Barely Use Cell Phone

[Trailwalker]

When I'm out I usually leave it in the car. But mostly I forget and leave it at home.

I'm sure that is what I would do with one of the bigger smart phones. I only buy the ones small enough to fit neatly into my front pocket comfortably. I also use one of those plugs for the charging port so that I don't gunk it up with pocket lint, which used to be a problem before I discovered the plugs.

 

[athena53]

And we just spent 6 weeks in Mazatlan. We took our phones and for less than $15 got a Mexico phone number with an unlimited talk and text plan for 30 days. My wife was able to speak to her mother regularly.

Oh, yeah. I remember AWFUL international call rates. It was magical the first time I bought a SIM card in-flight in IcelandAir, swapped it out nd had a working phone and a local number when I landed.

I did get a bit peeved when I booked an UrgentCare visit on-line and while I was heading over they called and asked if I'd gotten the e-mailed link to input insurance info. No. Well, she said, they'd take care of it when I got there. "Taking care of it" meant she directed me to a QR code I had to scan so I could input all the info via my phone. Looked like most of her job responsibilities had been offloaded to the patients.

 

[disneysteve]

It incredible that the advantages of carrying around a swiss army knife type communications/entertainment/camera/map/video/productivity device needs to be explained to anyone in the year 2023, but here we are!

Bingo. And this being a financial forum; my phone saves me a ton of money. I no longer own a camera, don’t buy new maps every couple of years, don’t have to print out tickets or directions or coupons or photos, don’t need a portable radio player or music player of any sort, get to play unlimited video games at no cost, no longer need to drive to an ATM every time I have a check to deposit, obtain all sorts of free items that folks in my area are giving away (many of which I resell for a profit), etc.

 

[Amethyst]

1) Internet access while traveling. This is the only reason I originally got a smartphone, and the main reason I've kept it.
2) GPS
3) Camera.
4) Texting with those vendors and contractors who insist on texting. Many younger people, and a few older ones, can't be bothered with email attachments these days.
5) Alarm clock and timer.
6) Check deposit, when direct deposit isn't available.
7) Control of my SONOS speaker system.
8) Oh yeah, those wretched QR codes in restaurants.

I don't use it to play games or chase imaginary critters.

 

[Amethyst]

One thing I'm tired of, is having to use reading glasses with the phone. Making the text bigger just means I have to scroll more to see the full extent of what I'm trying to view.

Younger people laugh at this inconvenience, until they turn 45 or 50 and join the club.

 

[Sunset]

Just make sure the phone you get uses Android or Apple's Operating System.

Then you get your apps from the "store" that the respective one controls.

Note: If you REALLY go out of your way, it's possible to have a weird phone that is using Android/IOS.
I have a Microsoft phone, Runs on Microsoft, but you can't buy them new anymore.
There used to be BlackBerry, not sure if it's around anymore either.

........ <badly quoted stuff>.........

For some reason I thought tracfone locked things down, idk.

The carriers will lock you to their service, example tracphone will lock you to their service for 60 days, after which you can ask for an unlock code. Then you can go get service from T-mobile / ATT / others.

Or you can buy an unlocked phone and go to anyone for service.

 

[pb4uski]

... Or you can buy an unlocked phone and go to anyone for service.

That is what we have done for years. Not only that, the unlocked phones that we buy can be used on both CDMA or GSM carriers so we have options. We previously would buy Motorola Moto phones every 2-3 years... not because whad to be because we wanted the newer feautures. for our last upgrade we bought Pixel 6a's... best phones that we have ever had, albeit $300 each vs $150-200 each.

Luckily, we can afford the extra $100-150 and appreciate the better functionality.

 

[Music Lover]

The carriers will lock you to their service, example tracphone will lock you to their service for 60 days, after which you can ask for an unlock code. Then you can go get service from T-mobile / ATT / others.

Or you can buy an unlocked phone and go to anyone for service.

It's been a law for several years now in Canada that all carriers must unlock your phone for free if you ask them.

 

[FIYes]

Smart phones are just handy! I rarely talk on my phone, but use the many features that others have mentioned with some frequency. Last night, I was driving to an unfamiliar location and used my phone with Android Auto to have a nice map with turn by turn directions displayed.

 

[steelyman]

Here’s an article appearing on CNBC that describes speculation about phones being embedded in our bodies. Not too attractive to me!

Future generations will have devices “embedded under the skin of their ears,” Marty Cooper, who is widely considered the father of the cell phone, told CNBC at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Such devices won’t need to be charged, as “your body is the perfect charger,” Cooper said.

Cooper says he never could have imagined phones becoming the portable computers they are today.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/01/mob...neration-will-have-devices-in-their-skin.html

[ADDED] I think the viewpoint of the gentleman quoted in the article doesn’t take into account the features of today’s smartphones that are more like PDAs (personal digital assistants) than phones for voice communication.

 

[disneysteve]

Another incredibly useful feature, simple as it is, is always having a flashlight on hand. I use that all the time.

 

[badatmath]

One thing I'm tired of, is having to use reading glasses with the phone. Making the text bigger just means I have to scroll more to see the full extent of what I'm trying to view.

Younger people laugh at this inconvenience, until they turn 45 or 50 and join the club.

+1000

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Another incredibly useful feature, simple as it is, is always having a flashlight on hand. I use that all the time.

I forgot about the flashlight feature, I use that a lot.

 

[Marita40]

Posted above that I barely use my cell phone. My carrier is Ting which works just fine and is very cheap for the lowest data plan. About $15.00/month.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

T-Mobile has a $10 plan that some people in this group use and love.

https://prepaid.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans/connect

I pay $6 for my plan and it uses T-Mobile towers.

There is lot's of great deals out there for cheap cellphone plans

 

[Walt34]

I ordered a Samsung Galaxy A23 phone from Ting this morning. BTW, someone else wondered why anyone would still keep a landline. The answer is that cell phone coverage is not as ubiquitous as you seem to think. Here, sometimes cell phones work, sometimes they don't. It's that simple.

 

[mpeirce]

That is what we have done for years. Not only that, the unlocked phones that we buy can be used on both CDMA or GSM carriers so we have options.

Once you get to 4G (LTE) or 5G there is no more CDMA vs GSM distinction.

 

[Philliefan33]

I ordered a Samsung Galaxy A23 phone from Ting this morning. BTW, someone else wondered why anyone would still keep a landline. The answer is that cell phone coverage is not as ubiquitous as you seem to think. Here, sometimes cell phones work, sometimes they don't. It's that simple.

If you have WiFi internet at home and a cell phone that can do “WiFi assist” you will have good cell connection (as long as you have internet)

 

[pb4uski]

Yes, even inside our condo the cell signal can be spotty so we use wifi calling all the time.

 

[ncbill]

Tracfone for the spouse who doesn't want to be able to be reached at all times...left in her minivan for when she needs it...$50 to add 365 days of service.

Smartphone for me on an inexpensive Verizon MVNO...under $15/month for unlimited talk/text, 2GB high-speed data.

Never carried a smartphone until the kids got theirs and started texting me all the freakin' time.

 

[badatmath]

Never carried a smartphone until the kids got theirs and started texting me all the freakin' time.

Funny. When my friend got one he was like the kids suddenly remember me. . .

 

[Car-Guy]

Since retiring 10+ years ago, I rarely use my cell phone. When I'm home it stays in my study plugged into the charger. If it rings at home, I never answer it since I haven't given the number out to anyone. When I leave home I carry it with me "just in case" but I probably only make a few calls a month... If I'm going to be away from home for any length of time, I'll forward my land line to my cell phone, then I'll answer calls. Works for me.

 

[John Galt III]

I have an old cell phone, and use it only when necessary, like receiving security code to log in somewhere. Only take it with me when driving, and often forget it anyway, ha ha. I use pay as you go, to keep it supercheap.

 

[audreyh1]

Interesting thread.

I only make or receive a few calls a month, easily a week goes by without any call.

Texting is more common - a few a week.

FaceTime with overseas family which is the preferred communication - that can be done from any iOS or MacOS device and doesn’t rely on cell phone capability.

So I’m not using the iPhone primarily as a personal communication device. It’s all the other capabilities, especially the fitness and health monitoring along with the Apple Watch, but several other capabilities too.

Data however - I do use that a lot away from the house and as a personal hotspot. I don’t even use hotel WiFi anymore.

Clearly folks have chosen plans that support their lifestyle, budget and preferences.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

My cellphone plan is $6 with Tello (T-Mobile towers) for 100 Minutes, 500MB data and unlimited texts and they let you adjust your plan up or down anytime you need to with no penalty. I rarely make phone calls but I text all day long and need data when I'm out of the house so this plan works great for my needs. They also let me rollover the unused portions of my plan if I manually pay on the 29th day before autopay kicks in on day 30 so I have built up a nice cushion of extra data/minutes for when I'm out of town and might need it.
Great plan for a low user if T-Mobile is good in your area.