I’m frequently inundated with articles and movies looking to persuade me that switching to a dumbphone is the important thing to residing a balanced, productive week—such a lot in order that I actually regarded as getting one. You will have evident those articles, too: This is a “dumbphone summer,” upcoming all: It kind of feels many people desire a virtual detox, and those easy gadgets appear to be easy methods to do it.
As I’ve idea concerning the subject, even though, I’ve come to the realization {that a} dumbphone solves a couple of issues moment introducing many extra.
Switching would possibly independent me from forever scrolling my social media accounts, however I’d lose get right of entry to to a high quality digital camera that’s all the time with me. I wouldn’t want to offer with notifications from apps that simplest help about maximizing my display screen occasion, however I’d additionally lose my private GPS. And I’d nonetheless have the ability to name and textual content, however I’d leave out equipment like iMessage and FaceTime which can be crucial for staying hooked up. I’m now not in a position to offer all that up.
It’s true that the dumbphone marketplace is adapting to deal a few of these weaknesses, providing gadgets with options like cameras, navigation apps, note-taking apps, and extra. However why trouble losing a substantial amount of cash for a tool like that once I already have a tool I will be able to produce changes to rather?
So, that’s what I did—I took my very impish, very addicting iPhone, and made it dumber. Listed here are the stairs I took, plus some remaining guidelines you’ll be able to attempt your self (moment the directions would possibly range, the following tips will follow to Android telephones as effectively).
I deleted as many apps as imaginable
Apps acquire on my cellphone like cables in a junk drawer. I simplest importance a handful of them, however upcoming trying out apps on my cellphone for years, they’ve added up. Making my cellphone dumber supplied a chance to scrub space.
My recommendation is to be as brutal as imaginable right here. The primary app on my record, AdGuard, remains: I want an advert blocker to produce the fashionable web usable. (Sure, I desire a operating web on my dumb iPhone, and one who blocks predatory apps in addition.) However Amazon? Bye. Bluesky? See you. ChatGPT? Lol.
The concern is to get rid of apps that distract you or suck you in for hours of meaningless task. Social media is a first-rate goal, however even that will get dicey. Are you able to actually ditch all social media in your smartphone? Some can, however others will in finding that closing, or borderline not possible. (Extra on that within the after category.)
Right here’s a useful tip: If you’ll be able to get right of entry to a social media website in a internet browser, do this rather, and delete the app. Don’t store Facebook’s predatory app in your iPhone, and in the event you should discuss with Meta’s flagship platform, accomplish that on Safari. That approach, you’ll have higher privateness protections towards Meta’s monitoring, and also you’ll have a worse enjoy, for the reason that Fb internet app is unpleasant. Just right—that suggests you’ll spend much less occasion on it.
I all set Display screen Moment limits for any apps I will be able to’t delete
Up to it wastes my occasion, I will be able to’t delete Instagram. Life 90% of my importance comes to senseless scrolling, the alternative 10% is respectable socializing that I’d very a lot leave out will have to I ditch the app solely. There are alternative apps on my iPhone I believe in a similar fashion about, and it’s been a day-to-day fight to importance them responsibly.
If in case you have a related cut of apps you’ll be able to’t phase with, I extremely counsel putting in place Display screen Moment limits. It’s simple to do, and allows you to make a selection the volume of occasion you’ll be able to importance an app each and every life. As an example, I’ve Instagram all set to 35 mins of day-to-day importance, however I may make a selection to offer myself extra occasion on weekends, or any life that I believe like. You’ll additionally permit this property for web pages, so in case you are gaining access to Instagram by the use of Safari rather of the app, you’ll be able to all set limits for there too.
With this App Prohibit all set, Instagram will run love it in most cases does till that thirty fifth modest. As soon as the occasion restrict is up, the app is changed through a empty display screen, letting me know that I’ve impaired my occasion allotment for the life. Confidently, I later make a decision to do one thing else with my occasion (possibly place aside my cellphone?), however I don’t need to: The property offers you the way to prolong the occasion restrict through one or quarter-hour, or disable it for the residue of the life. It’s now not the easiest answer for any person missing strength of mind, and I’ve for sure been to blame of extending my occasion limits over and over again. However extra frequently than now not, the lock-out display screen will get me to reduce Instagram for the life. If I simplest burn 35 mins staring at reels rather of 2 hours, that’s nice through me.
You’ll get began surroundings Display screen Moment limits by the use of Settings > Display screen Moment > App Limits.
I disabled notifications for the whole lot
Smartphone notifications are out of keep an eye on. Those indicators will have to inform me whether or not I’ve a unutilized message or when some crucial replace wishes my consideration. When you importance gadget notifications to let me know your app has an superb sale happening, I’m immediately deleting it.
However even if notifications are suitable, they’re excess. Most likely a part of what you abhor about your iPhone are the consistent distractions and disruptions from gadget indicators—now not simplest are the needless ones disturbing, the respectable ones thieve your consideration, too. Ahead of you are aware of it, you’ve wasted any other date scrolling on Instagram simply because somebody answered to a message with a thumbs-up.
You don’t desire a dumbphone to get rid of those distractions, even though: simply disable as many notifications as you can. Any occasion you obtain a unutilized app—which you will have to do sparingly in your unutilized dumb iPhone—don’t permit any notifications. For apps already in your cellphone, exit to Settings > Notifications and disable notifications en masse. You’ll additionally assault them because the notifications are available in: Swipe left on indicators in Notification Middle, faucet “Options,” later make a selection “Turn Off All Notifications.”
This too is difficult. I store notifications on for my chat apps, since I don’t wish to leave out noteceable (or humorous) updates from pals and people. I did top to disable Instagram notifications, which has its execs and cons. I’m now not sucked into each alert I am getting, however I often leave out DMs from pals. There are all the time tradeoffs when prioritizing your occasion.
I made my Lock Display screen uninviting
Apple has made it easy to make your Lock Screen look awesome. The repercussion, alternatively, is that your iPhone appears to be like slightly too inviting each and every occasion you select it up. There’s a very simple approach to that: Form it glance uninteresting AF.
I all set my Lock Display screen wallpaper to twilight—deny graphics or colours catch my optic. I allowed myself so as to add some Climate widgets, together with flow statuses, UV index, and dawn/sundown, as I determine having the elements on my Lock Display screen approach one much less reason why to unencumber my iPhone. (I impaired to have a Information widget there rather, but it surely frequently led to me to obvious my cellphone in response to lunatic headlines, which can be in deny decrease provide in 2025.)
My House Display screen is useless easy, too
Following swimsuit, my House Display screen may be as lifeless as imaginable. I importance the similar twilight wallpaper, and I’ve abstained from widgets. Up to I just like the aesthetics of the calendar and clock widgets, I don’t wish to spend to any extent further occasion in this web page than I’ve to.
What do you suppose to this point?
As such, I’ve strategically positioned the apps I importance maximum (and which, particularly, aren’t brain-rot traps) at the House Display screen. I may store this web page utterly empty, however why now not store the uninteresting, helpful apps at simple succeed in? That approach, my mind doesn’t have remaining occasion to suppose, “Wait, maybe we should just open YouTube instead” as I swipe to the App Library.
In my dock reside my Telephone, Messages, Digital camera, and Track apps. In two layers above it reside Notes, Reminders, Maps, and Libby. (My hope is that maintaining Libby in optic in any respect occasion will inspire me to learn extra, instead than scroll, scroll, scroll.) For all alternative apps, I depend at the App Library, which is just a swipe away.
You’ll get ingenious with this. Via other apps or hacks, you’ll be able to emulate the enjoy of dumbphones like the Light Phone, which merely presentations you a listing of app titles to make a choice from rather of wowing you with graphics and animations. Dumb Phone is one such app: Then putting in it, you choose a gaggle of apps you wish to have to look in your House Display screen, and Dumb Telephone lists the ones in a widget one-by-one. Exchange the colour of your wallpaper to compare the widget, modify a couple of settings, and presto—you personal pretend Sunny Telephone.
This isn’t actually my cup of tea—I nonetheless revel in a conventional house display screen/app icons enjoy—however in the event you suppose you’d want the glance, give it a attempt. (Simply produce positive to accident the “X” within the manage proper nook throughout setup in the event you don’t wish to pay for the subscription.)
Journey grayscale, child
If there’s one tip to remove from this piece, it’s that you simply will have to flip your cellphone to grayscale. This colour filter out makes the whole lot in your smartphone, effectively, grey—wiping away the entire shining, amusing colours that produce it attractive and inviting to importance.
This has been regular recommendation for fighting smartphone dependancy for years, and moment it’s in no way a cure-all, it is helping. Scrolling on Instagram isn’t just about as addicting when the whole lot appears to be like washed out, and it surely doesn’t produce me wish to spend occasion staring at presentations or motion pictures on my cellphone. When you’ve eradicated notifications solely, you gained’t realize the convenience in how a grey notification badge is a ways much less subtle than its shining crimson counterpart—however later, you’ve gained that fight already.
As all the time, a caveat: I love my dumb iPhone, however I don’t wish to punish myself. If somebody sends me a video, or if I see one thing cool on-line that merits to be evident in colour, I’ll transfer off grayscale briefly. Does that defeat the aim of my dumb iPhone? Perhaps, however I’m making my very own regulations right here.
I’m ready a greyscale shortcut
The most efficient compromise I’ve discovered is to assign the grayscale filter out to the facility button’s accessibility shortcut. You’ll in finding this below Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut. Make a selection “Color Filters,” later triple-click the facility button any occasion you wish to have to toggle grayscale on or off.
Alternative tactics to produce your iPhone dumber and not more amusing to importance
The above is what I’ve completed to produce my iPhone much less addicting, and, total, it’s helped. I’m now not positive if it’s the adjustments themselves, or how the adjustments continuously take me back to the fact to importance my tool with aim, however, both approach, I’ve been decreasing my display screen occasion, and making what remainder extra fertile. That’s a win-win.
There are alternative tactics you’ll be able to produce your iPhone much less interesting to importance, and, thus, reclaim your display screen occasion as effectively. Listed here are some tips:
Significance a matte display screen protector: Those display screen protectors shorten i’m sick on glare, but additionally emulate the enjoy of an e-ink display screen. That would possibly support any alternative Libby customers in the market who desire a extra soothing studying enjoy.
Disable Face ID/Contact ID: Bear in mind the times of punching on your passcode each occasion you unlocked your iPhone? It sucked. Power your self to do it once more. Realizing that you simply’ll want to input your passcode any occasion you wish to have to test your cellphone would possibly crack the dependancy of senseless pickups. (Higher but, all set an alphanumeric crosscontract. That’ll display you.)
Store Low Battery Form on all the time: If in case you have a Professional iPhone, your show has a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh price. Turning on Low Energy Form drops it all the way down to 60Hz, which, moment usual for lots of iPhone customers, appears to be like uneven upcoming you’re impaired to 120Hz.
Will I store my iPhone dumb eternally?
Am I dedicated to my unutilized dumber iPhone way of life? I’m now not positive. If I may bet a supposition, I feel what’s committing to occur is that this: I’ll in the end transfer off grayscale, upload a pleasing Lock Display screen and a well-curated House Display screen, however store my minimum notifications and restricted app variety. I love the theory of keeping up a “normal” iPhone enjoy, however with out lots of the issues that produce it a distraction—even though that suggests ditching probably the most extra closing dumb-phone-like measures.
Realizing that, I’m up to now glad I didn’t spend masses of bucks on a devoted dumb cellphone. One thing tells me that I’d be itching to change again to my iPhone in a heartbeat.
