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My phone is an ereader now

(www.davepagurek.com)
327 points wonger_ | 5 comments | 31 Aug 25 02:58 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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nesk_ ◴[31 Aug 25 09:54 UTC] No.45081917[source]▶
I've been searching for dumb phones these last weeks to avoid using my phone too much. But it comes with issues:

- my bank requires a smartphone

- whatsapp desktop requires a smartphone too

This smartphone could be an alternative: no videos, you can still use third party applications, perfect for reading.

Thank you for sharing!

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nottorp ◴[31 Aug 25 11:32 UTC] No.45082376[source]▶
Have you tried turning off all notifications on your existing phone?

From the original article: "I feel like the vibration on the phone is a tad aggressive. Not every vibration is, though—Facebook Messenger notifications feel like the right level. ".

It looks like the article author makes the same mistake. Changed the device but kept the notifications on.

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1. nesk_ ◴[31 Aug 25 13:08 UTC] No.45082879[source]▶
Notifications aren't the culprit, they're already really limited on my phone.

I also appreciate the fact that I could use a simpler phone that really fits the original need: staying in contact, instead of doom-scrolling.

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2. CharlesW ◴[31 Aug 25 15:54 UTC] No.45084141[source]▶
No one thing is the culprit, but notifications are one of the biggest. Surely Android has similar capabilities, but on iPhone "Reduce Notifications" (uses AI to silence unimportant/time-insensitive notifications) and Focus Modes in general are a great way to manage distraction.
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3. nottorp ◴[31 Aug 25 17:11 UTC] No.45084869[source]▶
No, the idea is to turn them all off and make phone checking a conscious act instead of notification induced.

Whoever needs you now can call on voice.

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4. flkiwi ◴[31 Aug 25 20:37 UTC] No.45086843{3}[source]▶
What makes that difficult is when you have a legitimate case for time-sensitive notifications and the app owner mixes in marketing spam with no way to disable them. It's either accept marketing spam OR lose a valuable notification. Looking at you, LG.
5. theshackleford ◴[31 Aug 25 21:49 UTC] No.45087412{3}[source]▶
I leave notifications on because o only use them for things I need to be notified about. Largely, medical stuff.