The operating system of iPhone is one of the key elements for users to choose it over other devices. All the smart features it includes make it a great tool. However, all those possibilities may saturate your user experience. The dumb Smartphone experience is taking over, with the reduction of special features and Internet connection to make it more private and secure.
In case you want to turn temporarily your Apple Smartphone into a dumb one, you can do it through different methods. You can activate a special mode from the iPhone settings or use an app to make the transformation automatically. It’s a good idea to activate the dumb mode of your Smartphone during holidays, to disconnect a little from digital presence. And it also makes your phone more secure as you can’t enter dangerous websites.
Concentrate by turning your Smartphone dumb with just a click
The focus or concentration mode in iOS is a good opportunity to turn your Smartphone into a dumb or basic device. You can create screens with essential apps and disable access and notifications from all those apps you don’t really need.
The preparation of this mode may take some minutes if you do it manually. You have to press and hold in a free spot of the screen and then drag and drop the apps you need in a new screen. The apps you should include in your screen are Phone, Settings, Camera and Photos. All the rest you can forget, at least for a while.
The main idea of this focus mode is to prevent distractions, that’s why you shouldn’t bring Instagram, WhatsApp or Telegram to your new focus screen. Phone is only to make use of it in case of emergency. Another app you could include is the widget of weather information. Try to choose apps that won’t generate visual stress .
Settings for a dumb device
From the Settings app in your iPhone, you have to activate the Focus mode and add a new customized one. The idea is to set the screen with your new apps as the only one to be seen. You can also disable notifications from other apps and you will avoid distractions. Remember to keep the Phone app active in order to be aware of any emergency.
The app that turns your iPhone visually
For a more advanced experience of dumbphone, you can download Minimalism Phone. It’s a free app with limited features but you can also buy it for 2,99 euros a month or 9,99 euros a year. Another possibility is paying 29,99 euros for the full version with no time limit.
The differences between paid and free version are better options to avoid distractions. For example, you can set numerous profiles to differentiate from a work or resting moments.
- First you open Minimalism Phone and press the Get Started button.
- Select the apps you want to access.
- Choose Photos, Messages, Safari, Notes and Settings or the ones you decide.
- Subscribe to the platform or select the free version.
The instructions in Minimalism Phone are very clear. You need to add the app widgets and create one to quick access the apps you select. It also allows to download a dark wallpaper accordingly to the widget and you can set iPhone into dark mode too.
Another interesting feature is the reduction of animation movements. It’s a good way to make your Smartphone more similar to a basic device. Do the following:
- Go to Settings – Accessibility – App settings – Add app – Home Screen and App Library.
- Enter Reduce movement and check the Yes option.
- It’s important to remove all the other apps and just leave the ones in the widget.
You can always turn back your dumb device to Smartphone
It’s important to remark that you can turn your iPhone into a dumb device and then return to your normal Smartphone experience. If you created a Focus mode you just need to disable it. You can also eliminate it but in case you need it again, the best option is keep it. In case you activate Minimalism Phone, you just need to uninstall it and restore manual settings.
Restoring your iPhone to its normal function is very easy too. You can make your Smartphone return and enjoy all the smart features again.
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