Reliance on Cell Phones

[jazz4cash]

My iphone 6 was released in 2014 and it does pretty much everything except facial recognition and wireless charging. I watched patiently as a couple of millennials tried to “splain” how to position this phone for wireless charging.

I do much more with my phone than most millenials….I just don’t do social media except ER.org.
I actually replaced this phone with a brand new one of same model but with more memory when it died after four years.

When I log into a website with 2FA I just have to click in the passcode box and the phone will enter the code just received via text.

I had the battery replaced by Apple for $60 after 3.5 yrs and when I paid with the wallet on my phone the Apple rep let out a long sigh and said “ I sure do miss my home button”.

One feature I’d like is outgoing calls only.

 

[mountainsoft]

It happens "automagically" when you go in to Android settings and enable wifi calling.

My Samsung Galaxy J3 Orbit (Android 9) doesn't have a WiFi calling option. However, I think I found a setting in the Google messaging app called "chat features" that seems to allow texting over Wifi. I'll have to try it out a few days and see if my text minutes change.

 

[mountainsoft]

DW doesn't really like cellphones. But she understands the necessity.

I like cell phones for texting and being able to access the internet on the go. However, I think I've made less than 5 actual phone calls with it in the last four years.

What I don't like are all the other gadgets being tied to the phone. I shouldn't need a phone for a camera, thermostat, light switch, or stereo system. For that matter, they shouldn't require wifi or the "cloud" either.

 

[mountainsoft]

You also mentioned using up minutes. You might look into an unlimited plan.

I did, but I use my cell phone so seldom that it's still cheaper to buy minutes than the unlimited plans.

You may find it easier if instead of using the word "phone" you use the word "computer." Smartphones are computers.

It doesn't matter what you call them. One device should not REQUIRE another device to function. Plain and simple. If they can be connected, fine. But it shouldn't be a requirement.

The biggest use was the Kindle app which I use for reading books

I use my Android tablet for reading books. Bigger screen, much easier to read. Same for various news apps. Often more convenient than using my desktop computer. The proper tool for every job.

There are actually amazing things that you can do with that little computer that is always with you.

My cell phone is NOT always with me, and if the "little computer" dies or falls in the creek, it won't do much of anything. Nor would any of the other devices that require the little computer to function.

 

[Katsmeow]

It doesn't matter what you call them. One device should not REQUIRE another device to function. Plain and simple. If they can be connected, fine. But it shouldn't be a requirement.

That applies to a lot of things that are tied to computers (the desktop kind) rather than Smartphones. Many of the things you mention require either a smartphone or a computer. Bear in mind that these are often giving functions that would not exist in a non-computer world. I can understand finding it annoying at times, but I think that ship has quite honestly sailed. I do like it when vendors provide alternatives for the Luddites among us. At the same time, as they dwindle away I can understand how they can decide that the world has moved on. When I was a child my grandparents house did not have a bathroom and they didn't have a phone. The world catered to both of those for a time. But, there also came a time when the assumption was that houses had bathrooms, etc.

Oh -- on the book end of this. I used to use my iPad for reading books. Had a larger screen than my then cell phone. But when I moved to the Pro size iPhone which has a larger screen I found that I was using my iPad less and less. It was much less maneuverable and required 2 hands to hold it. The phone requires one and I found it worked better for me for reading. In fact, a "page" on that phone is closer in size to the paperbacks I used to read than the iPad. I do know people who prefer to read on the tablet and I thought I would but didn't in the end....

 

[corn18]

I get an email every month from my washing machine telling me how many loads of laundry we have done. That is kindof weird.

 

[aja8888]

I get an email every month from my washing machine telling me how many loads of laundry we have done. That is kindof weird.

Too bad you can't have the phone do your laundry!

 

[street]

And to whoever said something about a 4-year-old phone being obsolete, I have an iPhone 7. That came out in 2016 so it's almost 6 years old and it can do everything I just listed and far more. I'm not sure why a 4-year-old phone can't.

That is what I have also and the same years. It does everything that I need it for. I did have the battery replaced last year and all is good.

 

[Koolau]

OP I'm sure some people had complaints when tbe car replaced the horse and buggy. Kind of a silly rant IMO

You are not required to read it. Now who is silly?

 

[MichaelB]

This thread is living proof that no matter how personal, trivial, or inconsequential, no topic is immune from petty bickering.

 

[Koolau]

My phone is 5 years old and does everything discussed here. I fact, I have never found anything my phone won't do that the newest phones do. I do not think a 4-year old phone is so far out-of-date as you are making out to be.

If it still makes phone calls, I'm good with it. Recently bought an Android phone cause I kept getting threatening notifications that 3G was expiring. DW made the switch before me - and they keep telling her that - even though it's 4G compatible, Consumer Cellular doesn't support her phone. She's waiting for it to quit before replacing 'cause she loves the light weight of it (and she's learned to do the things she wants to do with it - which isn't much.)

What I've noticed is that every time we turn around, we find out you have to have a smart phone to DO almost everything (including a home test for Covid.) I see no reason for "living" my life plugged into a phone. I'm not cool with connecting everything about my life to an App. It's clear that - even when you PAY for a service, YOU are still the product in today's App-for-everything world. SO far, I'm not buying in though I'm certain we are approaching a world where you either App or you don't (fill in the blank - fly, drive, buy, enter, probably mate.) We're allowing that to be done to us so it's our own fault. Eventually, it will be irreversible. I'm sure most here disagree with me, but that's okay. We'll know in a few years if I'm right or wrong. I do, indeed, believe my tag line but YMMV.

 

[Sue J]

I get an email every month from my washing machine telling me how many loads of laundry we have done. That is kindof weird.

Yes! I get that, too! Mine tells me how many loads and what type, normal, delicate, etc. Then it gives me the ratio of the type of load to the total. This is important information I didn't know I needed. The latest email reminds me that it's time to run the Tub Clean cycle.

And it wants me to invite all my other appliances to join in on the fun. But alas, they are a different brand and the poor things don't do wifi.

Back to the topic of cell phones.....

Last fall my old 3G flip phone with a cheap legacy prepaid plan was falling apart and DH's hand me down old iPhone was driving him nuts so we got a T-Mobile senior plan and we splurged and got two iPhone 13 minis. The phones are beautiful/slick/Apple techy and do plenty. But it's the last thing I needed. I only use it when I leave the house and then it's mostly used for texting while shopping "I'm checking out soon, need anything else?" At home I have an iPad mini and an IMac desktop. My phone stays in the bowl with my car keys, unless it's charging on it's MagSafe charging thing that Apple prices at a price only Apple can justify. And they don't even include the adapter for the plug!

DH is now firmly attached to his iphone, unless he forgets where he left it. He texts with his siblings and most texts cause all kinds of swearing as he tries to type or gets autocorrected or hits the wrong button and it records his voice...as he's swearing at his phone. Nice!

To me it's not a phone, it's a camera and computer. I mostly text, take pictures or videos and maybe need to browse for something when I'm out. I rarely use it for an actual phone call. I've found that one of the best uses of my phone is the Scan and Go type app when in a store. Our Sam's Club has this and I use it every time I'm there. I also love the Apple Pay feature where you load your cards into the wallet and then use your phone to pay like a tap card.

 

[Koolau]

The problem isn't the advancement in phone technology. It's that it affects things that have nothing to do with cell phones. In other words, I shouldn't need a phone just to adjust the heat in my home, or to use a camera. Using your analogy, it would be like not being able to watch TV or use your refrigerator unless your car was nearby.

The point is don't put all your eggs in one basket.... The car is a car, the phone is a phone. Think of all the stuff you can't use if your phone breaks.

Of course, this doesn't even consider the phone zombies. Any time we go to the mall or a restaurant, every single patron is walking around with their noses in their phones. People aren't interacting, they're not watching where they're going, etc. Heck, I often see people using their phones while they're driving (yes, it's illegal, but people are addicted).

See my rant above.

Yeah, I love that picture from a couple of years back, showing (IIRC) 6 people sitting at a restaurant table - all texting. My brain quickly filled in the fact that they were talking among themselves. Not sure that was the intent of the picture, but it was MY takeaway. YMMV

 

[MRG]

My second career was in technology. A mentor always asked "does it add value?" . He'd use that test for many things including tech and I have borrowed his test.

DW got a new washer and it's wifi capable but I'm not sure it's going to add value to our lives. A health care provider has a portal that has added much value to my life so I use that application. Other things like the application that's the "key" to my vehicle add a great deal of value to my life and I gladly use them.

 

[Qs Laptop]

What I don't like are all the other gadgets being tied to the phone. I shouldn't need a phone for a camera, thermostat, light switch, or stereo system. For that matter, they shouldn't require wifi or the "cloud" either.

Then why did you buy "gadgets" that were tied to a cell phone?

 

[punkinhead]

This thread reminds me of a lot of people of my parents' generation who were actually proud of their inability to use a computer. A phone is a tool. It's not a tether unless you make it one. There will probably come an age where I'll be afraid or unwilling to learn new things but hopefully that's a long way off. And it will be an admission of defeat for me, not something to be proud of.

 

[mpeirce]

This thread reminds me of a lot of people of my parents' generation who were actually proud of their inability to use a computer.

I remember back in the mid-80’s working at computer company that was selling email (among other things). It was a very hard sell for senior management, though more junior people (younger) loved it.

Some of the "senior management had never learned to type and basically looked down at anyone who could type. Often they had their secretary print out their emails and dictated replies.

How times change.

 

[finnski1]

Then why did you buy "gadgets" that were tied to a cell phone?

Agreed. I don't have a single appliance etc that is tied to my cell phone. I see no need for it

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I have a low-end cell phone, a flip phone from Tracfone. I had to upgrade to a newer version (4G) a few months ago. The new phone was nearly free, I only had to pay a few dollars in taxes. It was a minor hassle to set it up.

I rarely use it, mostly if I am out and have to make/receive a call or text, both very rare events. I use it for those 2FA logins so I can get a special code. But 99% of its minimal usage is from junk calls and texts, sadly. I have taken a few pictures with the camera feature

I used to be able to buy only 1 year of service time from Tracfone ($50) but they stopped me from using a gimmick to avoid having to buy even a small number of minutes with it. Minor bummer. The old phone had a calculator feature this one doesn't have. Another minor bummer.

Scrabbler1, I don't know what the gimmick was that you used previously but you can also buy a new phone bundle every year from Tracfone, HSN or QVC for around $60 on sale including 1500 mins/data/texts. Slickdeals is really good about catching all the deals and letting me know when they pop up.
They will let you transfer the unused minutes from your existing phone to the new one and that restarts the 1 year period again as I understand it. Sure you won't be getting a top of the line phone but last week QVC was selling a package for $55 last week which is cheaper than buying just minutes for a year.
Tracfone also now has a 60 day unlock period on their phones, I bought a bundle a couple of months back purely to buy the 2021 Moto G Stylus phone (not 5G) which will unlock in a few days and then I'll put my Tello sim in it. I only paid $74 including taxes less discounts for a 2021 Moto G Stylus, the phone itself was selling for $199 at Best Buy at the time.
The bundle deals are usually 1-2 year old models and they often have Motorolas which is my favorite brand.

 

[mountainsoft]

Many of the things you mention require either a smartphone or a computer.

As long as there are alternative options, I'm fine with that. For example, if I could have activated my Osmo Action camera another way (plugging it into my computer and logging into a web site or something), I probably would have kept it. But only allowing it to be activated with a small list of compatible cell phones is just dumb. It left me with a useless brick I couldn't do anything with.

I have the same issue with web sites that require a specific web browser. For example, if a site only works with Chrome and fails to work with Firefox or the browser on my cell phone. That's just lazy programming. In the same vein, web sites that only work on desktop OR mobile devices. Again, it's not that hard to make a site usable on all devices and platforms.

Or restaurants that have switched to online menus. At least give me the option of a paper menu. It usually takes me 10-15 minutes just to find the right app, and locate what I want when I could have done the same thing in 1-2 minutes with a paper menu.

I can't change the world, but I don't have to like it.

 

[bltkmt]

I am happily reliant on mine. It is a fabulous tool.

 

[Koolau]

As long as there are alternative options, I'm fine with that. For example, if I could have activated my Osmo Action camera another way (plugging it into my computer and logging into a web site or something), I probably would have kept it. But only allowing it to be activated with a small list of compatible cell phones is just dumb. It left me with a useless brick I couldn't do anything with.

I have the same issue with web sites that require a specific web browser. For example, if a site only works with Chrome and fails to work with Firefox or the browser on my cell phone. That's just lazy programming. In the same vein, web sites that only work on desktop OR mobile devices. Again, it's not that hard to make a site usable on all devices and platforms.

Or restaurants that have switched to online menus. At least give me the option of a paper menu. It usually takes me 10-15 minutes just to find the right app, and locate what I want when I could have done the same thing in 1-2 minutes with a paper menu.

I can't change the world, but I don't have to like it.

Well stated. It's not being a Luddite to prefer choices. Also, not everyone has a cell phone (and even fewer have smart phones.) Newsweek claims that 1 in 7 Americans do NOT have cell phones. Excluding 14% of Americans from (say) heart monitors and at-home Covid tests because they don't have a cell phone is inappropriate IMHO. I called the Covid test provider and asked if I could download their app to my computer. NOPE! Can ONLY use a cell phone. What the heck! And why do you need to give your data to someone else - especially HIPPA guarded stuff? Do the Apps follow HIPPA? I don't know and I'm betting most folks don't know. How well do they guard your info? I don't know.

End of rant and YMMV.

 

[mountainsoft]

Then why did you buy "gadgets" that were tied to a cell phone?

Because I had no idea they required a cell phone.

When I bought the action camera there was nothing in the description, or even in the reviews, that indicated it wouldn't work without a small range of compatible cell phones. I wouldn't have wasted my time or money on it otherwise.

The thermostat came with my mini-split. I didn't buy it individually. It wasn't till I went to use it that I discovered I had to use my cell phone to change anything other than basic settings. So it's basically useless for me.

I bought my home stereo for it's sound quality, inputs and outputs, etc. While it doesn't "require" a cell phone, there are some options that are difficult to set without a phone. Again, this isn't made clear until you've already bought the thing and start using it.

The point is there are no other options. Manufacturers just assume you have a cell phone that works with their device. It also assumes I want to have a phone in my hand all the time. I don't.

 

[Sunset]

I know the original questioner has an android phone, but FYI - all (going back to at least iPhone 8) Apple iPhones can have their batteries replaced for either $49 or $69.

https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/service/battery-power

I've had an android phone (or was it Microsoft OS?) that had a replaceable battery.
Batteries for a phone cost ~$10 , apple charges the extra $40->$60 to put it in.

My expensive camera has a replaceable battery, it's easy to design, but does not force me to go pay 5x extra for the "shop" to replace it. They should make them user replaceable !

 

[Koolau]

Because I had no idea they required a cell phone.

When I bought the action camera there was nothing in the description, or even in the reviews, that indicated it wouldn't work without a small range of compatible cell phones. I wouldn't have wasted my time or money on it otherwise.

The thermostat came with my mini-split. I didn't buy it individually. It wasn't till I went to use it that I discovered I had to use my cell phone to change anything other than basic settings. So it's basically useless for me.

I bought my home stereo for it's sound quality, inputs and outputs, etc. While it doesn't "require" a cell phone, there are some options that are difficult to set without a phone. Again, this isn't made clear until you've already bought the thing and start using it.

The point is there are no other options. Manufacturers just assume you have a cell phone that works with their device. It also assumes I want to have a phone in my hand all the time. I don't.

When I complained to CVS that their COvid home test required a smart phone they said "Well, it's right on the box that you need one." I looked at the box and, yes, it did say that. It wasn't quite "small-print" but it was buried in the glowing verbiage about how great the test was. It was the only test they had and they couldn't keep them in stock - so I bought one before they were gone again. I just did NOT expect a home test would need a cell phone. I am certain that the test could easily be made to be used WITHOUT a cell phone. In essence, the "data" produced by the test has to be uploaded to your cell phone and then the "result" is calculated and returned. Imagine if you had to upload your BP, glucose, ketones, etc. to get your result. I'm sure that's coming because it's a mineable set of data that can be exploited by the seller.

Imagine getting constant texts about lowering your BP after you upload your BP results to your cell phone. I'm certain the Covid test company "uses" your data in some fashion to their advantage - why wouldn't they? They certainly do not really need it to complete the test - but you do.