I’d like your expert advice. My old smartphone is about to kick the bucket, and I can’t wait to finally let go of the tiny depression rectangle for ever. How can I keep using OTP and 2FA services when on a dumb phone? I expect that with time I will manage to limit the use of services that require this kind of stuff, but can’t at the moment. I don’t use my smartphone for much, so I don’t expect to run into much trouble, but is there anything else I might be forgetting apart from authentication issues? I’ll speak to my bank to see what they offer besides 2FA and app - I’m sure they have something since it’s a bank for farmers and old rural folk.
Btw I have been enjoying my collapse lately, as so much over-engineered stuff just starts failing and encourages a retreat to more simple solutions. I’ll do my part by ditching the surveillance box.
I ditched my Mobilek years ago, still got a dumb phone around with the battery taken out, it only gets power when there is a need for it. Some banks offer QR code based 2fa using a dedicated scanning device, so no need for a smartphone there.
Live is more peacefull like this, going back to email, no checkmarks that i did read anyones message, no pressure to instant reply…feels good i hope u enjoy it too. People who truly care for u wont mind and just send u email, people who dont actually care for your…u probably lose contact but thats ok.
I can’t wait to finally let go of the tiny depression rectangle for ever
I think your problem isn’t the technology itself, but what you make out of it.
Smartphones are incredibly capable and useful if used correctly.
If you assess your problem spots (e.g. doomscrolling, news, chatting, etc.) and remove them then you have all pros without many cons.I’m using a Pixel with GrapheneOS, which I dumbed down quite a bit. I’m rarely on my phone anymore, coming from a doomscroll addict.
If you assess your problem spots (e.g. doomscrolling, news, chatting, etc.) and remove them then you have all pros without many cons.
This is the way. The technology isn’t the problem, the problem is that we’ve been trained to respond to smartphones like Pavlov’s dogs - conditioned to respond to every noise it makes and eat up all the content it will show us. I treat my phone like email - check and respond to messages at my leisure, and unless I’m expecting a call from someone I usually let it go to voicemail.
How can I keep using OTP and 2FA services when on a dumb phone?
That’s the reason why I use a smartphone… like a dumb phone.
I install on it only the apps I need and must have access to: security, finance,… apps like that. And nothing else. No game, obviously no social, but also no music, movies, not even ebooks and also no ‘but I like that app so much I can make an exception’. No nothing. I don’t even use the agenda on that phone, I use a paper one, and I barely use it as a phone too. It’s dumb and almost useless (just not completely useless), exactly like I want it to be.
Your and Günthers comment pointing out I might just use my smartphone wrong - I guess additionally to wanting to solve my own issues with phone use I also want to make a tiny personal political statement - so that in the future whenever a public or private organization wants to force me to download their app I will point out that I can’t, even if I wanted. I want to fight back against the growing expectation that one has to carry a smartphone before we have to carry the stupid things by law. I love all the convenience but I’m becoming more and more convinced that we lose to much through it.
