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Your smartphone is designed to suck you in. You might pick it up to quickly check the weather, only to find yourself an hour later scrolling through TikTok.

If you “want a break from the digital world and need a change of lifestyle,” consider switching to a basic phone, says 

 Low Tech Life: A Guide to Mindful Digital Minimalism

. Also called dumbphones (a term that Merriam-Webster 

), these lower-tech devices do not include many of the apps typically found on smartphones.

Briones, who is a basic phone user and the moderator of the forum 

 on Reddit, explains what people should know about these devices before making the transition.

You might be wondering: What the heck is a basic phone? Briones offers a litmus test: if your device has an app store, it’s a smartphone, he says. If not, it’s a basic phone.

You don’t have to use a basic phone 24/7

A lot of us rely on our phone as a camera, a GPS, a music player and an alarm clock. We use it for work and to communicate with our friends. So it can feel scary to leave our smartphones behind.

Don’t worry, says Briones. You don’t have to use your basic phone all the time. 

Some people use a smartphone during the week and a simple phone on the weekends, when they want to unplug.

Or they use a basic phone for the majority of the time, but switch to a smartphone in moments when they might need more apps. For example, if you're on vacation, you may need a smartphone to access to your flight information, translate the language or help you find your way around. 

Decide how you want to split your time with your smartphone and your basic phone. If you land on having two phones, Briones says you can sign up for two phone lines with separate numbers. Alternatively — and depending on the phone model — you can get a physical SIM card and switch it out between your phones.

Find creative (and analog) workarounds to your digital needs

Using a basic phone will affect your lifestyle. You won’t have access to many of the tools that a smartphone provides, at least not in your phone. Briones shares some creative solutions.

Alert friends and colleagues about your new phone

One of the biggest challenges you may face with a basic phone is that you’ll be less available, at least on certain apps. And that could frustrate friends, family and colleagues who want to reach you, says Briones.

Tell your employer that you’d like to use a basic phone as an experiment, says Briones. See what happens with your productivity and with your relationships at work. After a week or two, “if everything improves, that’s an argument to continue in this direction.”

Set expectations with friends, family and your employers about how quickly they can expect you to respond to messages now that you are using a basic phone, including what hours you’ll be available and how you can best be reached.

This may be difficult to do, says Briones, but “this is a moment where you have to say, ‘I am slowing down in my communication practices and I want you to respect that.’ ”

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Marielle Segarra

Author

These lower-tech devices do not include many of the apps typically found on smartphones. And that may be appealing if you're looking to spend less time online. 

Overwhelmed by your smartphone? Try switching to a basic phone

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