this post was submitted on 08 Mar 2025
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Dumbphones

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Smartphones dominate the world. But have we become smarter by using them?

This community is oriented for people who prefer either so-called "dumbphones" or "feature phones" in order to regain control of their life.

Here is a very simple set of rules to follow:

  1. Don't be rude to others.
  2. Don't harass or shame somebody for not being hardcore dumbphones fan. Everybody does it his own way.
  3. Keep this community simple: discussions must be dumbphone or smartphone-oriented, not about dogs or food.

All in all, enjoy your time here :D

founded 2 years ago
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Emulating a smartphone? (self.dumbphones)
submitted 1 day ago by IndigoGollum to c/dumbphones
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I'd like to get a dumbphone and stop using smartphones, but i'm forced to rely on the latter for work and finances and various things that really shouldn't be limited to just existing in mobile apps but are. How practical would it be to use a simple dumbphone (i'm currently looking at a Light Phone II) for calls and do everything else in an Android or /e/OS emulator on my Linux computer? Has anyone else tried this before?

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[–] leadore 1 points 8 hours ago

You could keep your smartphone but without a sim card and only turn it on to use with wifi when you need to use the app(s). Make sure to get a dumbphone that can act as a wifi hotspot (and with a data plan) if you'll need to use the app(s) away from home. I'm fortunate to not have been forced to use anyone's mobile app (so far!) so I am smartphone-free.

[–] RussianBot8453 2 points 1 day ago

It's possible but much easier to buy a cheap android tablet with wifi.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Might have trouble with apps that require Play Integrity. Better test them first.

[–] Alexstarfire 4 points 1 day ago

I don't see why you couldn't, but that also sounds extremely inconvenient. You can always have a dumb phone and a smartphone. Just don't set up service for the smartphone. You can still use it on wifi. If you end up needing to get a new smartphone later, because it's no longer supported or whatever reason, you can always get a cheap low end phone.

I'm assuming you have a smartphone now and it seems like having both devices is the more convenient option.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

someone used this for testing at work last year and i had planned to try tiktok like that but probably won't any more: https://www.genymotion.com/product-desktop/

idk much about it as i had no time to try it myself yet.

[–] mesamunefire 2 points 1 day ago

Yep it's possible and some people do it. At least on Android . Android studio will allow you to download specific emulators and you can install from thee. Device divers like audio/camera will be dependent on the base is and config so that's a possible downside.