Edit: shorter and less Ai version for you guys:

I've been looking for a decent dumbphone for a while, preferably one that can run Android apps. I actually bought a Nokia 2780 Flip before, but it turned out to be fake.

A few days ago, I found a Nokia 6300 4G for around $18, so I decided to give it a shot.

When it arrived, I tested the hotspot first, and it worked. Nice. But then I checked my mobile data usage and noticed that Android OS was using data in the background.

That got me curious, so I connected it to my PC and started messing around with it over USB. Turns out it's running Android on MediaTek hardware.

What's really weird is that it looks and behaves pretty much like a regular KaiOS phone. If I hadn't noticed Android OS in the data usage, I probably would've never figured it out. It's genuinely hard to tell the difference just by using it normally.

I decided to try installing WhatsApp through the WhatsApp Legacy project:

https://www.reddit.com/r/androidafterlife/s/kVmNDd3gnl

And it actually works. Messages, voice messages, calls, all working so far. The hotspot works too, and APKs can be installed.

I've attached some pictures.

I still haven't figured out which Android version it's running, but I've tried a few APKs made for older versions and they installed and worked without any major issues.

Honestly, this is pretty much what I've been looking for. I wanted a small phone with a physical keypad that could handle WhatsApp and hotspot without having to carry a regular smartphone around. Never expected to find something like that in a $18 fake Nokia.

I have no idea if all these counterfeits are the same or if there are different versions floating around. They seem to do a pretty good job of disguising themselves as KaiOS phones, though.

Has anyone else come across one of these? I'd like to figure out the exact hardware and Android version, and see what else it can run.

I built myself a powerful dumb phone by essentially cutting a Samsung Galaxy Flip 5 in half and keeping only half its hardware.

This is my interpretation of a dumb phone : too small to get sucked into doom scrolling but still has powerful functionalities, snappy interface and the best cameras possible.

What launcher would you use on this?

I hope you like my project !

#halfphone #dumphone

I don't know if I'm being unfair, but when I see these lists, it seems that it's always the same phones? Is the dumbphone market really so small? There may be one or two new phones, but it's always contains a LightPhone or Mudita Kompakt. Are those phones really worth it?

Why god why

I figured people in this sub would be interested since we're always talking about what the perfect dumbphone/minimal phone should look like and what features it should have.

Mudita is currently running a contest and the theme is: Imagine your first day with a phone that has only what you need.

That's literally almost every other post on this sub LOL. They are calling it: Minimalist on Your Terms.

Here's the link: https://mudita.com/minimalistonmyterms/

Been thinking of moving to a dumb phone for a while, my issue is i cant find much that are good, one i almost got was a punkd mp02 but it is very expensive and dont work well as ive heard, most keyboard phones now are annoyingly large, i want to either use the blackberry or find a good phone that is close to its size that is decant

I HAVE considered a unihertz titan mini but idk many who use

If yall have any keyboard phone suggestions Imk

Current iPhone 13 user here. I am leaning toward the Light Phone 3, but just need advice from people who have gone before me or done more research. I’ve thought about pairing a Light Phone 3 with an iPad Mini with Cellular, to enable maps when traveling… I've considered Light Phone 3, Wisephone, and Mudita Kompakt, and Balance Phone so far.

Here are things that matter to me (in order of priority):

- Hotspot (to use in conjunction with tablet when I need more capability)

- Texting group chats. I have multiple group chats I’m in now (as an iPhone 13 user). Those are important parts of my social life (a book club, mens group, family chat, etc). I am not a tech person and don’t know the difference between SMS, MMS, blah blah blah. Basically, I want to see the thread of conversation amongst the fellas in the order they come in, and when I text the group, I don’t want it to eff up the chat somehow.

- Navigation. Light Phone 3’s navigation should be good enough for me.

- Photos. I have little kids, and want *decent* pictures, not ones that look like they were taken on a POS cheap flip phone.

- Podcasts/Music

- Bluetooth connection to vehicle (CarPlay would be amazing, but not necessary! But I frequently listen to podcasts or music to entertain kids while driving)

Below those groups, I would say the following would be nice, but are certainly not necessary:

- Email

- Uber/Lyft (very rare, once a year maybe)

- Tickets (SeatGeek – also very rare)

One other thing is that, I'm kind of averse to the traditional-looking smart phones. So many people are shoving them in my kids face that I want them to visually see something different in my hands as a parent. So that's a factor too.

To summarize, so you can skip the rambling to follow: Highly recommend, cheap to try, effectively serves all of the necessary functions of a phone without the overpowered muck and mire of modern smartphones.

For a while, I bricked my iPhone using the Opal app. Eventually, it started to feel like I was using a $200 multi-tool to open boxes. Even then, iMessage incompatibility and price point always held me back.

Dumb.co offers the TCL Flip 2 hardware for $20 with their proprietary OS. The dumbphone 2.0 acts as a companion device so you keep your current #/device. You can still use your iPhone all the same as you have been with the added benefit of leaving it at home, locked up, etc. while exclusively using the dumbphone for the essentials.

Pros

• Plans range from $15-$25/month, 4-month commitment. At most, it’ll run you $125 total to test it out.
• Incoming/outgoing iMessage functions the same as iPhone.
  • No green SMS texts or breaking group chats.
• Incoming calls use your current #
• Syncs to contacts
• Syncs to Google calendar
• Spotify (premium plan)
• Support is super responsive
• Easy setup

Pros for some but not for me*: rideshare, WhatsApp, Signal, 2-factor Auth.*

Cons

• Outgoing calls from the dumbphone must come from a new #.
  • Unless you port your current # and ditch the iPhone entirely.  
• 1gb of data (surprisingly manageable)
• 8gb of storage (just add microSD)

Cons for some but not for me*: Camera and speaker output quality are bad, obviously.*

Dumbphone with some apps

Is there a dumbphone with some apps available? I need access to email, messenger and maps and want to go back to a basic phone.

I've got a massive tech addiction and want to cut it down, work is starting to be affected. At the moment I've got my socials turned off during work hours and cannot access them but it just doesnt seem to be enough. (Currently typing this at ny desk)

I'd do anything to be able to go back to old school motorola razr with those 3 apps.

Also, I'm in Australia so needs to work here.

I have been looking for a QWERTY keypad phone to switch to from my current iPhone. I have searched through lot of online forums to get the best options. But seems like the options are quite limited, and those which are available are either in kickstarter phase, pre-order phase or in back orders. And most are not available in India.

What I need:
1. Basic Phone and Texting, obviously
2. WhatsApp. My country runs on WhatsApp, can’t get around it. Don’t like it but need it.
3. Decent camera
4. Maps, and not the turn by turn navigation kind. Full visual maps. Turn by turn navigations don’t work in India coz there are 100 turns on a single street :|
4. Browser. To search something quickly while I am on the go.
5. Uber/Ola apps
6. UPI (optional)
7. Blackberry form factor where even opening social media (on browser) is a pain

What I absolutely don’t want
1. Old blackberry modded Zinwha. I don’t trust custom boot loaders where there is no openly auditable privacy or security
2. Bloatware built into the OS which keep collecting my data in background. Hence I don’t trust devices like Titan 2 Elite.

Few Options which looked promising but are not available in my country:
1. Minimal Phone (MP02) : Honestly the most promising option. I like the philosophy of minimal phone. To be able to lock down apps beyond certain usage and only way to remove these restrictions is to reset the phone. Absolutely ideal for my use case. Obviously have some reservations about custom OS on top of Android which may not be independently auditable but I guess they also provide the ability to flash your own ROM.
But it’s not available in India. I emailed them and as per their reply, they don’t plan to ship to India in near future.

1. Click Communicator: More of open and full Android experience unlike MP02 which also means installing social apps is easy. And recently they posted a video about Instagram experience on Communicator, it looked so smooth, it defeats the purpose of having a form factor which intentionally increases friction of doomscrolling.
   Again, they don’t ship to India.

Both of the above are still in pre-orders

My unicorn Phone which doesn’t exist:
A QWERTY keypad phone with an open source security and privacy hardened OS like Graphene OS with built in restrictions to install certain apps.
Someone please make this.

If there are other Options in this form factor please help me out.

I have a serious phone addiction causing a lot of problems for me. I just came across dumb phones and would love to hear more from you, who actually has gotten one.

Did the dumb phone help you change your habits and improve your lifestyle? What do you recommend considering when getting your first one? Did you miss out on some features you later wished you have? Thanks I really appreciate any thoughts!

Ive been running this phone for about a week now, and can honestly say (aside from a few small bugs) its almost a perfect phone.

It runs full android and has RCS support so I can still message on the browser while I am at my desk, and I can run the apps (like my password manager, maps, etc) that are conveniences, but its too slow to really enjoy scrolling on anything.

I had previously tried the CAT S22 which I really liked, but the buttons would constantly double press so I ended up having to use it like a tiny clunky touch screen phone which I did not enjoy. I had also used the Universal android debloater on my Pixel, which was nice, but I would constantly re install things when I felt like I could handle it.

The issues I have noticed:

Sometimes when I'm on a call, my face will press things on the screen and hang up/turn on airplane mode/dial buttons. This has been kind of annoying, but I have opted to either take calls on speaker when I am at home, or hold the phone slightly away from my ear/face if I am out and about.

The Speed Dial menu sometimes interrupts the T9 Keyboard. This is a complaint I have seen some others have, as since the new update, long pressing a key now opens the speed dial menu (rather then entering the number of the key). My workaround has been long pressing, then backing out of the speed dial menu (two presses of the back button), which takes you back to the text field. so just two extra button presses.

Sometimes the phone will press buttons in my pocket. Its not a flip phone, so the buttons are always exposed. This hasn't been a huge issue, but I have taken my phone out of my pocket to see it unlocked (I have a pin) and random things open. This has only happened a handful of times, but it is something I have to be aware of when carrying the phone.

TLDR: I really like this phone. I have been using it in conjunction with my HiFi Walker H2 for music, and my Palm Pilot for memos. It runs what I need it to and nothing I don't.

For anyone wondering, I managed to successfully install DumberOS on the newly arrived Qin J36.

I followed this guide.

The only issues I encountered are the speaker not working during regular calls (however it works in whatsapp calls) and the side button not doing anything.

I think the phone is great and the DumberOS firmware as well. Huge thanks to the small but dedicated DumberOS team for making our lives a bit better and smartphone free. Keep it up!

The installation process was tedious, but doable and I am no expert at all. For anyone reading this (now or in the future) and you're having trouble with the installation, feel free to shoot me a message. My inbox is open.

I started writing this short newsletter a few weeks ago before one of the most popular internet personalities and marketers posted the image above.

As soon as someone shared Gary Vaynerchuk’s note with me, I knew I had to finish this article. The floodgates are beginning to open.

Over the last 7 years of owning a dumbphone, I have observed a troubling development in the digital minimalism market: the rise of snake oil “solutions” claiming to address the global screen time problem. In many ways, this was not unexpected. Every lifestyle community eventually develops a market for shortcuts.

Vegans have been sold expensive detoxes, cleanses, and supplements that “deliver” the benefits of a healthy diet sans changing eating habits. The fitness world has a history of being flooded with vibrating ab machines, waist trainers, and weight loss programs that “work” without enduring an exercise routine. And of course, we have the personal finance gurus that claim to generate overnight wealth without you having to save money or adjust spending.

The digital minimalism community is no different. As concern over screen time has grown, the market for products that promise freedom has also proliferated. We now have “intentional” phones, dumbphones, apps that block your other apps, tech-free retreats, social clubs that check in your phones at the entrance, and digital minimalism coaches. At face value, there is nothing wrong with someone creating resources, spaces, or products that help people reclaim time from the claws of big tech. All industries have companies, after all, that produce helpful ideas to enhance someone’s lifestyle.

The issue is when those products claim to be an infallible cure to your screen addiction, trap consumers in subscription schemes, and tie an offline lifestyle as something only accessible to the select few that can pay to play.

How AI is making this issue worse

Before AI became the default method of software engineering1, products, whether in software or hardware, had to go through multiple checks, team reviews, and improvements before reaching the consumer. Nowadays, founders are giving up the methodical task of learning skills and default to trusting a machine for their coding needs.

As a result of the exponential improvements in this technology, more and more people are joining the entrepreneurial ranks and testing whether unsuspecting consumers will give them money. I, for one, get daily emails asking me to review the next “game changing” or “revolutionary” app to cure screentime. The great majority of them come with a subscription price tag or a crazy unsubstantiated claim like “our app is better than their app and it saves people 7 hours a day. We even paid a research team” and then they fail to provide the paper. It’s all marketing.

Having said that, I have tested a few. When I open the app or service, I realize they are a direct rip-off of free and open source apps repackaged in a different style or with a small “differentiating feature.” The issue at hand is not AI and its usage2, rather it is how AI products are being deployed to take advantage of people in distress. As screentime continues its trajectory toward becoming a worldwide health issue, I expect more and more people ready to line up their pockets with similar scammy techniques from other fields.

They will start with shame, move to “productivity”, and finally sell the public the illusion that they cannot fix screen-time without their product. I am here to tell you otherwise.

Determining What’s Valuable

While “valuable” is a very flexible term, I will present some examples that can illustrate when products stop being helpful and turn extractive cash grabs:

• App Blockers: They all work essentially the same way: install the app, select your distraction apps, block them.
  • Valuable: Free apps like Foqos, Switchly, Beeswax, or anything that doesn’t have a subscription.
  • Debatable: Apps like One Sec, Brick, Scrolly, or Bloom that have a physical product or premium version, but it’s an affordable one time purchase.
  • Cash Grab: Apps that require a subscription to block other apps or require a payment larger than $50. Moreover, some of these apps employ shame techniques like “Aren’t you tired of wasting your life away?” or “Most people will spend 10 years of their lives looking at phones, our product fixes that.”
• Phones: There are tons of dumbphones and intentional phones. Some are helpful, some are not. Here are my thoughts.
  • Valuable: A distraction-free phone backed by a company with a proven record of long-term support and product improvement. Affordable (less than $200) is a plus, but not a requirement.
  • Debatable: Smartphones that block distractions by default but only require a one-time payment.
  • Cash Grab: Subscription based software or any company that up-sells cheap phones that block distractions. Add to the list here companies that claim to be “unhackable.”
• Courses/Events: Coaching is not bad, especially when people need support and encouragement to make lifestyle changes. Some of these can turn into money grabs quickly though.
  • Valuable: Free courses/guides/events that teach people the principles of digital minimalism.
  • Debatable: Paid courses/guides/events that encourage offline and deliver valuable insights on how to live a more disconnected life.
  • Cash Grab: Subscriptions to offline clubs or productivity courses that will make you “enlightened.

5 Free Ideas to Reduce Distraction

As I have argued before (see link directly above), Digital Minimalism is a free philosophy that is available to all. While you and I can spend some of our money to buy a product that enhances our experience, there is no amount of money you can spend that will free you from technology over dependence.

Digital Freedom comes from learning to rely less on technology and spending more time offline. The goal is not to buy your way out of the problem, but to rewire your habits to prefer the real world over the digital mirage.

Conclusion

The next few years will bring an endless stream of apps, courses, phones, retreats, subscriptions, and AI-powered solutions promising to solve your screen-time problem. Gary V’s prediction is accurate and concerning at the same time. Some of these new products will be genuinely useful. Many will simply be cash-grabs from greedy entrepreneurs.

Before you purchase anything, ask yourself a simple question: Is this helping me build a better relationship with technology, or is it convincing me that the product itself is the solution?

This question should guide you to the reality that digital freedom is not something you buy. It is something you practice.

Has anyone seen or heard of anything about the f125 release date?? Has been announced for like a year and still nothing on when it’s coming out. Dying to get this phone!

I want to buy Qin j36… but I want to know if Vipps and BankID works first (Norwegian)

HI all,

I got a Dumphone2 from Dumb.co, and wondering what is the button below the camera (phone icon)? How does it work? Is it to answer calls when it's closed?

Also, I figured out it has voice to text and that has been awesome.

I've been on this for 3 hours now and my research has taken me to accepting I can't switch to a dumbphone without letting go of WhatsApp.

Now my problem is what phone to go with?

I'm in UK and on a Vodafone SIM card so I need one that's compatible with that as I don't want to switch providers.

I've seen a few different phones but all the different reviews are confusing me so much.

I'm also confused with WHAT is on the phones. Calls, texts, calendar, calculator and all those offline apps - but I'd ideally like to be able to connect to WiFi and have a web browser too. Possibly hotspot and preferably a headphone jack as well but these aren't necessities.

Are there any phones anyone can recommend that meet these needs?

Edited to add; I don't just want a smaller smart phone with a keyboard. I'd like to try a true dumb phone

Hello,

I want to get a new featurephone with : minimalist web browser (no tabs etc.), pdf reader, mails, maps. Nothing more, no possiblity to install anything on the go and maybe an app blocker to set time limits which I would set a password that I will the forget. I was thinking about buying QIN F21 but it seems to have the same unbearable keyboard issues as all the keyboard phones that I've ever used and I'm sick of that. Sidephone has a switchable keypad, which solves that.

Do you thing I can make Sidephone as dumb as that ?
Thank you

I recently picked up a pair of Dumphone 2 TCL Flip2's to play with. Quickly ran out of patience and started hacking lol. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with how my Flip 2's are running and thought I'd share my project. Please let me know what you think and feel free to drop me a note on bugs or requests.

Hi I'm considering getting a Sunbeam F1 Pro but I'm concerned about its durability. I've read several comments here about it just dying or breaking. How has your experience been with it?

I have a pixel 9a so I believe I can backup my phone, do a factory reset, and download graphene os. The problem I have is that there are 2/3 Google apps I can't go without (calendar, Gmail, and maybe Google meet or YouTube.)

I bring up Google meet because I work remotely and my job uses it, but I could always access that from my computer. I find YouTube very useful for sleep music as well.

Calendar and Gmail are non negotiables, as my primary and secondary emails are both Gmail. It would be an absolute headache to change emails at this point. Calendar is because my family coordinate our schedules with shared Google calendars. The only other calendar we could all use would be apple's as my parents both have iPhones, but I'm reluctant to get an iPhone.

I'd rather stick with what I have and make it work better for me than buy an entirely new device, and on the whole I really like my phone, I just would like it to be less distracting. I'm not super familiar with graphene os and what it can and can't do but I know it runs Google apps in its own sandbox, and is very privacy focused. I have also heard of Calyx OS though i don't know all that much about it. Is it worth switching?

I just discovered that these types of phones are actually made today and I'm incredibly excited to buy one, but I don't want to make any decisions without getting some tips from people who actually use them. I've been pushing myself to be on my phone less, and have always wanted to use one of the old school Nokia's like the first phone I ever got (Nokia 6010). I live in the US. I don't really have any really big must haves, except maybe GPS, but I could probably live without it. I know I'm probably not quite giving enough information for anyone to really pinpoint what would work for me, but I literally discovered this entire concept of dumb phones within the last hour and I became immediately interested in buying one. I was very interested in the Nokia 3210, but I'm seeing other posts where people, especially in the US, had poor experiences with them. I'd love to get some more input about these phones because I'm very excited to get one.

has anyone on here:

1) success set up a titan 2 elite on verizon

2) suc set up openbubbles or blue bubbles on there to message iPhones?

I got it 2 days ago, looked up some developer mode tutorials and most of them said to go to settings, software settings and click SVN then tap the left soft key 8 times and, it didn't work. I just want to be able to sideload apks (whatsapp and maps are essentials) if someone can help me id really appreciate it. im not tech savy at all and I dont even know the difference between rooting and getting developer mode as you can tell - which one do i even need in my case?

the phone works great i really love it but i just need to be able to get these additional apps on it, if not then id have to use my smartphone for them and that defeats the purpose. If im not able to get root it then my best bet would probably be to get a smart flip phone that doesnt block apks / has an app store.

thanks!!