as my spare on an $8 plan when 2G support ended.

Unusable
For example you can't import / export contacts. You can't quickly acquire information since you can't use web browser. You can't open city map, so it will be hard to go to new address that you never know. You can't use bank application. And etc.

i wouldn't mind a feature phone, i think the only thing i'd miss would be my solitaire app, but a few old phones have solitaire so who knows

Using a Nokia 6600i as my main device (currently). It's not even a feature phone; it's just old. Germany still supports 2G/GSM network as its barebones and mobile network providers have no plans of dismantling these 2G towers.

I never really caught on to the smartphone craze, all I needed was to make and receive calls. My parents don't like my "don't bother me" mentality, especially my mom because she can't pester me with her religious videos she found on TikTok or got them from our Salafist aunt. My phone doesn't support WhatsApp. I might switch over to a modern feature phone when my Nokia breaks, but only time will tell.

yetanotheraiuser said:
You can't quickly acquire information since you can't use web browser.

That's the point. It should help improve your memory since you would have to wait until you get home to look it up. I remember being able to remember questions i had for over a week when i was a kid and the only way i could access the Internet was an internet cafe. Plus, being bored is good for creativity. Some of the best ideas come during boredom.

I have the feeling that people are not thinking and forming their own opinions by themselves anymore and are just leaving all the thinking to people they follow on social media. Whom themselves are probably doing the same.

yetanotheraiuser said:
You can't open city map, so it will be hard to go to new address that you never know.

You can print maps before leaving home. Or, you know... Just ask for directions like we used to do in the good old days.

yetanotheraiuser said:
You can't use bank application.

You can just carry a wallet full of cash and cards. Personally, my main payment method is cash.

No, no, no. Just no. It was a complete pain to use such phone even for one day. It mostly useless today and wastes space in your pocket. Smartphone It's a great tool and It depends mostly how you use it.

electricitywolf said:
Or, you know... Just ask for directions like we used to do in the good old days.

Especially when someone ask me and I show path on smartphone. Makes great sense for smartphone enemies

electricitywolf said:
I have the feeling that people are not thinking and forming their own opinions by themselves anymore and are just leaving all the thinking to people they follow on social media. Whom themselves are probably doing the same.

I for example don't understand why the most peoples buy apple smartphones. I always buy android smartphone instead and ignore what is popular on media.

I'm on the half-and-half on this. I live in the Philippines, where everyone and their grandparents and kids use Facebook and/or SMS.
I use Facebook primarily for family chats, checking for weather reports and electricity updates.

Downgrading to a feature phone can mean battery life for weeks and going back to basics in just using your phone for calls and texts and even using a flashlight, and taking pictures with a potato quality camera, but it can also mean removing abilities to access to high-speed internet, to have a decent camera, to detect QR codes, to have a huge storage, and and to transact money online. I know there are some models of recent Nokia feature phones that have Facebook in them. There are some people who still use a smartphone, but they cut off any social media apps. There are some videos who can turn your smartphone into a feature phone

I use a smartphone (been using it for 3 years), and I am recalibrating my app usage, (I'm watching YouTube and saving a lot of videos for later, I'm admittingly addicted on Instagram (using it for art), and I would no longer post my artworks on Twitter in lieu of Bluesky and Mastodon starting November). In fact, I'm spending time more on my desktop than on my phone.

A switch to feature phone is nice if it's compatible with 4G, and if you don't want any distractions.

Honestly I feel like owning a smartphone has done the exact opposite for me, I'm no longer chained to my desk doing random nonsense on a computer all day waiting for a client that may or may not call. While it's more than a little inconvenient to do so on a smartphone, I can SSH into the servers, write emails, remote desktop, etc. on the middle of a hiking trail. Any more than that and I would've had to drive to the location either way, but that's very rare.

I don't have any social media apps, and especially none of the brainrot content like TikTok. I really can't stand the people that open a TikTok video every waking moment that they're not doing something else. What is wrong with people who cannot survive a literal minute without picking up their phone and watching some video of slime being cut up with a knife?

The only phone I endorse.