If you’re a typical human being, you probably spend too much time staring at your smartphone. So do I. But a couple of weeks ago, my smartphone developed a fault and had to go in for repair. No one had a spare Android to lend me, so I thought I’d see how I coped without one.
(For clarity, I still had access to a basic mobile phone and my laptop. I was not exactly Robinson Crusoe.)
Day 1
Feeling anxious about being cut off from things, especially with no WhatsApp. I check my emails on my laptop and manage to book an interpreting job for later in the week. Everything needs more planning now: I have to print out maps, write down train times. In theory I can call and text anyone I need to, but I don’t have most people’s numbers, just the handful I could save to my sim. The alarm function works on my basic phone, which is a relief, and of course the battery life is better.
Day 2
Feeling cut off from what is happening in “the world”, I decide to buy a newspaper. I don’t know where to get off the bus so I ask the driver to let me know. In the end, I recognise the turn-off to the prison. On the way back, I don’t have return train times written down, so I don’t know if I have time for a coffee before heading to the station.
I miss:
- being able to look up definitions and etymologies (I had to write down ‘leptokurtic‘ to look it up later)
- sending random photos of things that amused me
- getting freebies and discounts via my apps
The positives: my phone is no longer pinging with stupid notifications, only about 10% of which matter. It’s very quiet. I don’t even know what this phone’s ringtone is.
Day 3
Feeling less overstimulated and better able to do nothing. But alarmingly, I can’t authorise payments or move money! My most-used bank account is app only.
Day 4
I remember the existence of balances from ATMs. Moving money is still a problem but at least I can see how much I have. I’m feeling less left out from WhatsApp but still wishing I could take and send photos. I haven’t got a calendar on the basic phone so I thought, I know, I’ll take a photo of it on the computer with my phone!
Nope.
But printing maps is going ok. I should probably print my weekly calendar, too. I saw the round up of the general election coverage on the TV while having breakfast in the morning, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out there, despite not having social media on my phone.
Day 5
I manage to get on WhatsApp! I thought my computer would realise that my phone was not there, but it didn’t and I can still see my messages on WhatsApp web. I hadn’t missed much.
I find I am actually spending more time on Twitter than before, because I had time controls on my phone for it, but there are no time controls on the laptop.
I check what’s happening with my phone repair and see that Music Magpie has marked it “Rental order closed”. Hmm.
Day 6
I’m not missing my phone as much on journeys, but I do miss audiobooks on the go. Day 6 was a Sunday and I couldn’t read my Greek Bible at church (on the Bible App). I didn’t have a Bible with me at all, in fact, but the verses were up on the screen at the front.
I’m still appreciating the peace and quiet, but my mini-brick of a phone doesn’t have as good audio on calls. For some reason, I seem to have fewer emails now. Maybe it’s just the summer, or maybe emails generate more emails, and ignoring them for a few hours destroys their power.
I emailed Music Magpie to ask for an update on my repair, and whether I need to get a new phone now.
Day 7
By unfortunate coincidence, this is changeover day for my home internet provider. I have no WiFi at home. I consider going to a cafe with my laptop to check my emails but decide to leave it as I’m going to stay over at my sister’s house in East Kilbride anyway, and it will have WiFi.
Day 8
At home all day in EK. WhatsApp is apparently still working despite the change of WiFi. No need for a smartphone today.
Day 9
I forgot I had a phone. I left it in another room and didn’t see a text for hours. The world did not end. I’m still spending too much time on Twitter, but I find I like catching up on WhatsApp conversations in a oner rather than receiving a message at a time.
Music Magpie confirms that the phone couldn’t be repaired. I order a new smartphone, exactly the same except the colour, because I was very happy with it. (Samsung S10 E – one of the few smartphones small enough for a woman’s hand.)
Day 10
New phone arrives! Now begin the 12 hours or so of installing apps and setting it up to my liking…
In conclusion
I very much enjoyed not getting notifications all the time. I’ve changed notification settings on my new phone so that I get far fewer. It feels as if you might miss something important, but these things are never really as urgent as they pretend to be.
I am less phone-addicted than I was, at least for the time being. I hope that continues. And now I have time controls on my new phone, I am not wasting my life on Twitter any more.
Would I change to a basic phone? No. A smartphone is just too useful for my work. The main thing is that I often need to get travel directions for a last-minute interpreting job when I’m out of the house. Printing out train times in advance won’t help there. Plus, WhatsApp web wouldn’t work indefinitely without a smartphone connection, and it’s a useful tool for coordinating groups of people.
But it is possible to mitigate the drawbacks of not having a smartphone with preparation and old-school technology, like notebooks, newspapers or books, and newer tech like a Kindle and ATMs. All this makes me appreciate how much is packed into my wee smartphone and how little I have to lug around as a result. I only wish they weren’t designed to be so flippin’ addictive!
K C Murdarasi 
That must have been tough. I do so much of my admin on the go on my phone!
Sent from Outlook for Androidhttps://aka.ms/AAb9ysg