Adventures In Dumb Phone Life

The good, bad, and strange of life without a smartphone

The past nine months I’ve been living without a smartphone. Instead, I’ve been using an early version our Zalpha dumb phone as my only phone. While the phones are primarily designed for kids, I mostly don’t need a smartphone either, and I wanted to test how practical it was for someone like me to use a dumb phone.

It’s definitely been strange, but mostly it’s been pretty great; my average mobile screen time is 9 minutes a day.

Zalpha Mobile dumb phone

Minor annoyances of life with a dumb phone

For me, the tradeoffs of switching to a dumb phone were a clear net positive. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything essential, but using a dumb phone causes a series of awkward moments and minor annoyances. My friends sometimes text me web links; I can’t open links on my dumb phone (no internet browser), so if I want to view the link, I can either manually type the URL into my computer browser or awkwardly ask them to email it to me. I’m a frequent flyer and miss the convenience of a mobile boarding pass on my phone. Frustratingly, my preferred airline, Alaska Airlines, recently removed boarding pass printing from their self-service kiosks in the airport. I believe they are the only US airline that has eliminated in-airport self-service boarding pass printing. I occasionally print my boarding pass before going to the airport. If I don’t bring my physical boarding pass, I can still get it printed at the airport, I just need to wait in line (even if I’m not checking a bag). I fly a lot, and rarely check luggage, so a few extra minutes every trip adds up. But since I fly often, I get to wait in the priority line to get my boarding pass printed, and it typically takes less than 5 minutes.

Other (non-airline) tickets can be trickier. Sometimes, I’ll take a picture of the ticket/QR code, but the image quality can degrade slightly from the original, so the scanners occasionally have a hard time picking it up. Depending on the event/venue, a lot of times it’s just easier/quicker to give people my name. I frequently see people near me in line struggling to locate/scan their ticket ask if they can just do what I did. Last year, I went to an NFL game in Seattle. The stadium has switched to mobile ticketing, and I was unable to print my ticket online. The guy at the ticket window was very confused when I told him I didn’t have a smartphone, and I asked him to print me a paper ticket (he did). When I presented my paper ticket to other stadium staff, they all made jokes about it and seemed in awe of my low-tech solution. Not having a smartphone frequently causes confusion, but it is a natural conversation starter.

I don't often take taxis or Uber/Lyft; most of my cab rides are to/from the airport. There are always taxis at the airport, and the taxi line tends to be even quicker and easier than using Uber/Lyft. Getting rides to the airport is theoretically more dependent on the location, but it tends to be very easy and quick to get a cab from large hotels. If I'm staying somewhere where taxis (and public transit) are not readily available, there's a good chance I either rented a car, or someone I know is driving me to the airport.

Splitting checks or otherwise transferring money is not too difficult. While I don’t use Venmo (which requires a mobile app) I do use Zelle (which is tied directly to my bank account). I don’t have the Zelle app on my dumb phone, so I can’t send money to others from my phone, but I can still receive it from them without using my phone. I generally like taking turns paying at restaurants or playing credit-card roulette, but if friends insist on even splitting I can either pay (and have them reimburse me via Zelle) or I can reimburse them with cash. I tend to carry cash to be prepared for such occasions.

A handful of restaurants still use QR code menus, but they also still have physical menus, you just need to ask someone for it. Whenever I’m in a group of adults, everyone else generally has smartphones. If I need to see a menu, scan a ticket, or do anything else that requires a smartphone, I can typically just let someone else handle it.

I frequently attend tech networking events. The norm, at least at Seattle area startup networking events, is to connect with people you meet on LinkedIn typically by scanning the other person’s QR code. I don’t do that; I give people physical business cards. I still connect on LinkedIn, but it’s not on my phone. While using physical business cards may not scream tech-savviness, it is on-brand for a dumb phone entrepreneur like myself, and it makes me more memorable.

To clarify, I still spend a fair amount of time on screens. I use a computer for most of the workday, and I’m not averse to watching TV. I frequently talk on the phone (usually with the screen off). Aside from the minor annoyances, I don’t miss my smartphone. I use email at work/home but not when I’m out in the world. I still follow the news; I’m just always a week behind. If anyone needs to reach me in an emergency they can call/text. I was never really into social media (except LinkedIn). My phone has an alarm, but I use a physical clock-radio as my alarm clock. I rarely look at my phone, and the decreased distraction instantly made a better listener. I frequently talk to people in elevators and while waiting in line. I go for more walks, I sleep more, and I read more books. I look up at the world around me, and I am increasingly hyper-aware of how often everyone else is on their phone.

About the author:

AJ Rice is the Founder & CEO of Zalpha Mobile.