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

[Roadgeekteen]

One thing that was kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were closest to (or whichever one was closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

By the 2000s, we had four phones hooked up to the landline: the main one in the kitchen (a white indestructable wall-mount that was probably made by Western Electric), the cordless one (which had a base unit in my parents' room that you could use the speakerphone on even if the cordless handset was somewhere else), one in my room (which I mostly used to check whether it was okay to use the dialup), and one in the garage.

I've missed calls from my wife because I left my cell in the bedroom to charge and couldn't hear it from my office.

I have my phone charging by me at all times, in the same space that I am using my computer and almost always have it in my pocket when I'm doing something else, so I never miss calls.

[Scott5114]

One thing that was kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were closest to (or whichever one was closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

By the 2000s, we had four phones hooked up to the landline: the main one in the kitchen (a white indestructable wall-mount that was probably made by Western Electric), the cordless one (which had a base unit in my parents' room that you could use the speakerphone on even if the cordless handset was somewhere else), one in my room (which I mostly used to check whether it was okay to use the dialup), and one in the garage.

I've missed calls from my wife because I left my cell in the bedroom to charge and couldn't hear it from my office.

I have my phone charging by me at all times, in the same space that I am using my computer and almost always have it in my pocket when I'm doing something else, so I never miss calls.

My charger is in the bedroom so it can charge while I'm sleeping. Problem is sometimes I forget to charge it before bed, so I plug it in and go have a day, and sometimes I forget to retrieve it.

I could charge it in my office, but the charger in here is usually occupied by a more important device, like my headphones, drawing tablet, or weed vape.

[Roadgeekteen]

One thing that was kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were closest to (or whichever one was closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

By the 2000s, we had four phones hooked up to the landline: the main one in the kitchen (a white indestructable wall-mount that was probably made by Western Electric), the cordless one (which had a base unit in my parents' room that you could use the speakerphone on even if the cordless handset was somewhere else), one in my room (which I mostly used to check whether it was okay to use the dialup), and one in the garage.

I've missed calls from my wife because I left my cell in the bedroom to charge and couldn't hear it from my office.

I have my phone charging by me at all times, in the same space that I am using my computer and almost always have it in my pocket when I'm doing something else, so I never miss calls.

My charger is in the bedroom so it can charge while I'm sleeping. Problem is sometimes I forget to charge it before bed, so I plug it in and go have a day, and sometimes I forget to retrieve it.

I could charge it in my office, but the charger in here is usually occupied by a more important device, like my headphones, drawing tablet, or weed vape.

Fair enough. I don't have an office, my desk is in my room so I do everything in the same place.

[kphoger]

Beyond phone calls, text messages, and the contact list, the stock apps I use are these:
alarm clock
calculator
camera & photo gallery (not very good quality)

every single app is just a platform for money-grubbing rather than focused on actually providing a useful service to the user

Please explain how the calculator app on my phone is a platform for money-grabbing.

[hotdogPi]

Please explain how the calculator app on my phone is a platform for money-grabbing.

It reinforces tipping culture.

[1995hoo]

One thing that was is kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't don't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring it rings every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were are closest to (or whichever one was is closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

....

Fixed that. There are several reasons why we maintain our landline (though it's over Verizon fiber optic rather than traditional copper wiring), aside from all of our relatives already having had our phone number. The phones are more comfortable to hold and use than a mobile phone. Ms1995hoo also really dislikes the idea of having to carry her mobile phone on her at all times in case someone decides to call. There's also the convenience of relatives and others not having to call "the correct number" to reach one of us. (Caller ID does mean that I sometimes don't answer if certain of her relatives call—I just yell "it's your brother" or similar.) And we can both join a call without having to use speakerphone or some other "three-way calling" type feature—if the other of us needs to join a call, we just pick up one of the other phones and click the button to "break in."

At one point I did consider the idea of an adapter I saw in a catalog that lets you connect your mobile phone to your conventional household phones (I don't remember whether it worked only with cordless phone sets that use a base station, but I suspect that was the case). But I couldn't find the details on how it would work if you had multiple mobile phones in the house.

[Scott5114]

Please explain how the calculator app on my phone is a platform for money-grabbing.

I've never used your phone, so you'll have to mail it to me so I can answer this.

One thing that was is kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't don't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring it rings every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were are closest to (or whichever one was is closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

....

Fixed that. There are several reasons why we maintain our landline (though it's over Verizon fiber optic rather than traditional copper wiring), aside from all of our relatives already having had our phone number. The phones are more comfortable to hold and use than a mobile phone. Ms1995hoo also really dislikes the idea of having to carry her mobile phone on her at all times in case someone decides to call. There's also the convenience of relatives and others not having to call "the correct number" to reach one of us. (Caller ID does mean that I sometimes don't answer if certain of her relatives call—I just yell "it's your brother" or similar.) And we can both join a call without having to use speakerphone or some other "three-way calling" type feature—if the other of us needs to join a call, we just pick up one of the other phones and click the button to "break in."

At one point I did consider the idea of an adapter I saw in a catalog that lets you connect your mobile phone to your conventional household phones (I don't remember whether it worked only with cordless phone sets that use a base station, but I suspect that was the case). But I couldn't find the details on how it would work if you had multiple mobile phones in the house.

For me this problem is solved by my relatives never calling me. (Actually, nobody calls me other than my wife right when she gets off work; this means I don't actually answer the phone when it rings at any other time anymore, because what are the odds of the person actually being someone I want to talk to? If they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.)

[kphoger]

If they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

[Bobby5280]

I don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

I get the privacy thing; not many people want to risk others listening in on a voice call. Still, I find the texting thing only convenient if I'm trading a short message or two with someone else. That's fine. But if the short exchange tries turning into a full-blown conversation I'm going to stop responding back. They can call me. I can talk far faster than I can type messages on a phone screen. I usually have other things to do. That work gets disrupted if I have to pick up my phone every 30 seconds to read some person's message. With an actual voice call, I can hold the phone to my ear with my shoulder or put the phone on speaker and still be able to get things done. Frequent texting is just a pain in the ass.

The stuff reminds me of the AOL Instant Messenger app from a long time ago. I think I had that app on my computer for maybe a week before I deleted it. I'd be working and this chat window would jump up on the screen in front of what I was doing. There were settings for minimizing it so it wouldn't constantly jump in the way. Still, the damned app would be pestering the hell out of me. People were going nuts with that app back then.

[JayhawkCO]

I don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

I get the privacy thing; not many people want to risk others listening in on a voice call. Still, I find the texting thing only convenient if I'm trading a short message or two with someone else. That's fine. But if the short exchange tries turning into a full-blown conversation I'm going to stop responding back. They can call me. I can talk far faster than I can type messages on a phone screen. I usually have other things to do. That work gets disrupted if I have to pick up my phone every 30 seconds to read some person's message. With an actual voice call, I can hold the phone to my ear with my shoulder or put the phone on speaker and still be able to get things done. Frequent texting is just a pain in the ass.

The stuff reminds me of the AOL Instant Messenger app from a long time ago. I think I had that app on my computer for maybe a week before I deleted it. I'd be working and this chat window jump up on the screen in front of what I was doing. There were settings for minimizing it so it wouldn't constantly jump in the way. Still, the damned app would be pestering the hell out of me. People were going nuts with that app back then.

For me, it's about not always having a lot of dedicated time to have a conversation, so I can reply at my convenience. My son is only 3, and does not understand that if I'm on the phone, I can't be playing with/talking to him.

[kphoger]

I don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls ... if the short exchange tries turning into a full-blown conversation ...

The thing is, though, that situation only happens to me on rare occasions.  And I'd say at least 70% of them are with my sister, who never answers the phone when I call her anyway.

[Roadgeekteen]

I don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

Sometimes I'm doing something else while having the conversation and don't want to talk. And sometimes I just don't feel like talking out loud.

[Scott5114]

I don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

I like being able to edit a message for clarity (and to not sound like an idiot) before the recipient sees it. I have a lot less control over that on a voice call.

I hardly ever actually text on the phone, though; most of the time I will try and get the person to communicate over an app that has a desktop version, so I can use a real keyboard.

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

Beats actually having to have an unwanted conversation.

[Roadgeekteen]

I will say I am far more self-conscious about texts as they can be read going forward forever by the person you text, while if you say something stupid it's often forgotten quickly and there is usually no permanent record of it.

[Molandfreak]

If they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

I was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly.

[Bruce]

My phone is just an extension of my hand at this point. 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.

In the past week, I've used my phone to:
- Navigate around a major transit blockage
- Rent an e-bike
- Check on ferry departures
- Coordinate with friends for meetups
- Ordered food ahead of time because drive-thru lines suck
- Gone to several sporting events that require a phone ticket
- Take a lot of photos

[Scott5114]

If they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

I was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly.

That thing is basically exactly what I want out of a phone!

[Roadgeekteen]

If they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

I was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly.

That thing is basically exactly what I want out of a phone!

Looks cool, but not sure how much advantages a phone keyboard would have over typing on the screen because the keyboard won't be big enough for me to type like I do on a computer, so it would sort of defeat the purpose of this new keyboard.

[Scott5114]

If they made a cheaper plan where I could still text and use cell data but not the actual phone stuff, I'd probably sign up for that.

I'd bet there are a lot of people who'd do the same.  I'm kind of surprised there aren't any such phones on the market.

I was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly.

That thing is basically exactly what I want out of a phone!

Looks cool, but not sure how much advantages a phone keyboard would have over typing on the screen because the keyboard won't be big enough for me to type like I do on a computer, so it would sort of defeat the purpose of this new keyboard.

You can actually feel where one button ends and another begins, even on a small keyboard. Having used phones with smaller physical keyboards than that, it makes a huge difference.

[ZLoth]

Texting? Usually, I reserve that for non-time critical items. If it's important, then it's a voice call. The funny part is that, while voice recognition is a thing for typing on the phone, I never use that. Dunno why.

I do have my phone linked up to my computer so that I can send/receive text messages from my computer. Google Messages also had a web-based version as well.

[MikeTheActuary]

Looks cool, but not sure how much advantages a phone keyboard would have over typing on the screen because the keyboard won't be big enough for me to type like I do on a computer, so it would sort of defeat the purpose of this new keyboard.

One of my PDAs had a built-in keyboard.   I was more accurate using it than I am with an on-screen "keyboard".

I HATE tapping messages out on a screen or trying to use voice recognition.  Thankfully, I can send text messages from my computer.

[kkt]

One thing that was kind of nice about a landline is that you didn't have to keep "the phone" on you at all times; when there was a call it'd ring every phone in the house at once, and you'd just grab whichever one you were closest to (or whichever one was closest to where you wanted to be while you talked on the phone).

By the 2000s, we had four phones hooked up to the landline: the main one in the kitchen (a white indestructable wall-mount that was probably made by Western Electric), the cordless one (which had a base unit in my parents' room that you could use the speakerphone on even if the cordless handset was somewhere else), one in my room (which I mostly used to check whether it was okay to use the dialup), and one in the garage.

I've missed calls from my wife because I left my cell in the bedroom to charge and couldn't hear it from my office.

I have my phone charging by me at all times, in the same space that I am using my computer and almost always have it in my pocket when I'm doing something else, so I never miss calls.

I have about a dozen cordless phones left on their bases in different rooms in the house, so I always hear it if they ring and can get to them quickly.  Also a vintage electromechanical phone in the bedroom so one will work even if there's a long power failure.

[1995hoo]

I don't understand people who want to talk to people via a mobile phone exclusively by text message and refuse to do voice calls.

I like being able to edit a message for clarity (and to not sound like an idiot) before the recipient sees it. I have a lot less control over that on a voice call.

I hardly ever actually text on the phone, though; most of the time I will try and get the person to communicate over an app that has a desktop version, so I can use a real keyboard.

Windows 11 has some sort of feature that lets you have your text messages and other mobile phone notifications appear on your PC, and you can then respond to the messages from the PC using the full-sized keyboard. Funny thing is, even though I have it enabled I hardly ever use it, I think because I'm just not used to it yet.

I have about a dozen cordless phones left on their bases in different rooms in the house, so I always hear it if they ring and can get to them quickly.  Also a vintage electromechanical phone in the bedroom so one will work even if there's a long power failure.

I have the cordless phone base station plugged into a battery backup power supply in case of a power outage for similar reasons.

[GaryV]

I was going to rebut this with a modern PDA I heard about, but apparently this thing can actually make calls, though it looks incredibly silly.

How does that thing display any kind of affection, public or not?