Re:Why I Use a Dumbphone in 2025 (and Why You Should Too)
by chrismorgan on Wednesday June 04, 2025 @07:32AM
(#44179545)
I had cause to need WhatsApp a bit over a year ago: it requires a device that runs iOS, or Android with Google Play. I just assumed I could get past this, but the signup flow refused to run on LineageOS with MicroG via Waydroid on my laptop—wanted an authentic, Google-approved environment. Maybe that can be worked around; I don’t know. Subsequently you can run WhatsApp Web… but you can’t make calls that way, and if you don’t run it on an actual phone for two weeks, it’ll boot you.
Re:Why I Use a Dumbphone in 2025 (and Why You Should Too)
by u_sama on Wednesday June 04, 2025 @05:27AM
(#44178790)
In Europe, in order to be compliant with the new banking rules, you need to have a kind of external confirmation which is, ding ding ding your smartphone. You literally need to open your bank app in order to approve online transactions.
And increasingly things are being digitalised thus you need will have an increasing need for smartphone because of such proposals.
The alternative is that the bank sneds you a clunky OTP machine with a code every time you want to make a purchase or transaction.
Re:Why I Use a Dumbphone in 2025 (and Why You Should Too)
by lcnPylGDnU4H9OF on Wednesday June 04, 2025 @07:35AM
(#44179573)
It seems another alternative is to build a scheme that works with a universal second factor like a yubikey.
Source: Not had a cell phone carrier or carried a phone in 5 years and never been restricted from doing anything I did previously, as a frequently traveling tech business owner.