Your Android smartphone or iPhone is getting smarter and smarter. This will only increase in the coming years due to all kinds of tricks and automation to make your life even easier. However, we are also becoming increasingly attached to our smartphone as a result.
Are you endlessly scrolling and swiping on your Android device or iPhone, asking yourself with some regularity why on earth you spend your precious time watching videos of sucky cats? Then maybe it’s time to kick back from your smartphone a bit.
Kick off your smartphone with Android and iPhone trick
There’s a super effective tool for getting rid of your Android smartphone or iPhone fast and well, namely switching your smartphone to a dumbphone. If that’s a little too drastic for you, you can also change your own phone bit by bit to a dumber one.
By a dumbphone, we mean a cell phone where the main purpose is to make calls and text messages. Many features of your Android device or iPhone are not present. Things like Internet, apps, GPS and a touchscreen are missing, for example, leaving you with basically nothing more or less than an old-fashioned Nokia.
Of course, we’re not going to tell you in this article how to remove the touchscreen from your smartphone with screwdrivers and other tools. However, we will give you a hand with tips on how to make your Android smartphone or iPhone a little more like a dumbphone.
Turn your smartphone into a dumbphone
There are several ways to turn your Android device or iPhone into a dumbphone. These are them.
#1 Reset your Android device or iPhone
To turn your smartphone into a dumbphone with small steps, it’s smart to first reset your Android or iOS device to factory settings. You then start with a clean slate and say goodbye in one fell swoop to all the apps that distract you from your daily activities.
More time for other things (Image: Nathan Dumlao / Unsplash)
#2 Say goodbye to these apps
Social media obviously doesn’t belong on a dumbphone. Don’t reinstall TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and other distracting apps on your smartphone. Also look closely at apps that are installed on your device by default, such as an email app. If you don’t need to check emails on your phone, you won’t be tempted to do so.
#3 Turn off as many notifications as possible
A big reason why you keep looking at your smartphone is because your Android device or iPhone is harassing you with one notification after another. Nine times out of ten, the notifications are totally irrelevant. So make sure you turn off notifications for as many apps as possible so you are not constantly disturbed by your smartphone.
#4 Hide your browser
Another good way to detox from your smartphone is to hide your browser on your Android phone or iPhone. By doing so, you won’t be tempted to still spend hours on the Internet. You can hide your browser through your device’s settings.
On an Android smartphone, open the settings and go to Apps. Tap Chrome and tap Disable. On an iPhone, go to settings and open Screen Time. Tap Restrictions and turn off the slider behind Safari.