Phone Habits | Pad Patter 4/18/2023

[jk703]

I'm willing to admit I'm on my phone a lot. I check email, weather, news, read my book, select music, social apps and I also play games. Makes me wonder about others.

How often do you look at your phone?
Do you text more or call?
What do you wish your phone could do?
How do you feel if you leave your phone at home?


How often do you look at your phone? A bunch. Emails, kid stuff, etc. More when I'm not working. I read a lot on my phone too!

Do you text more or call? Text... I try not to call. I think I express myself in writing pretty well. Plus, my hearing isn't not great at all, so it's easier. Though my hearing aids are Bluetooth, so that is one perk, but I still prefer text. (I don't like my hearing aids so far, 3 months in)

What do you wish your phone could do? Shower, get ready, dry my hair.... haha. Maybe just make me less lazy at times?! Cook dinner at home, when not ordering?!

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home? Like I left a piece of me at home. I don't like that feeling. I have an irrational fear something will happen to my kids when I don't have my phone. Plus, I suffer from sever FOMO so without my phone, I will miss EVERYTHING. I do realize I sound nuts.

 

[gonewiththewind]

How often do you look at your phone?
Whenever I get a call, a text, or a notification. Almost all app notifications are on silent, but there are a few I still get. I also use my phone as a remote for our Roku TV when I'm watching YouTube. The app on the TV doesn't always respond to our Roku remote when I want to go back to watch something again or speed up to get past a part in the video that I don't find interesting. The app on the phone is very sensitive.

Do you text more or call?
I absolutely prefer to text, but I have an aunt that prefers phone calls. It would be so much easier if she would just text. We rarely have new things to discuss. LOL I do talk to my mom and my sister quite frequently by calling. Usually my sister is commuting so that's when we have our little chats. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE that my Google Pixel will screen my calls, so I don't even have to deal with spam anymore. Delightful. Utterly delightful.

What do you wish your phone could do?
I think there's an app for everything I want to do. I really need to have a poke around Google Play at the apps to see what I'm missing. Anyone have any apps they suggest?

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home?
I don't leave my phone at home when I go away from the house. First, it's my camera, and I'm always snapping photos. Second, it's like a security blanket. As a woman, I always feel more safe with my phone in case of emergency or car breakdown, etc. Third, it's the way I communicate where I am and when I'm coming back. I have to admit that there are times when I longingly think of pre-cell phone days, when I would just get in the car and go and no one would know where we were. Mostly now, though, since I'm old and ailing, I just feel more comfortable having it.

 

[gonewiththewind]

@jk703 Fun questions today! Just wanted to share that my hubby has hearing aids too, although he rarely uses all the features it has. You don't even notice he has hearing aids unless you're really looking. It's amazing how far they've come!

 

[littlekiwi]

How often do you look at your phone? I must admit I am much like you @jk703 with the phone habits. I'm always checking TLP. FB. IG, emails, watching youtube or other shows, checking for jobs etc so I am looking at my phone way too often usually. I often say I will get better at not using/looking at my phone when I could use my computer for something. I'll see how long that habit change will actually last when I get my new phone early next week fingers crossed

Do you text more or call? Call, just due to the nature of who I tend to communicate most with. Family for the most part either ring me or I ring them or employers ring me so I might only send a few texts a month (mainly to my aunt or uncle)

What do you wish your phone could do? Nothing really, it does enough as is for me

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home? If I had a working phone, I might stress out but to be honest the few times I have not had use of it for various reasons. One time it stopped working two or three days into a national COVID lockdown so I couldn't get it repaired for 6 weeks I think it was, then most recently I've had about 8-9 weeks without a phone while I saved up for a new one.....knowing that I can still access my voicemail through my landline helps with the anxiety of it all and anyone that would normally be stressing about contacting me could contact me through other means

 

[Memaw2Wm]

How often do you look at your phone? Not that often, that said I sit in front of a computer all day at work, so I can hop online at will (like now, lol).

Do you text more or call? Text, I'm not a phone person to begin with and I really hate talking on my cell ... please call my landlines (work or home).

What do you wish your phone could do? It does everything I need it too.

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home? Doesn't really bother me. My DD gets irked that I usually go walking w/o it, but I figure if I "go down" one of my neighbors will notice and call 911. I'm a child of the 50s and enjoy not being connected 24/7.

 

[littlekiwi]

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home? Doesn't really bother me. I'm a child of the 50s and enjoy not being connected 24/7.

My mum is a child of the 50's as well and is the same as you....it drives her sister in law crazy that she isn't connected at all times to her phone. It frustrated her to no end when both her and I either didn't have a phone (me) or it wasn't charged (my mum) at the same time and couldn't believe we were managing just fine

 

[Memaw2Wm]

My mum is a child of the 50's as well and is the same as you....it drives her sister in law crazy that she isn't connected at all times to her phone. It frustrated her to no end when both her and I either didn't have a phone (me) or it wasn't charged (my mum) at the same time and couldn't believe we were managing just fine

I drove my mom crazy when she was alive b/c I used to unplug my landline so people couldn't bug me. She once made my father drive her 30 miles to my house b/c my phone had been unavailable for 24+ hours. Turned out that I'd accidentally knocked the receiver off the hook (phone was under my bed). Oops!!!

Oh, and the main reason I got a cell phone was to use it as a camera and be able to easily post photos to my FB page. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[umyesh]

I'm with you Jenn!

How often do you look at your phone? All the time. I use it for reminders, to-do lists, reading, recipes, etc. I have thought about having a set time to look at my phone but I've never actually tried it; I might be more productive, but I might also lose my mind...

Do you text more or call? Text. I do not like calling at all. I worked as a front desk receptionist once and making calls was definitely my least favorite part of the job. My oldest brother purposefully calls me just to make me squirm haha

What do you wish your phone could do? Block spam calls -- oh wait! It does! Best feature ever.

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home? I don't know because I will never let that happen.

 

[jk703]

@jk703 Fun questions today! Just wanted to share that my hubby has hearing aids too, although he rarely uses all the features it has. You don't even notice he has hearing aids unless you're really looking. It's amazing how far they've come!

I'm inadvertently using ALL the features because I don't know how to turn them off. It was jarring at first with the ringing in my ear, but I was able to figure out lowering the volume. The other issue was that because it was in my ear, when I heard noises at first related to my phone, I had to ask others if they heard them too. It's a process, I get, but not one I'm liking. I have trouble and hear myself too much, and everything needs base, no treble. haha.

 

[jk703]

Do you text more or call? Text, I'm not a phone person to begin with and I really hate talking on my cell ... please call my landlines (work or home).

No to those too... text me! Haha!

 

[jk703]

Do you text more or call? Text. I do not like calling at all. I worked as a front desk receptionist once and making calls was definitely my least favorite part of the job. My oldest brother purposefully calls me just to make me squirm haha

I was a claim rep for State Farm Homeowners insurance for a bunch of years... ugh... that phone work wore me out! I relate!

 

[jk703]

How often do you look at your phone?
Whenever I get a call, a text, or a notification. Almost all app notifications are on silent, but there are a few I still get. I also use my phone as a remote for our Roku TV when I'm watching YouTube. The app on the TV doesn't always respond to our Roku remote when I want to go back to watch something again or speed up to get past a part in the video that I don't find interesting. The app on the phone is very sensitive.

What do you wish your phone could do?
I think there's an app for everything I want to do. I really need to have a poke around Google Play at the apps to see what I'm missing. Anyone have any apps they suggest?

I use the silent feature a lot. It doesn't help when I leave it silent and my alarm goes off! Oof!

There truly is an app for everything. I agree.

 

[dawnmarch]

How often do you look at your phone? I work from home in front a computer, so not that much. My kids think I should look at it more and in fact, I got an Apple Watch just so that I would know when someone was calling or texting.

Do you text more or call? Mostly text.

What do you wish your phone could do? Remind me when I'm leaving it behind. Come to think of it, it might actually be able to do that with my watch

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home? Naked and afraid.

I should add that I use my ipad ALL THE TIME. I use it to check mail, texts, recipes, stream shows, news, etc. I tend to use it when I'm not working, though, rather than checking it all day.

 

[HavaDrPepper]

How often do you look at your phone? Maybe once a day to see if I need to plug it in to charge.
Do you text more or call? Prefer texting. The only phone calls I answer are family, everyone else can leave a voice mail and I will get back to them if needed. I have hated talking on the phone for decades and once I found out about the gradual hearing loss, I knew why. I mean when you have trouble understanding your own father during a phone call, you know it is bad!

What do you wish your phone could do? Hmmm, I'm good since I don't use that many apps. A phone is for phone calls and texting. Only use the camera if I don't have my other small camera with me and the photos are usually blurry because of my shaky hands when using it.

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home? If I'm in town, it doesn't bother me but I can only think of a couple times that I have forgotten it.

I do like having a car that will connect to my phone so in emergencies I can be reached if I'm out and I don't have to actually hold the phone. I have my phone set on the DND setting that allows only numbers in my contact list to come through. Even though I have a spam filter, it doesn't always catch them. So I might see that I received a spam call (or 2 or 3), many hours later!

I do take my phone on any walks I take because I do use an app to track my walking distance and time. But I'm always afraid it will fall out of my pockets so I have been contemplating getting a flip phone for a year. And, now that I see the newest one will be out in August with better features for the hinge and cover, I will wait. Won't be able to get a purple one though

I also am one that doesn't need to be connected at all times... and with the vision issues, doing stuff on a phone is hard anyways. Not fond of tablets either for surfing the net. Give me 2 24" monitors

 

[RebeccaH]

I look at my phone less during the work day and a bit more at home... if i get a notification, call, or text, i will look to see if it's something that can wait. I am technically on my phone a lot, though, as i listen to audiobooks and podcasts on it daily.

I don't think i really need my phone to do much more than it does.

And usually if i leave my phone at home, i'm ok, unless i am going to be gone for a bigger chunk of time, or if i need it for like a list or something i have stored on it. otherwise, the disconnectedness feels kinda nice.

 

[michelepixels]

How often do you look at your phone? On a workday, only in the morning, lunch, and a little in the evening. I listen to a podcast or two, sometimes I play a game, I read Facebook while eating breakfast. During my lunch break, I read my work email (there's very little for me) and I read a little Facebook again while I'm eating. Next time I look at it is in my van to see if anyone texted me and to select a podcast before I head home. In the evening, I might look at things related to my schedule or journaling, but I use my computer more than my phone (often watching YouTube to relax on work day evenings). On days that are my own, I use my phone a lot more. I use the Reminders app extensively, as well as the Calendar app, and I track my walks with an app, and I journal every day with the Day One app. I also take a picture or two every day and lots more on days that are my own.

Do you text more or call? I would be happy to never talk on the phone, and do manage to avoid it for the most part. I text people most days. We also have a family Discord server for sharing things, announcing dinner is ready, and making a grocery list.

What do you wish your phone could do? It would have been so helpful, when I misplaced it a couple of weeks ago, if it could have noticed and called out to me.

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home? This is extremely rare. I think the last time I did that was early 2020 (when I was getting used to going grocery shopping differently early in the pandemic) and I can't even remember a time before that, though I'm sure in the early days of having a smartphone, which was 2014 for me, I probably forgot it a few times.

I totally identify with that GIF. I often call my phone my external brain. And I'm pretty good at checking whenever I go somewhere to make sure I have it with me, usually in my pocket.

 

[amien1]

How often do you look at your phone?
Depends on the day-

On my work days, I'm too busy most of the time to check my phone unless it's lunchtime or I have a cancellation or no show patient. I do have a smart watch that syncs to my phone- so I can glance at that to make sure nothing important is happening on my phone- like messages or calls from family.

On my off days, I probably look at it A LOT. I usually am busy with house work or errands, so I use my phone often for those tasks. I'm most likely listening to an audio book, or using apps at the grocery store or the alexa list app for other shopping/errands. I do scroll social media while waiting for laundry, while sitting in the hot tub, etc. I use my phone for my car a lot too- turning on the climate a few minutes before I get there and opening trunk/frunk.

Side note- in the last month or so- I've been getting these weekly updates that say how much I used my phone ("you used your phone 34 mins more than last week") and I have no clue how/why those started. It is interesting. I can tell if I've had a busier week= less phone usage!

Do you text more or call?
Definitely text. But I do call when I need an immediate answer to a question!

What do you wish your phone could do?
Gosh, I feel like it can do so many more things than I already realize! lol I would love it could do my house chores for me!

Also- I am the type of person that DOES NOT like to see all the notifications on all the apps. I HAVE to clear those. So sometimes, I wish I could 'mute' the notifications (not just the sound, I do do that already, but the little red numbers on the apps too!) so that I could calm that anxiety/ocd without having to look at all of them!

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home?
That doesn't happen since I've had my car that requires my phone as a key to start & drive. On occasion I will forget it in the house, but as soon as I press on the brake- my car reminds me that I don't have a key inside with me. lol!

 

[Karen]

I also use my phone as a remote for our Roku TV when I'm watching YouTube. The app on the TV doesn't always respond to our Roku remote when I want to go back to watch something again or speed up to get past a part in the video that I don't find interesting. The app on the phone is very sensitive.

Did you know that you can also connect headphones to your phone and listen to the TV through the Roku remote app? It's such an amazing feature. Sometimes my hubby is watching TV in the room right next to my computer desk (in the dining room) and will be listening to something SO loudly that I can't even function, so he'll connect his airpods to his phone and listen to the TV that way. I love it! Also, sometimes we will both connect to our headphones if he wants to listen to something louder than I do, that way we both can hear the program and I don't complain about how loud it is. He totally needs hearing aids too, just hasn't looked into them yet.

 

[Karen]

How often do you look at your phone? Way too much! But I use it for SO many things, my books, calendar, alarms, email, texting, FB (wish I could quit wasting time there), Instagram, Pinterest, tracking packages, Amazon, maps, weather! I mean, it does SO much stuff! Not to mention my photos! It is my camera now for 95% of my pictures, and I NEED those for scrapbooking!

Do you text more or call? Definitely text more. I only call when it's something that would take longer to text. Like with my hubby, he is busy at work and doesn't read my texts very often, so if I want an answer about something, I just call him. Lol.

What do you wish your phone could do? I mean I'm most kidding about this because it freaks me out, but it would be so cool if it could connect to my eyes and take pictures the way I see them.

How do you feel if you leave your phone at home? I'm going back for it! My Apple watch will actually notify me if I leave my phone behind either at work or at home or wherever. It's rather handy feature!

 

[Karen]

Also- I am the type of person that DOES NOT like to see all the notifications on all the apps. I HAVE to clear those. So sometimes, I wish I could 'mute' the notifications (not just the sound, I do do that already, but the little red numbers on the apps too!) so that I could calm that anxiety/ocd without having to look at all of them!

Do you have an iPhone? Because if you do, you can mute those little red numbers in the circle. I can't stand having those either and figured out how to turn them off! Go into Settings, Notifications, find the app you want to turn those off for in the "Notification Style" list, then turn the "Badges" off. I like that you can do it per app. Like I turned those off on Facebook because if I saw a notification, I had to go into Facebook to get it to clear, but as soon as I'd leave FB there'd be another notification and I'd get sucked in each time I'd open the dumb app!