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How to Dumb-ify Your Phone and Get Your Life Back – 4 Months Later

Digging The Greats | November 12, 2025



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#iphone #dumbphone #dumbify

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:04 4 Months Later
01:57 The Big Problem
04:27 General Rule
05:21 What’s NOT on my Phone
07:00 What’s BACK on my Phone
08:11 What It’s Actually About
09:36 Apple Intelligence
10:53 How To Do This Yourself
13:19 The Laundry App

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Written by Digging The Greats

Comments

This post currently has 30 comments.

  3. @amandatyler4324

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    TLDR: put social media in its own folder, turn off notifications for everything. no self control needed.

    Here’s how I do it, from someone who isn’t at all anti technology. I just hate social media and how much phones and tablets are such time leaches.

    So my notifications on almost everything are off. The few exceptions are things I actually want to be notified of right away, like texts and ring doorbell. Notifications to me just annoy me and are pointless. The way I see it, all they are is ultimately a marketing scheme. I only have apps I actually want to use on my “home” page, like email and maps. Social media is in its own folder, and usually not on the first page. Same goes for other things I may use occasionally. If it’s something like uber eats, I try to just keep the app open and/or see if I can ONLY sign up for the notifications that are actually directly relevant to me (as in when food is delivered), and do not sign up for the “just in case in the future,” notifications. It’s all to get you to spend money. If you aren’t thinking about it on your own, you generally don’t need it in your life to begin with. I have no problem at all using social media when I want to, but when I used to have the fb and TikTok app right there as soon as I opened my phone, I HATED how I was constantly mindlessly logging on. Now, I just look at apps when I want to; not when my PHONE tells me to. I am not going to delete anything, simply putting it in a folder is enough in itself. I only find myself logging on a few times a month now, and not because “I’m trying to quit.” It just simply does not cross my mind.

    I recommend everyone do it.

  4. @wilmernyman

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    I'm thinking of doing this, because my smartphone is waaaay too distracting and destructive to my mind. However, here in Sweden we need an app called BankID, which we use for basically anything official. Checking bank, signing anything related to your peronal ID. Dumb phones can't have the app. But iPhone 12 mini is cheap second hand, small, and to dumbify it is a good choice for now. The minimalist phone would be perfect if it wasn't so big

  12. @HowToHomeLife

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    I've been an inventor, designer, manufacturer, and marketer of technical tools for more than 50-years, and a technologist since I was very young. I've owned an internet based corporation for more than 24-years, but I would never own a "highly addictive, totally programmable, hand-held, Pavlovian device" known as a smart-phone, I own a flip-phone! In all of my life, I've never seen a technological device so readily and rapidly adopted by humans across the planet. I predict in the future; anthropologists and sociologists will point at Steve Jobs as the inventor of a device that instantly addicts and robs people of the only unique feature that separates us from all other creatures on this planet. We humans, exclusively have the ability to conjure within our minds eye and ear, something that has never existed before, an idea! This intangible idea can then be transformed into a tangible entity through the use of our opposable thumbs and appropriate tools. This tangible entity can manifest itself in: music, art, literature, engineering, science, architecture, construction, social remediation, ad infinitum. Destroy your smart-phone and prevent it from addicting you, and robbing another human, and purchase a dumb-phone for under $50.00. By doing this, you will discover why you are truly on this planet to begin with, creating ideas, and turning those ideas into actions. Stop wasting your precious life-force looking at your smart-phone! David Riddle

  14. @PatientPerspective

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    Instead of uninstalling the app, you can force stop it (android) and it would hide it off your screen but not your phone. You can dot hat for most apps. Im not sure about iPhone but Im sure it should have something similar.

  16. @oeboekanoeboe5867

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    man your honestly one of my favourite creators. Always voiced and reasoned so well, and a great style. I did delete instagram in january and haven't looked back. Ive slowly been purging my phone of apps and its crazy how much effect it had on me and my thought process to the world. Thank you for bringing attention to this.

  19. @AustinJ2

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    YouTube users should be able to opt-out of Shorts. For a majority of it’s lifetime it existed without it, but we’re forced to adhere to higher viewer retention goals of corporate shareholders.

  22. @bro.joseph7

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    Thanks!!
    John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

  25. @rxlifter4016

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    You can totally turn off marketing notifications on Uber and other apps without turning off the important ones….? Just long press the notification and there's a bunch of sliders so you can pick which ones are important…. or at least, you can on Graphene. Not sure about other versions of Android, haven't used one in years as they give me the ick. Every app but music, maps, banking, calls and messages is totally silent on mine and it's bliss.

  29. @gcas91

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    Great vid! Did you ever end up creating a follow-up video (referring to 9:25) where you mentioned the continued use of you iPod alongside streaming services? Curious to hear!

  30. @Mrhenry2019

    November 12, 2025 at 3:21 pm

    I switched to a flip phone almost 2 weeks ago. Deleted all social media, I kept YouTube and the punch clock app for work. I do not miss Facebook or Twitter. I have GPS in my car, the radio and tons of CDs for music, and the rest I'll figure out as I go. I feel much lighter now

Comments are closed.

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