When did having a smartphone become compulsory?

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I bought a secondhand iPhoneXR from Amazon - think I paid about £200. I am not u dear any contract. I am with Tesco Mobile and a credit of £20 lasts me about 3 months

MerylStreep

Apple are the safest phone you can buy. Plus, even though someone might have a different model you still know your way around it.
Plus, their support is brilliant. That’s what you’re paying for.

That’s what my friend told me. He was surprised that I had an Apple iPad but a Samsung Galaxy phone but I only bought that as I was desperate to get something to replace my ancient Nokia. Apple were very helpful when my iPad died on me although I was pretty fed up that I would have had to pay nearly £300 for them to see if it was repairable. But once I told them that I’d bought a new one they were great. The guy in the shop where I initially took my iPad to be looked at told me that he’s always having to help people remove things from their non Apple phones that they didn’t ask for.

MerylStreep, regarding the link to the 3G phone you provided earlier (Wed 12-Apr-23 18:14:06), please be aware that 3G is to be switched off by individual network providers over the next couple of years (also 2G). The phone will not be any use whatsoever.

I recently acquired a push button PAYG Nokia 105 4G for someone who struggles with technology but needed a phone specifically to be contacted if he was out and to get text messages for 2 factor authentication when he was setting up apps on his iPad. It cost £15 + £10 top up. (I was asked to find something under £30 then set it up - I met his brief.)

As someone who is comfortable with technology, I found the primitive Nokia difficult to use (I had the original of this in the mid 90's). Keying the numbers and names, locking and unlocking the phone, the lack of visibility of what I was doing, inability to change basic settings actually made it less useable than I expected. I'll be interested to see how my friend copes, especially as he is getting on reasonably well with an iPad.

Technology can do better, especially for those it has passed by. Passwords replaced by biometrics, voice instructions replacing painfully slow keyboard use, banks providing a secure service for their vulnerable customers and so on. But if there is no real demand for the technology by society, it's just not going to happen soon enough.

So pleased I have a Smartphone which makes life so much easier for me as follows.

Listen to BBC Sounds whilst out walking through my hearing aids
Hairdresser reminds me of my next appointment
So does doctor
Sorted my covid vac on phone today
Play games when I am waiting anywhere
Can track my grandson when he is out of the house
Use it as a Sat Nav
Find the nearest toilet
Take photographs and videos
Set an alarm
Watch tennis in Monaco this week
Even make a phone call !
Etc…….

What’s not to like ?

Yes I agree to that, I have always had Samsungs and am quite loyal to the brand. I certainly didnt pay a grand for it.

I think you’re loyal to one or the other volver. I’ve got an iPhone and an iPad and they do exactly what you describe your androids doing, what’s on one is on the other, it’s so easy. I’d never have an android, I don’t like the operating system compared with Apple, which is intuitive. I also like the fact that the security is inbuilt and updates automatically, you don’t have to pay extra. But it’s each to their own. The only downside of Apple is the cost of laptops I think.

Maybee my advice is not to get an Apple. I have a Samsung phone, an Amazon Fire tablet and an HP PC, and they all show what is happening on each other, if you see what I mean.

I'm not sure what it means that Apple are "safe", they are all safe if you know how to set them up. It could just be that Apple cornered the market in being easy to set up, but that's in the past now.

Times change, same as most houses until recently had their own landline, rather than queuing for the phone box.
We both have Apple phones and iPads, as you said maddyone, they interact and are almost a mirror of each other, almost.
I love tech and use phone banking, as well as many other apps, but prefer the iPad for financial transaction as it’s a bigger screen.
I can foresee a chip inserted in the arm or elsewhere in the future replacing mobiles.

I have a basic phone for using as an emergency if I am out. I receive the occasional phone call or text from a friend. I use WhatsApp or email for written communication with friends and can easily find my way around Zoom if I want to actually see someone as I communicate with them. I am no technophobe as I can find my way around a computer or tablet and use alot of apps on my tablet. I would hate to think my whole life was on a phone as I've seen friends literally come close to a mental breakdown if they lose their smartphone and the phone seems to have taken over their loves as they are forever glancing at them when they are out. I do have hearing impairment and when I asked at the phone shop which phone would be best for me it was a none smartphone and yes I can hear every word when I use it. I certainly wouldnt want to do any banking in a phone and certainly don't want to be dictated to on how I pay for things.

Maybee I would advise you to get an iPhone because you have an iPad. The reason is that they will link and everything you do online will show on both of them so they become interchangeable. You can buy a second hand iPhone for a reasonable amount or it’s possible one of your children would give you their old one when they upgrade. Otherwise you can buy on contract which will cost about £25 a month for two years and will give you all the texts, messages, calls, and a reasonable amount of data for that amount. After two years the phone is yours. I’ve bought iPhones in that way but my current iPhone was my son’s first and he gave it to me when he got an upgrade. Mine is currently an iPhone 8. I use o2 and pay about ten pounds a month for unlimited texts and calls, including in the EU, and 10Gbs of data, which is plenty. That would be my advice.

Apple are the safest phone you can buy. Plus, even though someone might have a different model you still know your way around it.
Plus, their support is brilliant. That’s what you’re paying for.

There are many things now for which you really do need a smartphone. For instance, people complain about the unemployed 'being able to afford a smartphone', but without one, they can't apply for many jobs. With bank branches closing at a rate of knots, having a banking app on your phone can be essential for many people too. They're not that complicated to use.

I really didn't want a smartphone. My husband had had one that eventually ended up in the workings of his reclining chair and emerged in three pieces. When my last ancient non-smart phone died, about 4 years ago, I went into currys and basically asked the young assistant what to buy as a novice. She made a recommendation. It was a Samsung galaxy ....cost under £200, not tied to a network .... and changed my life. I am now ready to upgrade but it's not urgent. When my laptop died I didn't bother replacing it. Same with the satnav. Every month I buy a big value bundle (£5 for a lot of calls, texts and more data than I need when I am not at home, on wifi.) I use it for everything, including this.
It costs so little considering what it can do. My younger sister actually gave in before me when she realised that her daughter, away at university would be able to send her photos easily. My husband is also happy that he can video call his daughter who lives abroad at no extra cost.
I even got my sister in law, in her late 80s at the time, to get one which she loved until dementia got the better of her.
Please before you write them off consider getting one. My logic was, if a 5 year old can use one I probably can.

My iPhone cost me £200 second hand, and I pay £7 a month for unlimited calls and texts and a reasonable data allowance, SIM only.

But you don’t need to use your phone for internet banking if you don’t want to.

MayBee70

welbeck

MayBee70, you can get a smartphone for much less than that.
we recently purchased a new samsung galaxy for £140, and i believe less well known makes can be got for about £100.
there are also various deals linked to contracts.
ask around your friends and do some googling.
also check user sites like moneysaving expert.

I was speaking to a softwear engineer the other day and he said that Apple were the safest. If I’m having to switch to internet banking at some point I’m worried about security.

We have internet banking and have had for several years. But I only use our office computer for this. I have never considered putting my banking on any mobile device or I pad.

i'm not sure about that one MerylStreep; did you read the user reviews, not good.

welbeck

MayBee70, you can get a smartphone for much less than that.
we recently purchased a new samsung galaxy for £140, and i believe less well known makes can be got for about £100.
there are also various deals linked to contracts.
ask around your friends and do some googling.
also check user sites like moneysaving expert.

I was speaking to a softwear engineer the other day and he said that Apple were the safest. If I’m having to switch to internet banking at some point I’m worried about security.

MayBe70 you don't need to spend £1000 to get a good Smartphone. Mine cost me less than £100 and I only pay £5.00 per month for a SIM only deal.

The blurb for this phone says it’s for children and the elderly.

www.amazon.co.uk/Beautiful-Android-Unlocked-Smartphone-Note11T-Purple/dp/B0BHNS6LZM/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1LYA2WG10EPJJ&keywords=smartphones&sprefix=smart%2Bphones%2Caps%2C147&th=1&tag=gransnetforum-21&qid=1681319212&sr=8-3

I’m sorry if you haven’t embraced one yet, but it’s the future. Like them or not, your preference not to use a smartphone will soon make a difference to you, because there will be no alternative to using one for so many of the everyday things we do. I’ve not yet succumbed to Apple Pay, but no doubt that will be next. My children use theirs for everything, in fact it’s the only item my son carries.

MayBee70, you can get a smartphone for much less than that.
we recently purchased a new samsung galaxy for £140, and i believe less well known makes can be got for about £100.
there are also various deals linked to contracts.
ask around your friends and do some googling.
also check user sites like moneysaving expert.

Don't forget all the supermarkets who lure you to 'download their app' for more savings - no thank you!

I don`t own a smartphone, or any other kind of mobile phone, I hate them. Our surgery recently sent out an email to say that appointments and prescription requests must now be done via their app. My first response was "What`s an app?"

But they do make life easier. Let’s suppose you don’t drive, have good transport links to a solicitor.
With that app you can do it all from the comfort of your home.
You can get cheap smart phones. With a cheap one you might not be able to download all the apps you need/want.