A Phone for Humans
Ditching the smart phone for something lighter
In the spirit of this post, essays on The Nook will now be available for readers in .pdf format to print and enjoy off-screen if they so choose 👇🏻. Happy reading!
Among the many hundreds of Substack essays extolling the virtues of digital minimalism, this, dear readers, is my contribution.
Some of you may know that I ordered the Light Phone II earlier this year—a tiny, toy-like cell phone equipped with only the most practical tools, an e-ink screen, and, best of all, zero internet or app store. For months, I had been waiting for May to arrive, when batch orders would ship and I would finally be able to ditch my iPhone for good, and I was elated when, last Friday, it finally did.
Then, that afternoon, our family left for a mountain retreat with our church. Every single day, people noticed the tiny device I carried.
“What IS that?” they’d ask with wide eyes, at which point I’d evangelize the hell out of them by showcasing its (lack of) features and praising its many virtues. Just kidding. But I would show it off a bit, and, without fail, each person I talked to thought it was the coolest thing they’d ever seen. “Oh, man, that sounds nice,” they’d reply when I’d describe its simplicity. Only one person actually recognized it—a product designer who applauded the Light Phone’s construction—and he bemoaned the fact that his profession required him to have a smart phone.
The Light Phone’s functionality was a common question from our friends at the retreat, and it does take some getting used to. It’s meant to be boring, and there was some initial frustration on my part because I kept expecting it to work faster and smoother à la the iPhone. But it’s slow on purpose. The screen blinks between tasks; text messages take a second or two to send; typing is a one-letter-per-second sort of thing. (I feel like a Boomer.) Using a Light Phone isn’t just a step away from constant connectivity; it’s also an invitation to cultivate patience.
My friend and I had a conversation about this very thing a few days ago. We discussed the difference between actual inconvenience and our now-ingrained expectation that everything come to us easily. Her work is such that it requires her to use a smart phone because, as a freelancer, the organizations she works with use apps and social media to post updates in real time. She cannot miss those updates or she misses out on income. For me, the need to become more familiar with our town and be fully engaged with our children requires that I pay more attention to what is playing out in front of me. Our needs vary, and so does our tech.
The Light Phone could be for everyone, but it isn’t. I’m not so digitally minimalist that I think every person should limit their tech usage in the same way. (Although I do believe the smart phone, with all its human-interaction-reducing apps, has largely debilitated us.) The world, my friend and I agreed, has become so adapted to the prevalence of smart devices that it will be hard to turn away from them. So which should come first? People willing to invest more in third spaces and real-life community, or the product that now allows them to move in that direction because the rest of the world is going another way? I think the the creators of the Light Phone—and others like it—have helped pave the way for both. We now have options, and I can only hope those options continue to grow in both availability and sophistication as more and more people seek to detach their brains and bodies from the Metaverse.
So what’s great about the Light Phone?
Beyond the obvious simplicity of the device, a few key things stand out to me. I’m an introvert who gets overwhelmed by sudden noise and repetitive sounds, and the gentle, minor-key melody the Light Phone plays upon receipt of a call or text is so not jarring that the first time I heard it, I said, “What’s that pretty sound?”
I also love that the screen turns completely off when not in use and the only notification I ever receive is a small asterisk next to the clock to show me when I’ve missed a call or text. I wish the Light Phone had music streaming (it does have mp3 capabilities), but I’m happy that I can easily subscribe to my favorite podcasts via the desktop dashboard and listen through through the podcast tool. The GPS is useful, but since it’s slower to update and harder to see because the screen is so small, I haven’t chosen to use it yet. I’ve simply looked up the directions beforehand and written them down.1
Do you have group messages?
This was a big concern of mine, as well, since our family has multiple group threads. But the Light Phone does allow group texts and they work just fine! The only issue I’ve noticed is with one particular thread whose messages don’t come through, and I assume it’s because everyone else is using iMessage. To get around this problem, I simply disconnected iMessage from my cell number and switched it to my Apple ID. This way, I can still be a part of the chat using my Mac or iPad. It means I won’t see messages until I’m home at the computer, but, hey, that’s the whole point of being a little disconnected, right?
What about pictures and videos?
The original Light Phone and Light Phone II are not equipped with a camera or image storage. The latest version is, however, if that’s a concern for you.
Images and links sent via text are forwarded directly to my email where I can open them later. This is really minor to me, since most of the pictures and links we send in this family are of the meme variety and only for vibes.
Did you keep your iPhone?
Yes, I still have it, and for three reasons:
In case I want to take a quick photo at home. These kids do cute things sometimes, ya know? I also have a film camera I’ve been using, but film is $$$.
To Snap my friend who lives six hours away because videos that we can watch at our leisure give us the chance to see one another without having to schedule a video call.2
To send Venmo payments and pre-order Starbucks for points. I pay one monthly bill using Venmo and—no shame—I love my free coffee.
Outside of those few uses, the iPhone stays turned off and tucked away in my nightstand. At some point, I might give it to my father-in-law and use my iPad instead, but the iPad is ollllllllld and my FIL lives four states away, so for now I stick to what I got.
Thus far, I’m pretty happy with the Light Phone II3. It’s quiet, easy on the eyes, and it achieves exactly what it sets out to do:
Make me think about my phone as little as possible.
After more than a decade of spending hours looking at a screen every single day, I couldn’t ask for more.
If you’re curious about what other Light Phone users have to say, check out this post from and this one from .
It’s like the MapQuest days all over again.
She has three little kids and I have two…schedules are tough!
If the Wise Phone ever decides to get rid of the extra subscription fee for using an existing carrier, I might do a little upgrade! I do prefer the e-ink screen, though.
Ditto to these thoughts, Wendi. I was an Android user before so I don't think I had to deal with any of the iMessage issues (everything was already text based) - and yes it can be a bit slow, but like you say, isn't that the point? I find myself so much more intentional and when I'm sitting outside with the kids, I'm watching the clouds, not catching up on my email, and what a gift that is! I also realize that it's essentially a luxury to be able to go without a smartphone but I think 'dumb' phones are becoming more normalized -- no one should be EXPECTED to be so available all the time. Maybe that paradigm will shift as people get more and more frustrated with the addictive qualities of smartphones. And most of all, I love the example for the kids -- just got back from a playdate and my daughter's friend sees my 'tiny phone' and goes WHAT IS THAT!? and it's such a great teaching moment and example!