Dumbphones, also known as simplephones or featurephones, are having a moment. The mobile devices are limited to basic functions like making phone calls and sending text messages, and often can’t connect to the Internet.
Adults and teens go back to basics with devices that only talk and text
When Leigh Tynan agreed to get her 13-year-old daughter a cellphone, she didn’t want it to become a distraction.
“When there’s a smartphone or screen, you don’t practice guitar, you don’t read a book, you don’t just be bored,” she said. So instead of the very popular iPhone, she settled on a TCL Flip phone, with a key feature: no access to social media.
“I just thought I really don’t feel comfortable with her being online all the time … I’m trying to protect her from it for as long as possible.”
Dumbphones, also known as simplephones or featurephones, are having a moment. The mobile devices are limited to basic functions such as making phone calls and sending text messages, and often can’t connect to the Internet. According to Counterpoint, a technology market research firm, more than 98,600 feature phones were sold in Canada in 2023