I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Growing reliance on smartphones and proprietary apps for everyday tasks — from restaurant menus and parking to banking, tickets, and even toilets and medical devices — is making it increasingly hard to live normally without a modern phone. Commenters weigh the convenience of “the world in your pocket” against privacy concerns, dark patterns, forced app updates, discriminatory access, and effectively being pushed into the Apple/Google duopoly just to function in society. Many describe partial workarounds (dumbphones, de-Googled Android, strict app limits) but conclude that opting out now carries real social, financial, and practical penalties.

Pervasive App & QR Requirements

  • Many commenters describe daily life increasingly requiring apps or QR codes: parking, public transport, restaurants (QR-only menus and ordering), medical intake, banking, ticketing (concerts, MLB, clubs), government services, loyalty programs, and even toilets, TVs, washers, dryers, and smart toilets.
  • Some report hard requirements (no alternative to app/QR, or severe surcharges); others say they almost never encounter truly mandatory apps and see claims of “hundreds of interactions per day” as exaggeration.
  • Several note the annoyance of forced app updates at critical moments (e.g., train tickets) and the disappearance of cash/coins and paper processes.

Opting Out and Social Friction

  • People who avoid smartphones or apps describe:
    • Being unable to use WhatsApp-dominated social and family networks.
    • Difficulty with banking, MFA, and school/work systems.
    • Needing tablets or backup phones just for “mandatory” apps.
    • Pushback or disbelief when they say they don’t have a smartphone.
  • Some walk out of QR-only restaurants or refuse app‑only tickets; others compromise (keep a “clean” or secondary device, or rely on spouses/friends).

Privacy, Tracking, and Ads

  • Strong concern that apps exist primarily for data extraction: detailed tracking, profiling, dynamic pricing, and lock‑in to ecosystems.
  • Several argue the root problem is the ad‑funded, surveillance‑driven business model, not the device itself.
  • Others counter that if you’re already deeply using the web, you’re de facto inside big‑tech systems, so the “no smartphone” stance is partly symbolic.

Workarounds and Minimalist Setups

  • Strategies mentioned:
    • De‑Googled Android (GrapheneOS, /e/OS, F‑Droid‑only phones), iPhones locked down via configuration tools, Linux phones, flip phones, or “bricked” smartphones (calls/text only).
    • Separate work phones for employer apps; USB tokens (e.g., FIDO2) instead of phone‑MFA; desktop authenticator apps.
    • Network‑wide ad/tracker blocking; strict app curation; website over app whenever possible.

Equity, Disability, and Policy Concerns

  • Commenters note that phone‑centric systems disadvantage:
    • Elderly people, disabled users, the poor, and those without recent devices or credit cards.
    • Regions where WhatsApp or app‑based payments are de facto mandatory.
  • Some call for regulations: guaranteeing app‑free access, cash acceptance, non‑discriminatory pricing, and limits on tracking.

Diverging Attitudes

  • One camp sees smartphones as indispensable, customizable tools with manageable downsides.
  • Another sees them as socially coerced, privacy‑destroying dependencies—and views resistance as both personally costly and politically necessary.