How important to you is your phone?

It sits on the dining room table to use when calling. Ring tone set for 10 rings so we have time to go from where ever we are to answer it. When going out it gets placed in the glove box & never use it to call when driving.
So to answer. Like the land line we used to have, it's for our convenience, only important if needed to call in case of an emergency.
 
I have an iPhone, and it is important to me, even though I seldom make or receive phone calls. It is there in case of an emergency, and I use the camera a lot to take photos.
My main use of the phone is the health apps, and I have several of those to track my fitness, and how my heart is working. It makes it a lot easier to show information to my doctor also. He asked me to monitor my BP before the last visit, and my phone app has the record of each time I check my BP, so all I had to do was open the app and he could read all of the pertinent info.
I also have my Apple Watch, and it works along with my phone, so the phone can just be in my purse when I go somewhere, and I never miss an important call because it comes in on the watch.

I seldom text from the phone, because I am usually home, or have my iPad along with me, and can text from that when needed.
 

I don't have a computer. I use my phone for everything, from morning to night:

Forums
Email
Internet
Crosswords
Talking to language partner
Hosting online trivia game
Audio books and podcasts
Music
Ebooks
Videos
Checking the weather
Texting
Maps

I use the actual "phone" just once or twice a year, e.g., to make an appointment. My ringer is turned off.
 
Myrtle said:
Btw, there was a news story yesterday about AT&T canceling landlines and asking customers to switch to VOIP.

https://www.reviewgeek.com/144791/att-is-slowly-shuttering-its-landline-phone-service/
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Not a fan of VOIP. If the internet goes down, you loose your phone service. We had this put in my SIL house to give us another way to contact her besides the cell & found out just how often her area goes down.

Our DSL internet is quite slow most a lot of the time. At times, it stops & we have to power it down, wait 20 seconds & reset everyting. Fiber optics is less than a mile away, but we have been told we cannot hook up to it, not sure what that's about. Neighbor just put in Spectrum & has been happy, but we would like the fiber optics for the speed.

You can loose use service on a landline, but IMO a lot less. The only time our phone has gone out has been when wasps made a next in one of the boxes along the roadway & once due to a tree. It was back up within a few hours. Other than major storm damage you may receive, it's very reliable.

Technology is not what it's cracked up to be...too much can & does go south.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
For years, I had a flip phone. I cracked up when I saw people huddled over an iPhone, just typing away. I mean, REALLY, how could you get so engrossed in a little box!! Then I bought one. It's never left my side since. When it's charging, I feel naked because i don't have my phone. How important to you is your phone?
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My phone is extremely inportant to me...I love the fact I can google anything anytime and I can receive and reject calls since I can see who is calling. I use it as my GPS for directions and finding places. I could go on and on...imo it has made life much more efficient and I don't know how we managed before. I am not addicted to social media on my phone and do find that aspect problematic esp for kids...
 
Happyflowerlady said:
My main use of the phone is the health apps, and I have several of those to track my fitness, and how my heart is working. It makes it a lot easier to show information to my doctor also. He asked me to monitor my BP before the last visit, and my phone app has the record of each time I check my BP, so all I had to do was open the app and he could read all of the pertinent info.
I also have my Apple Watch, and it works along with my phone, so the phone can just be in my purse when I go somewhere, and I never miss an important call because it comes in on the watch.

I seldom text from the phone, because I am usually home, or have my iPad along with me, and can text from that when needed.
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Really glad you mentioned the health apps for an iPhone. They are most useful to seniors. Doctors commonly ask their patients to use them if they have a capable phone. An Apple watch can take note if you fall and if it is connected can summon help for you although some emergency services do not like that feature.
 
Not very important. I'm not hooked up to Google and I don't have any apps downloaded.
Just texting and talking. There's only 2 people I really converse w/on the cell phone.
It just stays on my bed during the day, or in my purse, if traveling.

Most business and phone calls are done on my landline.
 
No. Annoying.
Makes me feel like a horse staked out in a pasture.
Don't like watches, clocks, jewelry, purses, and carrying around
a phone is rather silly to me. (cumbersome, heavy.)
I DO like that I can take photos with it though and
there are times it's needed, I guess.
 
Not at all. I have a mobile phone (cell phone) but only because my bank started requiring one for logging into online banking. Other than that, I do nothing with it.

I made some decisions later in life: 1) I didn't want to use any Social Media; 2) I didn't want to watch TV. 3) I would spend as much time as I could doing what really brings me pleasure.

My career was in IT. I have a PC, and that is the device I do everything on. I watch movies, Youtube, and get my news from there. I don't need anything else. I don't subscribe to any movie channels (Netflix, etc). I could do with a new PC, my current one is something like 9 years old, but having worked in IT, I've kept it running over the years. I do pay for a fiber connection each month, it has half a gig of download, although I saw yesterday that for £6 more a month I could go full Gb. I'm tempted.

My interests are varied, but as far as popular culture goes, I'm very much out of touch. I've never seen Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, or any of those type of shows. I do watch a lot of movies that I download.

As for what I love the most, that's simple - listening to music. I try to make time for that every day. I like all kinds, from Rock to Jazz to Classical. I like physical media, so have no interest in Streaming, although that would be easy to set up.

All this to say, a Smartphone isn't a draw for me.
 
When at home, I don't use it much at all, except for texts.

When I go out, it comes with me. Cute little gadget, but when I am with friends I leave it in my purse. I prefer real people to a screen...
 
I have not kept a land phone for 15 years, only mobile/cell. It is with or
near me most of the time. I use it for messaging, texting, internet, and other
related things. It is very important to me therefore...

and for my work/job needs It is a must/necessity... always and forever.
 
Have a 2015 moto g6 smartphone so 7 years old. Usually powered up with mobile data OFF so just wifi for any possible Internet use and to receive Consumer Cellular phone calls. I send text messages more than phone calls. As an advanced computer user over decades, at home use my laptop and desktop. Since there are no longer payphones anywhere, having a phone while traveling is absolutely necessary especially in event of vehicle issues. When walking about or driving in my local urban area or visiting retail stores, I usually do not carry my phone.

More important on the road when looking for lower lodging rates using travel agencies instead of just walking into lodging offices where one may be taken advantage of. On the road, a smartphone's memory can be used to store a wide range of useful files like maps, images, instructions, gear user doc's, park brochures, public transportation links, map of wifi locations, links to weather sites, and much more. When I visit San Francisco where free parking is limited, parking zones complex, and being towed for violations is a serious concern, I have parking maps and links.
 
I gave away the mobile phone and kept the land line. I prefer NOT TO BE INTERUPPED when out walking. If I fall, break a leg or get lost, there are people with a phone to call for help.
 
Very important... but just to play games, check the stock market and the weather, and to use as an alarm. I sometimes use apps to order items from Amazon, order food and sign in at Whole Foods. I always have it on Silent because I rarely receive calls. My friends always know they can reach be by text and I will either text or call them back. We no longer have any land lines.

I also use it in my car with Apple Carplay for Google Maps directions (much more current than the nav system) and occasionally for playing music.
 
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Don M. said:
The Only reason we have a cell phone is to have a means of communication when away from the house....in case we have car trouble or one of the kids needs to call. We probably have enough minutes built up to talk for hours/days.
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Couldn't have said it any better, Don' I had a flip phone and only have this updated phone now 'cause one of the kids up-dated to the latest phone and passed along his/hers. Forgot which of the kids it came from.

Important to me (although any phone will do) in case of an emergency while on the road.
 
BC Flash said:
I gave away the mobile phone and kept the land line. I prefer NOT TO BE INTERUPPED when out walking. If I fall, break a leg or get lost, there are people with a phone to call for help.
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I'm the opposite. Indian telephone scammers were ruining many of my days. Tossing the landline service and getting a mobile phone cured it.
 
I use mine more often as a portable computer than a phone, mainly for:
  • Reading books on a the Kindle app
  • Reading PDFs that I downloaded
  • Camera
  • Calculator while I'm designing stuff to build
  • Reading email
  • Controlling the Roku box
  • Listening to audiobooks
  • Checking the weather
  • Maps and directions
  • Displaying barcodes when I'm returning an item to FedEx
  • Clock (I don't wear a watch)
  • Browsing the Internet when I'm not on my PC
  • Occasionally casting something to the TV via the Roku box
  • Reading the news when I'm out, which is especially handy when I'm waiting to see a doctor or to pick up a prescription.
  • Listening to podcasts
  • Guitar tuner
  • A few other things that I can't think of off hand.
Most of the calls I get are spam.
 
I look at mine every morning during breakfast to get the weather forecast. I text the kids from time to time.

The landline crashed and burned when the geezer community where I live switched providers..
 

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