Dumb phone, not the dumbest app
I got dumb phone as a free alternative to the blank app. I already had some measures in order to stop consuming as much short form content on my phone. Actually, by the time I downloaded dumb phone I did not need apps like TikTok or instagram anymore. This app was more of a means to make my phone less convenient in order to further lessen screen time. Overall, it wasn’t the most effective as it is very easy to overcome its limits if you get incredibly desperate, but its overall not bad, especially for someone who’s already less dependent on the dopamine of short form content. Overall, however, something that I’d recommend much more is something like PushBlock. It’s another free app with a similar but also different usage and structure. On this app, you get to choose different apps that you can restrict almost completely, and the only way to overcome this is, you guessed it, doing pushups. As a lazy bum who’s also trying to get better at body weight exercises like pushups, this has been a very good way of both discouraging myself and getting to do more exercise at more times throughout the day.
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Disappointed:(
I absolutely loved it at first, I customised my phone screen nicely but somewhere along the line every time I’d click on an app that was added to the widget a pop up came up instead saying “buy the full version” I then had to flick away the pop up and reload the app just to get into safari!
I’m disappointed as this app preached how it’s here to help the serious problem of screen time but it causes people who don’t pay their subscription quite a lot of annoyance :(
I’m disappointed as this app preached how it’s here to help the serious problem of screen time but it causes people who don’t pay their subscription quite a lot of annoyance :(
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Response from developer
Thank you for the review, and sorry to hear it wasn't a great fit in the end. There is indeed a free trial to try the app to see if it works well for your needs, since it can be a pretty big shift to use day-to-day. It automatically begins after opening Dumb Phone the first time, so the prompt you saw is just the trial ending. If you need more time to decide, please reach out in-app via Settings → Contact Us and we can help extend this period for you. Cheers!
This app cuts down on my phone’s distractibility
This app makes my Home Screen so much less distracting and my interactions with my phone much more intentional. Instead of opening my phone and getting sidetracked by notifications, banners, or whatever app catches my eye, I actually go to the app I intended to use in the first place.
It’s such a simple change, but it’s made a noticeable difference in how I use my phone. The developer is also incredibly responsive, which is a huge plus!
It’s such a simple change, but it’s made a noticeable difference in how I use my phone. The developer is also incredibly responsive, which is a huge plus!
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Can’t live without
I’m a content creator, but I’m also a homeschool mom so I wake up in the morning before my kids, make my videos, post them on social media and then lock up my phone before they wake up. Then in the evenings once they’re asleep, I unlock it and respond to comments! This makes it the best of both worlds! And as a mom, it can be really overstimulating. It’s so easy to just pull up your phone and press Facebook using this app makes it harder to check out and makes it so much easier to be intentional with the little kids who are right in front of me!
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Great App, Great Support
I’ve been using this app for almost a year and I love it. It has made my phone easy to manage and reduces decision fatigue (no more staring at my phone apps trying to remember which one is the one I’m looking for). It takes a very short time to set up the display for your phone and anytime you reach out to the “help desk”, you get a personal response within a day. I’ve never felt like an app actually cares about its users but this one does. It’s great.
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Excellent and best value!
This app is excellent. Out of all the apps that lock you out of your phone, this is by far the most affordable, especially with the lifetime plan. It takes a little time to set up, but it’s well worth it. It saved me a lot of time and is helping restore my attention and grey matter!
Response from developer
Thank you so much for the super kind review! 🙂 That is fantastic to hear how much value you're getting from Dumb Phone, and especially that it's helping you restore your attention. Hope you continue to get plenty of value from using it each day. Enjoy, and cheers!
Useful
Giving it a try as I wanted to get a dumb phone but needed certain apps. Looks clean.
Good app 👍
Kinda buggy and slow, and it uses widgets to be a launcher - so not entirely what i expected but a good app
$10 a year for the app picker to never work
It’s insane to me that this issue hasn’t been fixed yet. Every time I go to revise which apps I want to restrict, it is insanely buggy. I have to move incredibly slowly so that nothing shuts down. Insane.
Time saver
This app is amazing, my screen time is already way down and it makes me more mindful of how I use my phone. No endless scrolling or getting lost in notifications. I feel more focused and presents with my friends, family and at work. Highly recommend it!
Response from developer
Thank you so much for the nice review! 🙂 That is fantastic to hear how much your screen time has been lowered, especially with being more present with friends, family and at work. Really appreciate you spreading the good word, and hope you continue to get plenty of value from using Dumb Phone each day. Enjoy, and cheers!
The only thing that has clicked
This is it, this is the one. I’m the type of guy that tries every single thing people make. Open source, closed, free, paid. This tool has had a huge impact on my well being and productivity via the NFC lock and amazing UI. It’s just so easy to use and fun to lock my phone down and check back into the real world. Well worth the price.
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Highly Recommend
I really like Dumb Phone. It has helped me make my phone feel much less distracting while still letting me keep all the apps I actually need. The minimalist layout makes me less tempted to mindlessly open apps or scroll, and I find myself using my phone more intentionally now. It’s simple, clean, and does exactly what I wanted it to do. Definitely recommend it if you want to cut down on screen time without completely switching to an actual dumb phone.
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Awesome
I love it, I’ve tried a lot of focus / concentration / minimalist apps and this one is the best.
Would give it 0 stars
This “app” is just a widget that they charge you for. They provide no free trial to test the widget, makes you sign up for a subscription to even use it (no free with ads type deal), and apparently offer no way to get a refund once you realize you got hooked in and scammed. Highly would not recommend paying for a screenshot of black for a background and a couple of mediocre at best widgets.
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Light Phone for iPhone
I was seriously considering getting a Light Phone, but after talking to some of my friends who have it I realized I would probably still need an iPhone in addition to the Light Phone. Dumb Phone essentially turns your iPhone into a Light Phone, and it’s completely changed my relationship with my phone. Now it feels like a tool that enhances my life instead of a source of entertainment that distracts from it.
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App added as requested
When an app that I use free wasn’t on dumb phone, I reached out and they added it for me, very impressive.
The best.
So thankful for the time/attention put into this (free) app to help other people be better with their phones. You don’t need to buy a fancy dumb phone alternative - this is your solution while keeping your iPhone/iMessage.
Text app not opening
Messages in the stack isn’t opening. Neither does safari. The rest work.
Bait and Switch
Loved the app and widget until after about two weeks of use, they disabled the widget unless I paid. They draw you in under the premise it's free and then boom. Disabled unless you pay. IM OUT.
Beware
I downloaded the app and went to delete it when payment was requested. It had asked for my lock screen password, same one I’ve used for years. When I went to delete it, it asked for my lock password, but would not let me delete it. I cannot get this app off my phone.
Response from developer
Thank you for the review, and sorry to hear you hit this issue. It sounds like a Detox Lock may have been enabled during setup, which is what is asking for a passcode when you try to remove Dumb Phone. Please reach out in-app via Settings → Contact Us and we will be glad to walk you through removing it and getting the app off your phone. The setting is in Detox configuration section of the app. Cheers!
