Should I give my Galaxy A34 to my bf and get an iPhone 8?

[fati22]

I bought a Galaxy A34 last year. Other than the camera, I'm quite happy with it and I have no problems. But the problem is that I am a person who has a lot of hobbies and I feel bad when I cannot spare time for these hobbies outside of work. For example, I love reading books, but as a result of every attempt I try to read a book when I am at home, I find myself watching reels, shorts or live broadcasts on my phone.

As you can understand from the title, I want to get a phone that will only allow me to access WhatsApp so that I can spend more time on my hobbies. This way, I won't be paying too much attention to my phone. I have the idea of buying an iPhone 8 in my mind. I live in Turkey and the most affordable, old and usable phone right now seems to be the iPhone 8. I also want to be able to use it synchronously with the MacBook I received from work. What are your suggestions on this matter?

 

[mblm85]

I don't think your problem is a technology one. I think it's a self-control one that many of us also struggle with.

I suspect that if you buy the 8 (or any other phone), you'll eventually re-install the other apps in moments of weakness and be back to square one.

You may have more success using parental controls on your A34 to restrict when certain apps can be run.

Save your money for the hobbies and memorable times with your boyfriend.

 

[smirking]

As you can understand from the title, I want to get a phone that will only allow me to access WhatsApp so that I can spend more time on my hobbies. This way, I won't be paying too much attention to my phone.

There's two things I've done when I want to break an app habit.

1) Repeatedly delete it so every time I want to use it again, I have to re-install it.
2) Take a trip or start an intense multi-day project where I won't have time to do anything else. Delete the app right before starting.

Sometimes the first eventually succeeds. The second almost always works. My time is completely taken up and I don't even have a chance to reflexively open an app and fall down the rabbit hole. By the time life normalizes, the habit is gone.

 

[russell_314]

I want to get a phone that will only allow me to access WhatsApp

That’s definitely not the iPhone 8 unless you get someone else to set up parental controls and you don’t have the password.

The iPhone 8 is going to be capable of doing everything a Samsung Galaxy could do. I can waste hours watching YouTube on my old iPhone SE that is in the tiny iPhone 5 form factor. Other than the screen, being slightly smaller, it works perfectly and after a while, I don’t even notice.


If you’re wasting time watching videos, then you can’t even delete an app because those can just be watched and a web browser. I’d say this one you’re gonna have to fight and get some self-control. Not being judgmental because I do the same thing myself and it’s hard to do. If you didn’t have to use WhatsApp say get a non-smart phone. I’ve done that for a short period. It was painful and made me realize how addictive a screen could be.

 

[fati22]

I think I want an iPhone now and I'm looking for an excuse for it. The idea of using sync with the Macbook attracts me a lot.

 

[JPack]

Save your money for something more important. You would be going from one low cost phone to another low end phone. Use the money instead toward your hobbies. Delete the apps you feel are sucking up time.

 

[fati22]

Thank you all. I think I will keep saving money so I can spend more for my hobbies. love <3

 

[Andeddu]

Why would switching to an iPhone 8 stop you from doing anything any other phone can do? I have a 2016 iPhone SE which can still access all the apps my iPhone 13 can. I used the SE’16 for a full year as my main phone between 2022-2023 and my screen time was ridiculously high… it was like 7 hours per day, lol. If you want to spend less time on your phone you’ll have to be more disciplined or get yourself a feature phone from Nokia which can still access WhatsApp.

 

[iHorseHead]

iPhones are truly expensive in Turkey, yet many people want to have it and save up for months to get one.
A Galaxy has a newer OS than iPhone 8 though.