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votes
Looking for recommendations for a dumb phone (Canada)
So I am considering switching to a dumb phone. All I really need it to do is call and text. However, the texting part might be slightly tricky. I am fine learning how to text using a numpad, but being able to do group chats would be something I would want to keep. Using Google Messages as my texting app even on an older Samsung has worked to get effective group chat functionality, so being able to access the Google Play Store to download it would be beneficial. Other than that, I don't have any other tasks I need to do on my phone. Does anyone have any recommendations?
A list of requirements:
- Available in Canada
- Can handle group chats or can download and install Google Messages
- Ideally not too expensive
That's likely going to severely limit your choices in the dumb phone market, potentially down to zero. What I use as my "dumb" phone currently is an Android (any super cheap one will do, I went for one with a really tiny screen), with all the pre-installed apps and Google/manufacturer bloatware completely uninstalled using Universal Android Debloater NG so it only has the small handful of apps I actually use (I use the dialer and sms app from the Fossify suite, plus a simple reminders app for meds and stuff). You could also install a minimal launcher (along the lines of Easy Launcher) that would let you hide the Play Store once you've finished installing Google Messages.
That looks promising. I think doing something like this might be a good second option. It creates a good barrier where it strips all the smart phone features I do not want, and actually puts a decent barrier between me and the distractions
I gave up on the dumbphone trend but the CAT S22 Flip I used fits your requirements. If you are in berta, I will sell you my old one for a couple twenties and a crisp high five
How did you like the CAT S22 Flip? I'm looking for options for my kids and this looks promising.
May I ask why you gave up on the dumbphone trend? How was your experience with the CAT S22 as my search shows that it is promising for me.
I am not in berta, but the province beside. If you are willing to ship, I would consider doing an e-transfer and paying for shipping as well.
I also gave up on actual dumb phones after going through a number of them, for a few reasons. The main one being that the majority of them only support 2g/3g networks which are being retired, meaning that they're pretty much destined to become bricks sooner or later (if not already, depending on the carrier). Another reason is that for a long time dumb phones tried to compete with smart phones by bloating themselves up with stupid "app stores" and other features that don't work anymore but make the phones a chore to look at and use. The only way to really get a clean experience that uses modern networks is to get one of the more recent neo-dumbphones like a LightPhone, Mudita Kompakt, or Minimal Phone, but you could get a cheap Android and strip the software down into basically the same thing for like 1/3rd or less the cost of those (all of those neo-dumbphones use Android under the hood too).
I looked into the LightPhone and the Minimal Phone, but I believe the LightPhone will not work with my carrier. The Minimal Phone looks promising, except for the price and not having a removable battery. One of the things that frustrates me with modern phones is that the battery is a consumable but is not easily replaceable and instead manufacturers just think people should get a new model.
I think getting a cheap Android and putting in the effort to really strip it down might be the route I have to go.
I highly recommend using an older android phone but delete, uninstall, and disable virtually everything besides the few key apps you really want.
I am using a Google Pixel 5 (and I have a few more spare ones to keep using when this one dies). On this phone, I have the following: phone app, messages, browser, maps, notes, pocket casts (podcasts), calendar, and that's it. Anything else that I'd need my phone for will have to wait until I can get to a computer. Want to email me? I'll get to it tonight? Need to send me money/request money from me? It will have to wait until I get to my computer tomorrow.
Yeah, that might be a direction I go down. I had a Google Pixel 4a, but the screen got broken about a year ago, and the replacement screen costed more than I wanted for the little bit of support it still had. I have been using my old phone as a temporary replacement (which is way past support), but the issues have started to grow too long. I have spent the past year and a half reducing the tasks that I use my phone for, and am at the point now where I mainly just need it to text/call. If a restricted smartphone is what is the main viable option for my use case, then I will probably just have to spend more time doing setup to restrict the device to my preferred use case.
This mentality seems counter-cultural, but is actually accepted by more people than it would intuitively seem. Last fall I stopped having my phone on me all the time, and told people that I may not be reachable within 15min, but normally I can be reached within an hour or two. It never caused an issue, and more people could operate this way than they realize. Very little needs immediate action.