“What dumb phone are you using?”
I keep getting that question in response to my mentioning not using a smartphone anymore. So I thought I’d give you the lowdown.
The short version is that I pay $6.50 a month and use just an Apple Watch as a standalone phone. I’ll quickly explain why I chose this setup, and the details of how you can do it too, if you’re so inclined.
Why Apple Watch Is the Ultimate Dumb Phone
Since quitting social media in 2023, I’ve been much more intentional with all of my screen time. In the past I’ve done experiments using the The Light Phone II and last year I spent a few weeks with the Cat S22, before ultimately deciding it wasn’t for me. But I’ve found a solution that works for me.
The problem I’ve had with dumb phones is that I’m just so locked into the Apple ecosystem. So I’ve found it hard to completely break away from my iPhone.
Several times I tried going a stretch of leaving my iPhone at home and just using an Apple Watch with cellular with varying levels of success. But I’d always end up using the phone again more than I’d like. And part of me felt stupid for paying for an expensive phone plan, without actually using it.
But for the past 5 months I’ve been using just an Apple Watch as my phone. In fact, I sold my iPhone back in October. Here’s how I set it all up.
How to Set Up Your Apple Watch as a Dumb Phone
Obviously, you could use any Apple Watch model that has cellular capabilities—as long as it’s tied to an iPhone. But for the reasons I stated above, I found that less than ideal.
The real unlock is using Apple Watch For Your Kids, which lets you setup an Apple Watch as a standalone phone with it’s own iCloud account, as long there is a “parent iPhone” tied to it.
And this was made all the easier—and cheaper—with US Mobile’s Apple Watch Companion Plan, which launched last year.
I currently pay $78 a year (effectively $6.50/month) for my Watch’s plan. The only catch is that you need to have the parent iPhone also on a US Mobile plan. In my case, that’s my wife’s iPhone. But they have great pricing, so it was an easy switch for us.
Using an Apple Watch as my standalone phone gives me everything I need: iMessage, phone calls, calendar, podcasts, and GPS. And none of the stuff I don’t want: YouTube, social media, news, endless distractions.
And the best part is I still get to use my own iCloud account, independent from my wife’s phone. So I can still message with my fellow iPhone users from my MacBook or iPad—and I don’t have the dreaded green bubble.
Drawbacks of Using a Standalone Apple Watch as a Dumb Phone
It’s not a perfect setup, by any means.
Like I mentioned, to set it up you have to have someone on your plan with an iPhone to be the “parent.” My wife’s phone serves that purpose. But if you don’t share a phone plan, that will be an issue for you.
I have been pleasantly surprised, however, that after the initial setup I’ve never actually needed to use my wife’s phone to manage anything. It all can be done on the watch. By the way, US Mobile customer support was super helpful, with getting things setup. Even if you’re not technical, they make it simple.
One unfortunate downside, though, is that many Apple Watch apps don’t work without a companion iPhone app. For example, I haven’t found a great solution for audiobooks yet. One app I’ve really found handy is Outcast for podcasting. It’s just a much better podcasting app if you’re only using an Apple Watch.
Battery life has probably been the biggest nuisance. But I’m using a 5-year-old Apple Watch Series 4. So, that one is mostly on me. For like $8 on Amazon, I just bought an extra watch charger I keep in the car. And this Apple Watch battery backup I can carry in my pocket on trips. And this little do-dad lives in my computer bag.
The Verdict
I’m coming up on half-a-year using my Apple Watch exclusively, and I plan to continue doing it. For me, even with the drawbacks, it’s been a great solution.
I’ve traveled all over the country with just me and my watch; on long flights listening to podcasts, long drives using just the watch’s GPS, and many other adventures. And I’ve survived just fine.
There certainly are some hassles to doing things this way. But using an Apple Watch as my phone really has broken me from the lie that I “need” my phone. And I feel so much more present and clear headed without the constant tick of feeling like I need to “check my phone” all the time.
