[jb1991]

I would love to get rid of my smartphone altogether, actually. I’m just not quite sure how to do it. I need to use a map app often. And most of the announcements and services in my country from companies and schools are all handled through WhatsApp. So it makes it a bit difficult to cut that tether.

[anal_reactor]

1. When you're browsing your phone but you're not having fun, stop. Try to distinguish "I am genuinely interested in that thing on the screen" vs "I'm just doomscrollig".

2. Try to replace parts of your smartphone with other things. Buying a clock helped me fix the habit of "I just opened my eyes, time for phone". I found my old PSP and I'm planning to run some emulator on that instead of phone to play some minigames.

3. I have my phone always completely silent. There's literally no notification that cannot wait until I decide to check the phone.

4. I sometimes turn off the data transfer in my phone. First, I get less notifications. Second, it's yet another barrier and it gives me a second to ask myself "do I really want to play with my phone now".

[KeplerBoy]

Getting a tiny phone not meant for media consumption is probably the closest you can achieve. You are not going to waste a lot of time watching youtube on a 3" screen, because that's just no fun.

The "jelly star" phone looks kind of fun. I just sat in a busy tram and wondered what the scene would look like if we all had phones like that. It's an innteresting thought experiment.

[Ectiseethe]

> wondered what the scene would look like if we all had phones like that.

People with headphones looking absentmindedly straight ahead doing their best not to focus on anything, isolating themselves as much as possible to make the complete lack of personal space more bearable.

This is already what crowded subways in my city look like when you pass the threshold where people are too cramped to browse their phones. This is not a bad thing, just a coping mechanism.

I think there is much more room for behavior change if you consider people at a table (coffee or restaurant) with and without phones suitable for continuous media consumption or social network interactions.

[KeplerBoy]

Sure, I didn't imagine a utopia of joyful people talking to strangers. That's not what public transport ever looked like, but I do miss the times of a bit more diversity in how people spend their during the commute. Newspapers, books, handheld game consoles (which don't constantly shove ads in front of their users).

[skinfaxi]

Now those books, newspapers and games are available on one device (and without constantly shoving ads down your throat, well except for the news).

[jb1991]

Well I remember the days before the first smart phone and taking subways in New York City, so it’s not too hard for me to imagine. People reading books, talking to each other, very different.

[tomatocracy]

Maybe it's a cultural difference but I remember before smartphones on the tube in London as well and noone talked to each other during the morning/evening commute.

I think the biggest difference is actually the lack of newspapers now. Plenty of people were plugged into headphones via iPod/Walkman/whatever was era appropriate. The people who stare at their phones today were staring at newspapers in the pre smartphone era.

[modo_mario]

The thing is I'd still need my regular phone for various things and i can't cut the sim in half.

[shigawire]

Maybe dumber phone for day to day tasks. Then another phone that only has connectivity by sharing WiFi from the first phone.

So it's only a tiny barrier but if you need it, you turn on wifi sharing and take out the "real" phone. Otherwise it stays unconnected.

[marssaxman]

I spent most of a week with no phone recently, and I have to say I enjoyed it. I mostly communicate via Signal, and have the app installed on my computer as well, so I wasn't really cut off - just less available. WhatsApp doesn't have an installable PC version that I know of, but they do have this web interface: https://web.whatsapp.com/

I learned to drive with paper maps and have never really made much use of GPS navigation, so that part was easier for me than it might be for most.

I'm not going to get rid of my phone entirely, but after that experience, I feel like not carrying it all the time anymore.

[pmg101]

If iPhone user may I suggest Apple Configurator or Assistive Access to strictly limit the things you can do with your phone?

Not sure what solutions exist on Android but I'd be amazed if there are none.

[dybber]

Maybe the new Commodore flip phone? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48552614

[jb1991]

That would be promising if it wasn’t for a ridiculous price tag. You shouldn’t have to pay a premium just to have features removed. The margin on that phone must be incredibly high.

[BoingBoomTschak]

I switched to a Kyocera KY-42C specifically because you can sideload Whatsapp which I sadly need. The software is a bit crappy but enough if you just want to phone and rarely SMS, Whatsapp or e-mail.

Don't forget about the other stuff usually handled by smartphones, like music (my old Sansa Clip+ still works) or GPS (the one in my car will do).

[whaleofatw2022]

One of the things I ironically loved about my windows phone was that it was a PERFECT Phone [0], Sms [1], and Navigation device [2], good enough for music, but SUCKED the further you went from that.

[0] - Call audio was pristine

[1] - large live tile for SMS was great

[2] - Bundled HERE Drive let you pre download map data long before competitors had the option.

[seereadhack]

Just track your unlocks and try to keep it under let's say 40 in a day. Batching.

[GeoAtreides]

not sure where the problem is?

look at maps only in the car, mute whatsapp and then check it from time to time.

seems pretty straightforward.

[n4r9]

Addictive behaviour is rarely cured by telling the addict to "just stop doing it".

[Izkata]

Maybe they can get addicted to something else?

There's an app for Android called "Forest" that gamifies not using your phone: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cc.forestapp

[GeoAtreides]

is OP addicted to checking out maps and the parents group on whatsapp?

[jb1991]

Nope, addicted to everything else that comes with it. Hence the desire for an alternative.