More people are buying dumbphones, and I support this—but having ditched a smartphone for a dumbphone for years, I know firsthand the challenges that may arise. Before swapping out your phone, first consider changing how you use the one you have.
The phone in your pocket is capable of doing just about anything, but that doesn’t mean it has to. By following a few strict guidelines, you’ll have a device that will do far less but can still scan QR codes, navigate you to unknown places, send private messages, and allow you to use dedicated two-factor authentication apps.
Don’t sign in to Google or the Play Store
When setting up a new Android phone, you’re prompted to sign in to a Google account. Don’t. When you finish the setup process, you’ll still have a functional phone—you just won’t be able to download any apps from the Play Store. This one change cuts out much of the noise we associate with modern phones, and yet you will still have what is effectively the most premium feature phone you can buy.
What other sacrifices does this require? Well, you also won’t be able to use any apps that require a Google account. How big a challenge this is depends on what kind of phone you have. Samsung phones come with an entire suite of Samsung apps that are fully featured when used offline, such as Samsung Gallery for viewing your photos and Samsung Notes for quickly jotting things down. Google Photos will still let you view your offline photos, but it will be obvious you’re using something intended as a web service first and foremost. Similarly, YouTube Music can play offline songs, but opening that app will be a constant reminder that you’re not using the full streaming service.
In either case, you’ll still have access to a dialer, texting, and a powerful camera. You’ll also have a web browser. That last one is a double-edged sword, since you’ll still technically have access to most of the same distractions as before, just in a less convenient form. But it also means you’ll still be able to do all the things modern life increasingly asks of us, like filling out online forms at a doctor’s office.
Disable the apps you don’t want or need
Our phones come with dozens of apps. Many of them are unnecessary. If you want a simpler device, then you don’t need apps like Google Docs or Google Play Games. Likewise, you can disable apps like Google Search and Gemini. This is often as simple as holding down on an app icon and tapping “Disable.” Otherwise, head to Settings > Apps instead.
For a phone to feel simple, you need fewer apps in your app drawer. Having a long list of icons opens up the possibilities for more distraction and increases the likelihood of decision fatigue. It’s also hard to fall into the habit of opening your app drawer, forgetting why, and swiping back and forth a few times when all the apps you have installed fit on a single screen at once.
Install a minimalist launcher from F-Droid
Our default launchers are designed to be filled with apps, and most feel spartan without them. This creates the feeling that you’re not using a device as intended or getting its full potential. You can change this by swapping out the initial home screen for an alternative.
How do you download another app without the Play Store? Check out F-Droid, an app store that only contains free and open source software. None of the included software costs money, contains ads, or is trying to monetize your attention. These apps provide genuine utility, and there are a number of alternate launchers. OLauncher is one option that makes your smartphone resemble a Light Phone 3. This launcher is the foundation for custom launchers that have even shipped on some devices, like the Minimal Phone and the Daylight DC-1tablet. I last turned my Android phone into a minimalist dumbphone using the innovative Kvaesitso launcher.
Depending on how much you desire a genuine dumbphone, you may or may not opt to download other apps from F-Droid. There you can find a two-factor authenticator app you may need or desire in place of receiving SMS codes. You can also find music players or podcast apps that aren’t tied to an online service.
If you do opt to download additional apps, there’s just one simple rule to follow.
Do not install any apps for visual entertainment or amusement
The apps that cause many of us to want to sever ties with a smartphone tend to be those that encourage us to look at a screen for as long as possible. They’re apps that monetize our eyeballs. These are social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, and X. They’re streaming services like YouTube and Netflix. They’re games, some of which send us with notifications reminding us how long it’s been since we last tapped on their icons.
There is some wiggle room here. After all, relatively few of us are sick of our phones because we read too many ebooks. There are plenty of great sources of DRM-free ebooks you can read in an app like Librera Reader from F-Droid. Having an ebook you’re reading can also help resist the temptation to open a web browser instead. It’s up to you whether your goal is to reduce all forms of screen-time or just those that are making you feel increasingly unsettled.
If, after this experiment, you find you’re still opening the web browser too often—then by all means, get a simpler phone! Sometimes the black and white screen of the Minimal Phone or the slow experience of a traditional flip phone may be the friction that you need to be more present in the world around you.
But by using the phone you already have, you may find that you don’t need to spend more money, or generate more e-waste, to reduce the constant pull and temptation you feel from the device in your hand. And you avoid the unexpected paradox of minimalist phones that many of us encounter when we make the switch.