[ai_monkey]

Earlier this year I decided to get a cellular Apple watch because, while I want to stay in touch with my partner while walking our dog or running short errands, I don't like having my pockets stuffed. I felt a similar sense of relief and freedom as the article author - it really feels great to not be tethered to the attention economy, but still be in touch with your loved ones using just a tiny device on your wrist. Nowadays I opt for leaving my phone at home as much as I can, and I very rarely face any sort of inconvenience because of it. I think with smartwatches getting more capable now, and reaching dumbphone + navigation + weather info functionality, this is becoming a really solid alternative to carrying a phone with you all the time.

[mvdtnz]

Unless I misunderstand the device, don't you still have a phone with you, just on your wrist?

[r00fus]

You can't browse, play interesting games, you can't doomscroll, you literally can't do any of the addictive or distracting things that phones are notorious for.

[mvdtnz]

This article is about always being on the hook with notifications and phone calls, doesn't this problem still exist?

[ai_monkey]

I'd say it is alleviated quite a bit actually because it solves a corollary issue. To me personally, the majority of the issue is in the magic box that promises me instant dopamine any time I pick it up and turn on its screen. I don't mind getting a message and choosing to respond. I do mind, however, being tempted to open any of the attention seeking apps or websites after I'm done with my message or call. The watch has virtually none of that temptation. YMMV depending on whether the notifications or the decision fatigue are more of an issue for you

[r00fus]

In my experience, no. I keep getting calls from my elderly dad, but the notification level can be dialed up or down - in my case, I get very few spam notifications. Put it on DND and it's almost zero.

If you happen to have full notifications on for slack/Facebook/etc yeah it can get annoying - but you can't really immerse yourself in it.

I think of the watch as a pure comms/notification device whereas the "phone" has become a full-on handheld computer.

[jxramos]

the cellular version of the watch has its own dedicated cell service independent of the phone.

The other option is where the watch is paired with the phone which can send call data wirelessly over to the watch via bluetooth or wifi or something peer to peer like.

[BooneJS]

In bought a cellular Apple Watch a couple of weeks ago for the same reason. Verizon charges me $5/mo for the privilege based on my existing plan.

[nogridbag]

I also went the smart watch route for the same reason, but with the new Pixel Watch 2. I was pleased that on Google Fi there was no additional charge and it pretty much activated automatically.

I do now feel comfortable leaving my phone behind, but I also get so many notifications I'm constantly lifting my wrist to check them. So I'm not sure if it helped or made things worse!

The main issue is email and slack notifications during the workday. I guess I never realized how many dang emails I get. I'm not yet sure if I should turn off email notifications completely or just try to unsubscribe from as much stuff as possible. During the workday, my email inbox is spammed by Jira notifications. It would be nice if I could selectively decide which emails to be notified on.

[ai_monkey]

That's my main gripe as far as the Apple watch is concerned. I'm fortunate enough to have a corporate cell plan so I don't pay anything for it, but I'm not looking forward to having to be on an expensive plan + $5/month if I ever change jobs.

[bombcar]

The list of carriers is so short. I wish I could pay $5 to re-enable cellular on my watch:

Appalachian Wireless

AT&T

C Spire

Carolina West Wireless

Cellcom Wisconsin

Consumer Cellular

GCI

Nex-Tech Wireless

Spectrum Mobile

T-Mobile USA

US Cellular

Verizon Wireless

Visible

Xfinity Mobile

[rumblestrut]

I’ve been waiting on Cricket since the Apple Watch came out with cellular. They don’t have a plan on when/if it will be available, which seems silly since Cricket is owned by AT&T.

But I’ll never go back to AT&T’s prices, so I guess I’m just out.

[averageRoyalty]

My partner bought the Apple Watch Ultra last year when she smashed her phone and we didn't get around to repairing it for a few days - after a few days she realised she was happier, but still needed to be contactable via call/SMS.

Since then she's never gone back. Her old phone lives permanently plugged in under my desk, and every so often we need to unlock it and do _something_ (which is difficult). It's about 90% an independent device though, and she's happier than I've ever seen her.

We looked initially at getting her a pocket sized camera (e.g Sony RX100) and setting up some form of remote screen viewing/touch to the phone (which seems like a hard problem to solve!), but honestly neither ended up necessary. Once I have the option professionally, I plan to follow suit, or ditch my phone completely ideally.

[puttycat]

Doesn't this end up in the same spot? Constant notification checking, etc.

[gumby]

I do the same.

I have almost all notifications disabled on my watch (well, on my phone and computer too, be even more sparse on my watch). I'm used to screening calls via my watch anyway, so it's automatic to reject them. I could answer (or make) an emergency call, or even send a text, but it's so inconvenient, unpleasant, and public to do so via my watch that there is little desire to. I don't carry my airpods so it's just the tiny watch speaker and microphone vs the sounds of outdoors. No podcasts, music, audio books or anything.

[simonebrunozzi]

You can disable ALL notifications.

I have ZERO notifications on my iphone, and it works great for me.

[puttycat]

As the author and other commenters here said as well, the mere presence of the phone, even with ALL notifications off, still creates a constant urge to check it.

[mark_l_watson]

I came here to suggest the same thing. I really like leaving my iPhone at home, but I can still get messages or calls from my family on my Apple Watch.

[unshavedyak]

I actually canceled my cell watch. I love my watch, but I felt anxious if I got a notification I couldn’t act on, like replying to people effectively. Then again I almost never use my phone while I’m out so I don’t really feel any negative association with my phone.