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How to Turn an Android Phone Into a Dumbphone in 6 Steps
As much as I love technology, too much of it can be a bad thing. Smartphones and social media can easily distract you from what you need to focus on. Fortunately, with only a few tweaks, you can turn any modern Android phone into a (mostly) dumbphone.
1. Only Keep Essential Apps
What tasks do you want your phone to do? For me, it's a short list: make calls, send texts, take photos, and maybe play some music now and then. All but one of these functions has long come standard on flip phones.
Disabling the web browser is perhaps the biggest thing you can do to get your screen time down and reduce the temptation to pick up your phone. You can also get rid of email and decide you will only manage your inbox from a PC or tablet.
You can disable or uninstall an Android app by holding down on an app icon and tapping App Info (i). You can uninstall most apps, but those you can't will have the option to be disabled instead.
Instead of using your phone for entertainment, think of it as a tool. If you need a compass or a timer, these apps complement what you're doing in the world rather than pull you away. Such practical tools, like a calculator, don't lead to phone addiction. It's the games, social networking apps, news apps, and video streaming services that you have to watch out for.
: Trick Any Phone Into Being A Tablet (Secret History)
As a general rule, take Cal Newport's advice in his book called Digital Minimalism and uninstall any app that makes someone money every time you tap on it.
2. Turn Off All Notifications
If you can't completely get rid of a social networking app or game, you can still cut back your usage by disabling notifications. Don't let a direct message in the morning drag you into a two-hour conversation when you have to go for a jog. You'll find out when you sit down to consciously open the app on your own.
This is important. Notifications are a big part of what makes us feel out of control. Each incoming chime is the phone's way of telling us when to pick it up. We obey more often than we'd like. By turning those alerts off, we approach the device on our terms.
Make an exception for calls and texts. This is a phone, after all. If you want to include other messaging apps (such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger) as texts, that's your call. Our social circles all communicate in different ways.
To manage notifications, go to Settings > Notifications > App Notifications on your Android device and make adjustments to suit your life better.
3. Turn Off Data and Wi-Fi
Our phones don't need a data connection to manage calls and texts. But they do need internet access to retrieve tweets, show us Facebook arguments, download work attachments, and supply an endless stream of blogs. Toggling Wi-Fi and cellular data off is the easiest way to remove those distractions.
Most Android phones have a toggle in the notification shade for these connections. This is the area you see when you swipe down from the top of the screen. If you don't want to manually turn data on and off, you can also disable data on a per-app basis. This change helps you stay focused on other tasks and can also greatly extend your phone's battery life.
If you use a messaging app other than basic SMS, you won't be able to disable data usage entirely. Instead, you can disable data for other apps or only enable data during times when you actually want to talk.
4. Download Music and Maps for Offline Use
Local files don't need access to the web, so you don't have to re-enable Wi-Fi or LTE whenever you want to play a podcast or your favorite songs. This reduces how often you connect to the internet, saving you from temptation each time. For instance, you can download songs from Spotify for offline listening.
You can do the same with navigation. Google Maps lets you save sections of an area for offline use, but it's rather limited. I recommend downloading an alternative that lets you store entire countries offline, like OsmAnd (pictured above).
Download: OsmAnd (Free, subscription available)
5. Install a Simple App Launcher
Your phone's interface encourages you to install more software. You may be able to swipe across Home screens or open an app drawer that's meant to display 20 apps at a time. With such a layout, removing all but eight apps can leave your phone feeling broken.
An alternate layout can rearrange apps in a way where you still feel like you're using a fully featured device. This way, it no longer seems like you're restraining yourself.
If you like the look of the Light Phone or Punkt, you may dig Olauncher. It's a launcher that removes the distraction of app icons and emphasizes text entirely.
Download: Olauncher (Free)
6. Disable the Play Store
Smartphones come with more built-in software than old-school flip phones. Take a look at the default apps. Chances are you already have a browser, a music player, and a way to take notes.
If you want to simplify your phone environment, don't install a single additional app from the Play Store. You can even disable the Play Store by removing its icon from your app drawer. If that's too easy to circumvent, you can opt to remove the Play Store entirely!
To do so, you either have to learn how to remove apps using ADB or install a custom ROM. An added benefit of doing the latter is that it can extend your Android phone's battery life, thanks to the lack of Google's background services.
I personally like taking the route of using Android without Google. Besides the perks above, you also gain certain privacy benefits by cutting yourself off from most app tracking that happens in the background.
The original point of carrying phones in our pockets was to be accessible. We've since warped that to mean ever-connected and always-on. This directly affects our mental health, social interactions, and how we go about our lives.
Remember that your phone is a tool. Like a hammer or a ruler, certain tasks make me glad I have one around. But my life doesn't revolve around other tools, and it shouldn't circle around this one either.
