Can you use a flip phone?

Do nothing

Background

I used an iPhone since I was a sophomore in high school until just before starting my senior year of college. I used it for six years and had just finished a gap year working in wilderness therapy when I decided to switch to a flip phone. I don't think iCloud was as much of a thing then, or I was unaware of it, and when I cleared the smart device's memory, I felt like I shut down a part of my existence. This feeling was strong enough that I still remember it clearly even though it's been seven years since then. That feeling informs me of the power we give technology that we don't realize until we take it back, something we're feared into not doing.

I got off all social media three years prior to the smart phone exit, after my freshman year of college. I was so lonely in that first year and realized social media was only making it worse. I shut down my accounts, and had the similar feeling of shutting down a part of my existence. How will people know who I am?

So from the beginning of my senior year of college in 2017 until 2020, I didn't use social media or a smart phone. My system involved a flip phone and an iPad mini (with a data plan) that I used for music and directions when driving. I used the iPad mini for research and writing essays in place of a computer to finish college.

During those three years, I graduated from college, worked in wilderness therapy again briefly, thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, and then returned home to Boone. In 2020, I started a business and felt getting back on social media was necessary in order to promote the business. I traded in my iPad mini for a used iPhone to take photos more easily.

Vermont woodland on AT. Flip phone quality.

My System Now

In this growing movement of people who are realizing they want to use their time differently than eyes glued to the burning glowy box in the hand, I've frequently seen the comment that a flip phone just isn't practical, and my friends, I beg to differ.

I've used a flip phone for seven years now - the same model (Kyocera DuraXV) but two different devices. I carried a flip phone when I hiked the Appalachian Trail, and it's my number one piece of advice for those who want to hike it - don't rely on a smartphone for safety or experience of nature. I love my flip phone and my system, despite comments from my family that "for someone who likes simplicity, you sure know how to complicate your life". This is true.

I complicate my life intentionally, because convenience does not equal simplicity.

On trail, because I didn't have access to the forecast, I called my brother to tell me. We would chat for a little while. Yes, Andrew, I could just get a smart phone and look it up, but I'd rather talk to you. A chat about the weather is just a conduit for my relationship with my brother, an insignificant touchpoint that adds up into a significant relationship.

How It Works, i.e. You, too, can do this

The flip phone I use is the Kyocera Dura XV. The first one I bought on eBay for ~$50 and it lasted me 3 years. The one I have now I bought through Craigslist from a woman in a Walmart parking lot, and it's lasted me 4 years so far. I'm still as in love with it as the day I got it, and it works in my system because it can be used as a mobile hotspot. I use Verizon, and in Western NC, it's probably one of the networks with the best coverage. I pay $20/month for unlimited talk and text and some number of GB for hot spot that I use too infrequently to know how many. This $20 plan is through a family plan, and I'm not sure how much it would be to pay for a flip phone plan independently

I have an iPhone 8 (bought secondhand through Facebook Marketplace three years ago, does the job), which I use by connecting to wifi, or by connecting to my flip phone's hotspot when on the move. If I'm not on wifi, connecting to my hot spot is just inconvenient enough that more often than not, I stop myself from accessing social media, but convenient enough that I can send a forgotten work email while in the grocery store or pull up directions before I'm lost.

2020, My last few steps finishing the AT

If I go on a walk around town, I'll often leave my flip phone at home and take my iPhone so I can listen to music but can let myself feel a disconnect since no one can reach me on a device with no connection. If I go on a walk in the woods, I'll leave the iPhone and take the flip phone, so I can contact someone as a safety precaution, but I won't be distracted by music or photos while I'm connecting with nature.

Additionally, I do have an early 2015 MacBook Air whose trackpad and hinge that holds the screen upright both do not work, but I like my mouse and the screen bent back all the way makes me sit up straight. Broken is in the eye of the beholder.

I'll mention that I've been doing content creation as work for four years now, and this low-tech system works just fine. I once heard a little tale about a photographer who was complimented on his work, and how he "must have a really good camera". The photographer replied how you don't compliment a chef for having great pots, or an artist for having a great paintbrush. The quality of work one generates is based upon the thoughtfulness, intention, and skill of the creator, not the tool.

On a rock in Maine on AT. Flip phone quality.