How attached are you to your mobile device? (2025 Edition)

[Scott5114]

Paper maps are not a form of suffering.

Using them is.  Unfolding them, finding where you are on the map...

Admitting to a group of roadgeeks that you find it difficult to find where you are on a map is not the flex you appear to think it is.

I mean it depends. If it's a map of the whole state and you are on some random side street, it could be hard. But if you are on a major highway most of us could probably find our location very quickly.

[Rothman]

Paper maps are not a form of suffering.

Using them is.  Unfolding them, finding where you are on the map...

Admitting to a group of roadgeeks that you find it difficult to find where you are on a map is not the flex you appear to think it is.

I mean it depends. If it's a map of the whole state and you are on some random side street, it could be hard. But if you are on a major highway most of us could probably find our location very quickly.

Sure, but not as quickly as on a screen that shows your location instantly.

[kphoger]

However, it was like being in a car with only a AM radio with no FM or eight-track (thank you frugal parents!).

We hardly ever play music in the car when we're on a road trip.  We mostly just sit in silence.  That weirds some people out, but that's the way we roll.

You had to check-in at the main counter to get your plane ticket. Nowadays, you can check in 24 hours from a computer or phone in advance of boarding, and print out your ticket at home. Or, just show your ticket via mobile phone.

Granted, I've only flown on two trips since the advent of the smartphone, but I got paper tickets for both trips.  On my most recent one, I attempted to print my boarding pass at home, but I had to get it at the airport anyway due to having to scan in my passport.

Moreover, for that trip, I was notified that one of the legs of my trip wouldn't have qualified for mobile boarding pass anyway, so I'd have had to get a paper one even if I did have a smartphone.

Want music in your flight?

Nope.

If your flight was long enough, maybe they would play a movie that was edited to remove certain details including plane crashes. You enjoyed that movie and liked it because it was the only movie being shown.

And hopefully it was a good movie.  I remember hating a couple of in-flight movies back in the 1980s-90s.

Nowadays, you would link up to the airplane's WiFi and choose between a selection of movies of both classic and modern films to view on your tablet

No I wouldn't.  Not interested in watching a movie.

Tablet?  I thought we were talking about phones.

If someone was picking you up from the airport, you gave when your flight arrived. Of course, this was pre-September 11th when you actually met your party at the gate... and hope that the flight's arrival wasn't delayed for more than an hour. No web page for flight information. Nowadays, I have a two-step notification process when people pick me up from DFW... a first call when the plane is on the ground and approaching the gate so that they can start driving to the cellular waiting lot (a thirty-fourty minute drive), and a second call that I have my luggage and am ready to be picked up.

I had a friend from church pick me up.  I told him what time my flight was scheduled to arrive.  He told me where he'd be waiting for me.  I texted him when we landed, at which point he left the cell phone lot and pulled up to where he said he'd be in front of the terminal, and I walked out and got in his car.  No smartphone required.  And no smartphone required for your two-step process either.

Or even being a pre-driving age person on a family trip in the back seat. Usually, the entertainment was a book, a magazine, or if I was lucky enough, an electronic game.

This is still what our sons do in the back seat.  Heaven forbid they have to read a book...

This would have been an expensive international call in the past, but a local call on my mobile with international roaming.

No smartphone required to have international roaming.  Mine has it, and it's not a smartphone.

[kkt]

However, it was like being in a car with only a AM radio with no FM or eight-track (thank you frugal parents!).

We hardly ever play music in the car when we're on a road trip.  We mostly just sit in silence.  That weirds some people out, but that's the way we roll.

You had to check-in at the main counter to get your plane ticket. Nowadays, you can check in 24 hours from a computer or phone in advance of boarding, and print out your ticket at home. Or, just show your ticket via mobile phone.

Granted, I've only flown on two trips since the advent of the smartphone, but I got paper tickets for both trips.  On my most recent one, I attempted to print my boarding pass at home, but I had to get it at the airport anyway due to having to scan in my passport.

Moreover, for that trip, I was notified that one of the legs of my trip wouldn't have qualified for mobile boarding pass anyway, so I'd have had to get a paper one even if I did have a smartphone.

Want music in your flight?

Nope.

If your flight was long enough, maybe they would play a movie that was edited to remove certain details including plane crashes. You enjoyed that movie and liked it because it was the only movie being shown.

And hopefully it was a good movie.  I remember hating a couple of in-flight movies back in the 1980s-90s.

Nowadays, you would link up to the airplane's WiFi and choose between a selection of movies of both classic and modern films to view on your tablet

No I wouldn't.  Not interested in watching a movie.

Tablet?  I thought we were talking about phones.

If someone was picking you up from the airport, you gave when your flight arrived. Of course, this was pre-September 11th when you actually met your party at the gate... and hope that the flight's arrival wasn't delayed for more than an hour. No web page for flight information. Nowadays, I have a two-step notification process when people pick me up from DFW... a first call when the plane is on the ground and approaching the gate so that they can start driving to the cellular waiting lot (a thirty-fourty minute drive), and a second call that I have my luggage and am ready to be picked up.

I had a friend from church pick me up.  I told him what time my flight was scheduled to arrive.  He told me where he'd be waiting for me.  I texted him when we landed, at which point he left the cell phone lot and pulled up to where he said he'd be in front of the terminal, and I walked out and got in his car.  No smartphone required.  And no smartphone required for your two-step process either.

Or even being a pre-driving age person on a family trip in the back seat. Usually, the entertainment was a book, a magazine, or if I was lucky enough, an electronic game.

This is still what our sons do in the back seat.  Heaven forbid they have to read a book...

This would have been an expensive international call in the past, but a local call on my mobile with international roaming.

No smartphone required to have international roaming.  Mine has it, and it's not a smartphone.

Although my dumb phone doesn't work at all outside the United States.  Set foot across the 49th parallel and it's a paperweight.

[JayhawkCO]

Although my dumb phone doesn't work at all outside the United States.  Set foot across the 49th parallel and it's a paperweight.

Pretty sure even with dumb phones, you can get a local SIM card.

[Bruce]

I definitely need it for some of my day-to-day tasks, and wouldn't dare try to do something complex like a trip without it.

Meanwhile, for my most recent trip out of the country two months ago, I traveled with my dumbphone and a borrowed digital camera.  The only thing I might have needed a smartphone for was CDC contact tracing info in advance of my return trip to the USA;  but I just had my wife do that from our PC at home on my behalf, although I could have simply done it at the airport counter before departure instead, and Reddit threads now lead me to believe I didn't even actually need to do it at all.  For at least half of my time in Mexico, I didn't have cell reception anyway.

I flew from Wichita via DFW to Tampico, caught a city bus a couple of blocks from the Tampico airport, got off after about 5 km, walked about 1 km to the intercity bus station, bought a ticket and boarded an hour later, then got off at a gas station 155 km away, where I arranged via text message for my friend to pick me up.  No smartphone required.

Seriously, you guys do realize that people managed to travel before the invention of the smartphone, right?

It's not wrong to use the most convenient tool for a task. And considering that I have spent my entire adult life in the age of the smartphone, it's no wonder that I default to it. The time savings alone mean I can maximize my enjoyment of a trip and minimize the issues that any kind of disruption can cause.

Were it not for real-time tracking information, I would not be able to trust most transit systems in this country, so that would limit my trip options by quite a bit. Sure, I could use timetables, but many systems only provide estimates and those have to be accessed on their website, as printing them for each stop is costly.

A few years ago, I was almost stranded in Toronto because of Air Canada's sudden cancellation of flights out of Pearson. Were it not for my smartphone, I would not have seen the email notification until it was far too late to rebook my outbound flight. Instead, I was able to quickly rebook on their app out of Billy Bishop Airport and connect with the flight I was intending to use to get back home, with no loss of time (and some bonus views in the process). I can't imagine having to navigate the hours-long wait on the phone or in-person at the airport (which would require me going all the way there anyway) to rebook a flight when it can be done in less than 10 minutes while I sit in a park. The difference in environment (chaotic airport/rushed phone call versus nature) also helped clear my head and let me choose the best possible option.

[Roadgeekteen]

Also important to note that major transit systems/transportation hubs assume everyone has a smartphone, so they won't have as many resources available for completely analog travel (like actual humans at stations).

[Bruce]

I will say that the level of technology addictiveness in younger destinations is a valid concern, and many of them have only used smartphones and Chromebooks, so they lack the fundamental IT skills they need to troubleshoot things on actual PCs. I make a conscious choice not to scroll through endless videos on social media and instead try to use social media in a way that requires real engagement (hence why I'm here and on Discord).

That said, the times I do try to take a break from phone use have backfired spectacularly. A casual drive into the city on routes I already know? Surprise, there's multiple collisions and unscheduled construction that causes an hour-long backup on the route I'm already on (and no way to bypass until it's too late). I decided to cheap out once and not use my carrier's roaming allotment for Canada (as it was running low) and ended up needing it anyway to find a new hotel after my booked one ghosted me.

[kphoger]

I would not have seen the email notification until it was far too late to rebook my outbound flight

This irked me on my trip.  My wife kept calling me because the airline kept sending e-mail notifications about stuff.  I'd really like to have gotten those notifications via text message instead.

[Roadgeekteen]

Just speaking anecdotally, I don't think I've met a single person around my age without a smartphone since I was 14 years old.

[kphoger]

Just speaking anecdotally, I don't think I've met a single person around my age without a smartphone since I was 14 years old.

I had a co-worker about seven years ago or so who didn't have a telephone of any kind.  He got rid of both cell phone and landline in order to save money.  If he needed the internet, then he'd go to the library.  Our boss wasn't happy that he couldn't just call the guy up on his day off and ask if he could cover someone's shift if she called in sick, but too bad I guess.  I think he was around 30 years old.

[JayhawkCO]

I would not have seen the email notification until it was far too late to rebook my outbound flight

This irked me on my trip.  My wife kept calling me because the airline kept sending e-mail notifications about stuff.  I'd really like to have gotten those notifications via text message instead.

I've gotten texts from both Southwest and United recently.

[kphoger]

I've gotten texts from both Southwest and United recently.

That would have been nice.

I'm standing in line at the gate, ready to board.  My wife calls me on my cell phone because the airline sent an e-mail notifying me that my seat number has changed.  Twenty seconds later, I'm at the gate and they hand me a new boarding pass with my new seat number on it.  Seriously, that couldn't have been a text message instead of an e-mail?

I'm a day and a half from my return trip, with no access to a computer.  My wife calls to let me know that the airline sent an e-mail to say I might not be able to re-enter the USA without first having filled out an online form with contact tracing info.  Seriously, if it's that important, and I'm already on my trip, why did I not get a text message?

[JayhawkCO]

I've gotten texts from both Southwest and United recently.

That would have been nice.

I'm standing in line at the gate, ready to board.  My wife calls me on my cell phone because the airline sent an e-mail notifying me that my seat number has changed.  Twenty seconds later, I'm at the gate and they hand me a new boarding pass with my new seat number on it.  Seriously, that couldn't have been a text message instead of an e-mail?

I'm a day and a half from my return trip, with no access to a computer.  My wife calls to let me know that the airline sent an e-mail to say I might not be able to re-enter the USA without first having filled out an online form with contact tracing info.  Seriously, if it's that important, and I'm already on my trip, why did I not get a text message?

Did you enable text messaging within your profile? Pretty sure you have to opt in.

[ZLoth]

However, it was like being in a car with only a AM radio with no FM or eight-track (thank you frugal parents!).

We hardly ever play music in the car when we're on a road trip.  We mostly just sit in silence.  That weirds some people out, but that's the way we roll.

The "sounds of the road" station doesn't sound that appealing for multiple hours. That's how I roll.

If your flight was long enough, maybe they would play a movie that was edited to remove certain details including plane crashes. You enjoyed that movie and liked it because it was the only movie being shown.

And hopefully it was a good movie.  I remember hating a couple of in-flight movies back in the 1980s-90s.

Like I said, you "liked it because it was the only movie being shown".

Nowadays, you would link up to the airplane's WiFi and choose between a selection of movies of both classic and modern films to view on your tablet

No I wouldn't.  Not interested in watching a movie.

Tablet?  I thought we were talking about phones.

You can view the movie on your mobile device that was WiFi enabled whether that was a mobile phone or tablet.

If someone was picking you up from the airport, you gave when your flight arrived. Of course, this was pre-September 11th when you actually met your party at the gate... and hope that the flight's arrival wasn't delayed for more than an hour. No web page for flight information. Nowadays, I have a two-step notification process when people pick me up from DFW... a first call when the plane is on the ground and approaching the gate so that they can start driving to the cellular waiting lot (a thirty-fourty minute drive), and a second call that I have my luggage and am ready to be picked up.

I had a friend from church pick me up.  I told him what time my flight was scheduled to arrive.  He told me where he'd be waiting for me.  I texted him when we landed, at which point he left the cell phone lot and pulled up to where he said he'd be in front of the terminal, and I walked out and got in his car.  No smartphone required.  And no smartphone required for your two-step process either.

But, can you view the status of the flight via text message? Remember, I'm comparing flying from the 1970s verses now.

This would have been an expensive international call in the past, but a local call on my mobile with international roaming.

No smartphone required to have international roaming.  Mine has it, and it's not a smartphone.

But, in the unlikely event that international roaming was unavailable, there is still WiFi calling.

I'm standing in line at the gate, ready to board.  My wife calls me on my cell phone because the airline sent an e-mail notifying me that my seat number has changed.  Twenty seconds later, I'm at the gate and they hand me a new boarding pass with my new seat number on it.  Seriously, that couldn't have been a text message instead of an e-mail?

Funny how, with most of your responses, you are dependent on your spouse to make up for the lack of smart phone. How about those of us who will be forever single?

[Max Rockatansky]

Honestly it reads to me as though you are too dependent on mobile devices for every last thing.  You do you, it just seems way too much for me.

[Roadgeekteen]

Honestly it reads to me as though you are too dependent on mobile devices for every last thing.  You do you, it just seems way too much for me.

For me, lots of things I could do without by phone if I really tried, but it would be an unnecessary complication.

[ZLoth]

Honestly it reads to me as though you are too dependent on mobile devices for every last thing.  You do you, it just seems way too much for me.

It makes my life easier, however, I still don't do to-do lists or shopping lists on my mobile. Because I self-host my media for accessibility when out-and-about, there is that additional work in preparing the media to make it accessible remotely, but I have a higher level of control. Having a "single source of truth" for my contacts and calendar is also important. There was a transition period, but the end result was worth it.

[Max Rockatansky]

Honestly it reads to me as though you are too dependent on mobile devices for every last thing.  You do you, it just seems way too much for me.

It makes my life easier, however, I still don't do to-do lists or shopping lists on my mobile. Because I self-host my media for accessibility when out-and-about, there is that additional work in preparing the media to make it accessible remotely, but I have a higher level of control. Having a "single source of truth" for my contacts and calendar is also important. There was a transition period, but the end result was worth it.

Being the tech guy was never for me.  I'm clearly not the only one in this thread who feels the same.  I suspect kphoger and I probably align fairly closely more often than not as to what we both view as superfluous gadgetry. 

Then again I seek spend much of my free time in areas where modern tech devices are close to or fully worthless. 

[Scott5114]

Being the tech guy was never for me.

Being a tech guy is for me, and that's why I reject mobile devices—they're toys under the control of big corporations and do not permit me to do what I need to do.

Hell, lately I've run into apps that somehow disallow you from taking a screenshot, and the OS goes right along with this like it's a reasonable thing for an app to do. Any serious OS would consider this a security violation and machine-gun the app for overstepping its boundaries—once an app has rendered something, that's the OS's to do what it wants with it, not the app's.

[Max Rockatansky]

Worth noting, my desktop PC at work was replaced with a laptop.  The idea seems to be that would take the laptop home with me so I could do work away from the office or on work travel.  Why would want to do my work from home during my off time when I haven't had to for past twenty-four years?  Even with work travel I haven't had much trouble finding a desktop PC if I really needed to use one. 

[kkt]

Although my dumb phone doesn't work at all outside the United States.  Set foot across the 49th parallel and it's a paperweight.

Pretty sure even with dumb phones, you can get a local SIM card.

Thank you, I appreciate that you're trying to help.  Not sure mine has a place for a sim card but I'll look.

[Roadgeekteen]

Being the tech guy was never for me.

Being a tech guy is for me, and that's why I reject mobile devices—they're toys under the control of big corporations and do not permit me to do what I need to do.

Hell, lately I've run into apps that somehow disallow you from taking a screenshot, and the OS goes right along with this like it's a reasonable thing for an app to do. Any serious OS would consider this a security violation and machine-gun the app for overstepping its boundaries—once an app has rendered something, that's the OS's to do what it wants with it, not the app's.

Any serious computing/experimenting I do is with my 2 laptops for the most part. And I do like to game and download software on my PCs. My phone is for on the fly travel things, plus just casual social media usage plus when I want to lie in bed.

[Scott5114]

Being the tech guy was never for me.

Being a tech guy is for me, and that's why I reject mobile devices—they're toys under the control of big corporations and do not permit me to do what I need to do.

Hell, lately I've run into apps that somehow disallow you from taking a screenshot, and the OS goes right along with this like it's a reasonable thing for an app to do. Any serious OS would consider this a security violation and machine-gun the app for overstepping its boundaries—once an app has rendered something, that's the OS's to do what it wants with it, not the app's.

Any serious computing/experimenting I do is with my 2 laptops for the most part. And I do like to game and download software on my PCs. My phone is for on the fly travel things, plus just casual social media usage plus when I want to lie in bed.

Most people appreciate you telling the truth when you're in bed.

[Bruce]

I will say that text messages don't feel like a secure platform (and email is only marginally better) based on the scams and phishing attempts that get through to me. Not a fan of text-based 2FA either, but some places don't give you an alternative.