Dumbphones

Ever feel addicted to your smartphone? There’s an ongoing trend of people buying “dumbphones” – a simplified phone that makes texts and calls – akin to what we used to do back in the day (in the 90s!).

Smartphone use—and especially social-media/social-app use—majorly impacts mental health and sleep. With that said, many people want to disconnect and are asking companies to bring back flip phones and Blackberrys.

While some of us might need more than just texting and calling, there are a few less radical alternatives:

1.      Light Phone: Light Phone is a stripped-down version of a smartphone. It has features like texting, calling, alarm, music, calendar, maps, notes, and even a camera. Light Phone is already in its 3rd iteration.

2.      Dumbphone: The Dumbphone app allows you to customize your phone to make it less appealing, e.g., black/white screen, anti-animation, etc. It’s $9.99/year.

3.      Self-customization is possible! Here are a few tips on how to do that:

·         Use grayscale mode to make the phone less visually appealing. On an iPhone, it’s under Accessibility.

·         On an iPhone, you can go to ‘content restrictions’ to set passcodes to block distracting apps. Have someone set the code for you so that you can’t bypass the setting.

·         Keep the phone out of your bedroom at night to minimize distraction.

·         Turn off the phone while completing major tasks, as its presence can reduce concentration and cognitive performance.

If you decide to undergo a phone detox, good luck! You got this!