I Changed These Settings to Turn My iPhone Into a ...

Your smartphone has ruined your life. You’re hopelessly hooked on the empty dopamine drip doled out by apps and algorithms that know you higher than your self. You acknowledge this. But in addition, you’re no hermit: You want to have the ability to be in contact with family and friends with telephone calls and textual content messages, simply minus the luggage that comes with a contemporary iPhone or Android. A dumbphone would possibly appear to be the reply to all of your issues, but it surely’s most likely not.

I’m usually inundated with articles and movies making an attempt to persuade me that switching to a dumbphone is the important thing to residing a stability, fruitful life—a lot in order that I actually thought of getting one. I nonetheless would possibly, sometime, however the extra I’ve thought in regards to the matter, I’ve come to the conclusion {that a} dumbphone solves a number of issues whereas introducing many extra.

Switching would possibly free me from endlessly scrolling my social media accounts, however I would lose entry to a high-quality digital camera that is all the time with me. I would not have to take care of notifications from apps that solely care about maximizing my display screen time, however I would lose my private GPS. And I would nonetheless be capable to name and textual content, however I would miss instruments like iMessage and FaceTime which might be important for staying linked. I am not prepared to present all that up.

It is true that the dumbphone market is adapting deal with a few of these weaknesses, providing gadgets with options like cameras, navigation apps, note-taking apps, and extra. However why trouble dropping a substantial sum of money for a tool like that after I already have a tool I could make changes to as an alternative?

So, that is what I did—I took my very good, very addicting) iPhone, and made it dumber. Listed here are the steps I took, plus some additional ideas you’ll be able to attempt your self (whereas the directions might fluctuate, the following pointers will apply to Android telephones as effectively):

I deleted as many apps as potential

Apps accumulate on my telephone like cables in a junk drawer. I actually solely use a handful of them, however after testing apps on my telephone for years, they’ve actually added up. Making my telephone dumber offered a possibility to undergo and clear home.

My recommendation is to be as brutal as potential right here. The primary app on my record, AdGuard, stays, as a result of I want an advert blocker to make the fashionable web usable. (Sure, I desire a working web on my dumb iPhone, and one which blocks predatory apps as well.) However Amazon? Bye. Bluesky? Adios. ChatGPT? Lol.

The precedence is to remove apps that distract you or suck you in for hours of meaningless exercise. Social media is a first-rate goal, however even that will get dicey. Can you actually ditch all social media in your smartphone? Some can, however others will discover that excessive, or borderline inconceivable. (Extra on that within the subsequent part.)

This is a useful tip: When you can entry a social media website in an internet browser, do this as an alternative, and delete the app. Do not preserve Facebook’s predatory app in your iPhone, and in case you should go to Meta’s flagship platform, achieve this on Safari. That approach, yu’ll have higher privateness protections in opposition to Meta’s monitoring, and you will have a worse expertise, because the Fb internet app is horrible. Good—meaning you will spend much less time on it.

I set Display Cut-off dates for any apps I can not delete

As a lot because it wastes my time, I can not delete Instagram. Whereas 90% of my use includes senseless scrolling, the opposite 10% is respectable socializing that I might very a lot miss ought to I ditch the app completely. There are different apps on my iPhone I really feel equally about, and it has been a each day battle to make use of them responsibly.

When you have the same crop of apps you’ll be able to’t half with, I extremely advocate organising Display Cut-off dates. It is easy to do, and allows you to select the period of time you need to use an app every day. For instance, I’ve Instagram set to 35 minutes of each day use, however I might select to present myself extra time on weekends, or any day that I really feel like. You may as well allow this characteristic for web sites, so if you’re accessing Instagram through Safari as an alternative of the app, you’ll be able to set limits for there too.

With this App Restrict set, Instagram will run prefer it often does till that thirty fifth minute. As soon as the time restrict is up, the app is changed by a clean display screen, letting me know that I’ve used my time allotment for the day. Hopefully, I then determine to do one thing else with my time (possibly put away my telephone?), however I haven’t got to: The characteristic provides you the choice to increase the time restrict by one or quarter-hour, or disable it for the remainder of the day. It is not the greatest answer for anybody missing willpower, and I’ve positively been responsible of extending my closing dates repeatedly. However as a rule, the lock-out display screen will get me to depart Instagram for the day. If I solely burn 35 minutes watching reels as an alternative of two hours, that is high quality by me.

You will get began setting Scrren Cut-off dates through Settings > Display Time > App Limits.

I disabled notifications for all the things

Smartphone notifications are uncontrolled. These alerts ought to inform me whether or not I’ve a brand new message or when some important replace wants my consideration. When you use system notifications to let me know your app has an wonderful sale occurring, I am immediately deleting it.

However even when notifications are applicable, they’re an excessive amount of. Probably a part of what you hate about your iPhone are the fixed distractions and disruptions from system alerts—not solely are the pointless ones annoying, the respectable ones steal your consideration too. Earlier than it, you have wasted one other hour scrolling on Instagram simply because somebody replied to a message with a thumbs-up.

You do not want a dumbphone to remove these distractions, although: simply disable as many notifications as you can. Any time you obtain a brand new app—which you need to do sparingly in your new dumb iPhone—do not permit any notifications. For apps already in your telephone, go to Settings > Notifications and disable notifications en masse. You may as well assault them because the notifications are available in: Swipe left on alerts in Notification Middle, faucet “Choices,” then select “Flip Off All Notifications.”

This too is difficult. I preserve notifications on for my chat apps, since I do not need to miss essential (or humorous) updates from family and friends. I did handle to disable Instagram notifications, which has its professionals and cons. I am not sucked into each alert I get, however I regularly miss DMs from pals. There are all the time tradeoffs when prioritizing your time.

I made my Lock Display uninviting

Apple has made it easy to make your Lock Screen look awesome. The consequence, nonetheless, is that your iPhone seems to be a bit too inviting every time you choose it up. There’s a simple answer to that: Make it look boring AF.

I set my Lock Display wallpaper to black, so no graphics or colours catch my eye. I allowed myself so as to add some Climate widgets, together with present situations, UV index, and dawn/sundown, as I determine having the climate on my Lock Display means one much less cause to unlock my iPhone. (I used to have a Information widget there as an alternative, by it usually brought about me to open my telephone in response to loopy headlines, that are in no quick provide in 2025.)

My House Display is useless easy too

Following go well with, my House Display can be as bland as potential. I take advantage of the identical black wallpaper, and I’ve abstained from widgets. As a lot as I just like the aesthetics of the calendar and clock widgets, I do not need to spend any extra time on this web page than I’ve to.

As such, I’ve strategically positioned the apps I take advantage of most (and which, notably, aren’t mind rot traps) on the House Display. I might preserve this web page completely clean, however why not preserve the boring, helpful apps at simple attain? That approach, my mind would not have additional time to assume, “Wait, possibly we should always simply open YouTube as an alternative” as I swipe to the App Library.

In my dock stay my Telephone, Messages, Digital camera, and Music apps. In two layers above it stay Notes, Reminders, Maps, and Libby. (My hope is that preserving Libby in sight in any respect time will encourage me to learn extra, somewhat than scroll, scroll, scroll.) For all different apps, I depend on the App Library, which is just a swipe away.

You’ll be able to actually get inventive with this. By completely different apps or hacks, you’ll be able to emulate the expertise of dumbphones like the Light Phone, which merely reveals you an inventory of app titles to select from as an alternative of wowing you with graphics and animations. Dumb Phone is one such app: After putting in it, you choose a bunch of apps you need to see in your House Display, and Dumb Telephone lists these in a widget one-by-one. Change the colour of your wallpaper to match the widget, regulate a number of settings, and presto—you personal fake Mild Telephone.

This is not actually my cup of tea—I nonetheless take pleasure in a standard residence display screen/app icons expertise—however in case you assume you’d choose the look, give it a attempt. (Simply ensure that to hit the “X” within the prime proper nook throughout setup in case you do not need to pay for the subscription.)

Go grayscale, child

If there’s one tip to remove from this piece, it is that you need to flip your telephone to grayscale. This shade filter makes all the things in your smartphone, effectively, grey, wiping away the entire brilliant, enjoyable colours that make it participating and welcoming to make use of.

This has been widespread recommendation for combating smartphone dependancy for years, and whereas it is actually not a cure-all, it does actually assist. Scrolling on Instagram is not practically as addicting when all the things seems to be washed out, and it actually would not make me need to spend time watching reveals or motion pictures on my telephone. When you’ve eradicated notifications completely, you will not discover the profit in how a grey notification badge is way much less intriguing than its brilliant crimson counterpart—however then, you have gained that battle already.

As all the time, a caveat: I like my dumb iPhone, however I do not need to punish myself. If somebody sends me a video, or if I see one thing cool on-line that deserves to be seen in shade, I will change off grayscale quickly. Does that defeat the aim of my dumb iPhone? Probably, however I am making my very own guidelines right here.

Set a greyscale shortcut

The most effective compromise I’ve discovered is to assign the grayscale filter to the facility button’s accessibility shortcut. You will discover this beneath Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut. Select “Shade Filters,” then triple-click the facility button any time you need to toggle grayscale on or off.

Different methods to make your iPhone dumber and fewer enjoyable to make use of

The above is what I’ve completed to make my iPhone much less addicting, and, general, it is helped. I am unsure if it is the modifications themselves, or how the modifications consistently remind me to make use of my machine with intention, however, both approach, I have been decreasing my display screen time, and making what stays extra productive. That is a win-win.

There are different methods you can also make your iPhone much less interesting to make use of, and, thus, reclaim your display screen time as effectively. Listed here are some solutions:

• Use a matte display screen protector: These display screen protectors lower down on glare, but additionally emulate the expertise of an e-ink display screen. That may assist every other Libby customers on the market who desire a extra soothing studying expertise.

• Disable Face ID/Contact ID: Keep in mind the times of punching in your passcode each time you unlocked your iPhone? It sucked. Pressure your self to do it once more. Realizing that you will have to enter your passcode any time you need to test your telephone would possibly break the behavior of senseless pickups. (Higher but, set an alphanumeric crossphrase. That’ll present you.)

• Preserve Low Battery Mode on always: When you have a Professional iPhone, your show has a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh price. Turning on Low Energy Mode drops it right down to 60Hz, which, whereas commonplace for a lot of iPhone customers, seems to be uneven after you are used to 120Hz.

Will I preserve my iPhone dumb endlessly?

Am I dedicated to my new dumber iPhone life-style? I am unsure. If I might wager a guess, I feel what is going on to occur is that this: I will ultimately change off grayscale, add a pleasant Lock Display and a well-curated House Display, however preserve my minimal notifications and restricted app choice. I like the thought of sustaining a “regular” iPhone expertise, however with out most of the issues that make it a distraction—even when meaning ditching a few of the extra excessive dumbphone-like measures.

Realizing that, I am to date completely satisfied I didn’t spend lots of of {dollars} on a devoted dumbphone. One thing tells me that I might be itching to change again to my iPhone in a heartbeat.