Smartphone Kryptonite
How data-less plans constrict smart technologies
Introduction
Recently, I reviewed the Light Phone 3 on the YouTube channel. An amazing device for those looking for simplicity and helpful tools for everyday needs. The more I used it, however, a question continued to come up: How come this device fades into the background? Why is it that my attention doesn’t gravitate towards it? After a few days of reflection, I found the answer: data.
The Light Phone 3 does not use a lot of data. It’s capabilities (calendar, GPS, music, etc.) are mostly offline. Yes, they sync every so often on the background, but its purpose is mostly communication. There is nothing constantly interacting with the online world. Therefore, I started to ponder, what would happen if smartphones didn’t have a constant data connection. What if they would be like laptops, only connecting on Wi-Fi? After several days of thorough testing, I’m pleased to confirm that a limited data plan is the ultimate kryptonite for a smartphone.
Data Rules The World
I cannot summarize The Age of Surveillance Capitalism for you. It’s a dense, but necessary read. I highly recommend it. In the book, however, Shoshana Zuboff writes this helpful analogy:
Imagine you have a hammer. That’s machine learning. It helped you climb a grueling mountain to reach the summit. That’s machine learning’s dominance of online data. On the mountaintop you find a vast pile of nails, cheaper than anything previously imaginable. That’s the new smart sensor tech. An unbroken vista of virgin board stretches before you as far as you can see. That’s the whole dumb world. Then you learn that any time you plant a nail in a board with your machine learning hammer, you can extract value from that formerly dumb plank. That’s data monetization. What do you do? You start hammering like crazy and you never stop, unless somebody makes you stop. But there is nobody up here to make us stop. This is why the “internet of everything” is inevitable.
Around 2014, unlimited data plans became the standard in the United States. T-Mobile, with its un-carrier initiatives, made it possible to stream YouTube, chat with friends, and download content anytime, anywhere. Smartphone app developers seized this opportunity to continuously gather data about user preferences. Phones could now display fresh content and send logs back to development teams to refine app experiences. Employers also capitalized on this shift, enabling frictionless connectivity to work responsibilities. Tools like Slack, email, and other services were no longer confined to laptops with Wi-Fi but could be accessed from virtually any location with a data connection.
Everyone shifted towards hyper-connected usage and forgot to segment their online access. Smartphones, driven by convenience, began their steady rise as the gadget of choice to enter the web. Tech companies commenced their extraction project as we shared more information with the devices in our pockets. Just reflect for a second: your address, payment information, work email, family phone numbers, and more live in 1 device. Smartphones are not only data spenders, but also data hoarders.
After using the smartphone on a recent work trip, I noticed that the lack of constant data connection kept it quiet. Without access to the internet, the device returned to its original 2008 form. One toggle on the settings made it a simple phone with helpful tools shackled to the offline world.
Have A Data Usage Plan
Planning ahead is such an underrated skill. Smartphones have made it easy for us to reduce our worries around organization. With the tap of a few buttons, you can find all the information you need, even in case of emergency. While this can be useful, it can lead to a certain over reliance on these gadgets. This was the reason I decided to stop using smartphones in my personal life and instead choose to live with dumbphones. Yet, I recognize that smartphones are popular and some do not have many options around them. I still have to keep one for work.
You do, however, have an option in regards to how much data you consume. And how much data you give to smart devices. Here is a list of all the things your phone can do without constant data access:
Listen to music. Choose to own your tracks instead of streaming.
Navigate around town. Organic Maps has the ability to give you turn-by-turn directions without data.
Listen to Podcasts/Audiobooks. Download these ahead of time via Libby, How Can Some Plans Cost So Much Less Than Others?Pocketcasts, or your preferred method.
Notes.
Calendar. Most only need to sync once or twice per week.
Camera.
Even Chess. Lichess allows you to play with the computer offline :).
Tap to pay. You set it up once and that’s all you need.
There are a few more, but these cover most use cases. With a limited data plan, your smartphone can no longer bombard you with constant interruptions and ads, allowing for a calmer, more focused environment in your daily life. You will need access to data at some point, but it’s on your terms. Here in the United States, my favorite limited data plans are from Tello, US Mobile, and Helium. They are not only cheaper than unlimited data plans offered by big carriers, but offer great coverage depending on your area.
Conclusion
Constant connectivity dominates our current era, but limiting your smartphone’s data usage will restore balance. With less access to the internet, your phone shifts from being a source of constant distraction to a helpful tool that enhances your day-to-day activities. Consider toggling off your data or switching to a limited plan for a week. You might be surprised at the calm it brings.
Now that my Lightphone 3 is soon arriving, I have taught myself to be very much disciplined with my data usage. I had plenty of time to train my behaviour since the early pre-order that, honestly, I think the Lightphone 3 is no longer so much needed! I thought, I can't go overnight from fully-fledged smartphone addict to a Lightphone. Now the LP3 will take a different role I think, helping me to further disconnect from the unnecessary. I still plan to keep an unlimited data plan though, as my son will not understand the notion of "no internet". The LP3's hotspot will come in handy.
Not a bad idea! This past summer I went on a cruise without a WiFi plan, and on the open sea, there is no data connection. I was that the “pull” was diminished, and my shiny iPhone was relegated to whatever was downloaded onto it.
I imagine iMessage won’t work without any data. That’s the Achille’s heel for me :(