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Other Have you turned your iPhone into a "dumb" phone? If yes: How?

N

Nik

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
I am interested to know if you have turned your iPhone into a "dumb" phone or a much simplified version somehow.

If you did: Please show us what you did, what you wanted to achieve and if you have achieved it.

Thank you!
 
Wouldn't switching off mobile data, wifi, and deleting most apps do it? At that point, it's just a device with a nice touchscreen that makes calls and sends SMS texts.
 
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If you want a dumb iPhone get either a 6S, SE or 7.

They’re all stuck on iOS 15 which isn’t really supported by third-party apps anymore. Not much you can do with those devices these days.
 
I've thought about it. The route I would take is to buy a "feature" phone - a little folder or candy bar that is similar to phones before smartphones took over. They're available at most carriers for a hundred dollars more or less. Look up "Nokia 6300" on Giggle - a good example - less than $100, simplicity at its best.
 
I don't have any social media apps on my phone, that's 'dumb' enough for me. It's a tool. Which is also why I think a Pro Max is ridiculous. I have a 13 Mini and it does everything I need it to do but nothing more.
 
I haven't but I have screen time password on safari (15 mins max daily) and mail to reduce the screen time. I also don't use youtube on it or any video apps, those are 100% banned. So its messaging, light email, podcast, music, maps, ordering apps, etc... It's worked in reducing my screen time. I use my iPad mini as my browsing device/youtube/video. I went from 11hrs to about 2hr screen on time.

If I am really desperate and need to use a browser, I use google chrome and its in my hidden folders app. Adding a little friction has helped reduce screen time and distractions for me.
 
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Nik said:
I am interested to know if you have turned your iPhone into a "dumb" phone or a much simplified version somehow.

If you did: Please show us what you did, what you wanted to achieve and if you have achieved it.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
I’ve thought about doing this to old phones for keeping as devices to use just for searching the internet with no other device data on them or listening to music while I’m on my phone doing something else but I’m not tech savvy enough to know if that would work by just using my WiFi and if I did, would I be able to update the apps or device to use it for very long or on another device if needed or safely or what other drawbacks there might be. I haven’t even plugged in my MacBook in about a year or more now. I use my phone for everything. Do I need something else? I’m paranoid, so I’d like options, but it’s all the same IP address, so is it all the same data being accessed and tracked? I don’t know. I know lots of things, but not about this subject. What are your goals if I may ask?
 
paranoidgraylady said:
I’ve thought about doing this to old phones for keeping as devices to use just for searching the internet with no other device data on them or listening to music while I’m on my phone doing something else but I’m not tech savvy enough to know if that would work by just using my WiFi and if I did, would I be able to update the apps or device to use it for very long or on another device if needed or safely or what other drawbacks there might be. I haven’t even plugged in my MacBook in about a year or more now. I use my phone for everything. Do I need something else? I’m paranoid, so I’d like options, but it’s all the same IP address, so is it all the same data being accessed and tracked? I don’t know. I know lots of things, but not about this subject. What are your goals if I may ask?
Click to expand...
I have a couple of old phones that I use for music and YouTube. if you use a VPN then you can connect to different areas/countries if you are worried about ip addresses. Simply delete the apps that you will never use and connect via wifi. I also use a vpn on my primary phone, it looks like I am somewhere else or another country. Good luck
 
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I spend my time wisely. That's all one really has to do to dumb down a device without handicapping it's performance.
 
Two reasons -
1 you have a phone and an elderly person who gets confused with all the features and really only needs the phone, email and one or two other things.
2. you have a phone and a young person who you want to give the phone to, but don't want them to use all the features yet.
I have set this up for both these situations.
 
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I certainly don’t want a “dumb” iPhone. That said, my screen time is pretty low. The iPhone is a tool for me to use, not a time-waster. Some people can’t resist the “bells & whistles.”
 
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Dumbing down an older iPhone might be useful if you can't afford an upgrade and just want to make calls and texts safely. The tradeoff is between security and utility.
 
Not me! I enjoy all the latest toys and perks of the Apple ecosystem. But if I absolutely had to, I'd probably enable Airplane Mode (with the exception of WiFi), disable iCloud, use Signal or something for texting, and get a VPN.
 
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txmike418 said:
I have a couple of old phones that I use for music and YouTube. if you use a VPN then you can connect to different areas/countries if you are worried about ip addresses. Simply delete the apps that you will never use and connect via wifi. I also use a vpn on my primary phone, it looks like I am somewhere else or another country. Good luck
Click to expand...
Thanks! And thanks for making me feel a little more sane. I have had vpn in the past but more recently I’ve seen reviews about it screwing with some apps and auto turning on or off etc (many popular ones) so I didn’t want more tech stress in my life but on an old device used for a couple specific things, no problem! I don’t have many apps but I use what I have and I have a small business so everything on my phone has to work and reliably. Everything else is bonus stuff but handy! Ya know??
 
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