How To Turn your Smart Phone into a Dumb Phone

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Have you ever found yourself addicted to your smart phone? 

 If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably considered trading your smartphone for a simpler “dumb phone,” only to realize it’s not as straightforward as it seems.

In this post I’ll share the step by step instructions on how to turn your smart phone into a dumb phone!

Last year I found myself in this very predicament. I was discouraged by how much time I was wasting on my phone—especially since it could distract me from my dear children!

First I tried putting my phone out of sight—and that did help, but if I wasn’t disciplined enough I would accidentally find myself scrolling again.

Then I tried putting time limits on certain apps—what a joke!! You can just click right past the pop-up, and I’m ashamed to admit that’s EXACTLY what I did so much of the time despite my best intentions. 

I looked into trendy “dumb phone” options like the “Light Phone” or “Punkt” phone, but they are expensive—plus I really still needed certain kinds of functionality from my phone!

I did draw inspiration from these more minimalistic phone setups though!

I don’t mind it when my phone works for me—staying connected with family, helping me navigate, taking pictures, these are all really nice things to be able to do quickly! 

Thankfully, I discovered a solution that has really worked for me!

I didn’t need to abandon my smartphone entirely; I just needed to make it much less addictive. I transformed my iPhone into a “dumb-ish” phone—and I’m excited to share this method with you today because it has really worked for me! 

Step One: Assessing the Damage

The first thing I did was dive into my screen time settings to face the truth. 

If you’ve never done this before, brace yourself—it can be quite eye-opening! 

Checking screen time revealed exactly how much of my day was lost to my smartphone. The numbers were genuinely shocking, but also motivating. 

It also revealed which apps I was spending my time on! 

From there I could assess which of those I was ok with, and which ones I really wanted to cut down on. 

Step Two: App Deletion Spree

Armed with the knowledge of exactly what I was wasting my time on the most, I embarked on a ruthless app deletion spree. 

I removed every app that felt addictive or unnecessary. Social media apps? Gone. Games? Deleted without mercy. 

This is all I kept: 

• Weather

• Camera

• Music and podcasts

• Recipe app (I love using Paprika!) 

• Banking apps

• Grocery store and restaurant loyalty apps

• Pregnancy tracker

• Church app

• Messaging apps (There are some messaging apps that I use to stay connected to certain family members)

• Basic utilities (notes, calendar, maps, App Store, clock)

Anything that didn’t fit these categories was shown the digital door. 

I can’t tell you how much less cluttered and stimulating my phone looked after deleting all those apps! I had really only accumulated apps since getting an iPhone years and years ago—so there was a lot that had to go! 

Step Three: Conquering Safari

Here’s where things got tricky. 

Eliminating apps is straightforward, but I quickly realized my biggest enemy remained: Safari. 

Without social media apps, I simply started accessing the same pages  through my browser (Yeah…I was really addicted!!).

Unfortunately, Safari can’t be deleted from an iPhone, and app limits are laughably easy to bypass.

After some digging, I stumbled upon a brilliant workaround: disabling Safari altogether. Here’s how:

• Go to Settings

• Tap Screen Time

• Choose Content & Privacy Restrictions

• Click Allowed Apps & Features

• Toggle Safari off

Voila! Safari vanished from my phone! 

If absolutely necessary, I could still access it again through these same steps, but the process is pretty cumbersome, which was finally enough to discouraging me from casual browsing. 

Plus I really forgot how to do it again, which was fine by me! 

Step Four: Simplify and Organize

The next step was organizing the few remaining apps to further reduce temptation. 

I placed only the most frequently used and necessary apps on my Home Screen—it ended up being six apps for me—to reduce visual clutter. 

Everything else was sorted into folders on a second, less accessible screen. This intentional inconvenience helps reduce the impulse to mindlessly open apps. 

I had taken away all the apps that were addictive to me, but it still gave my phone a really clean look that I liked. 

Step Five: Reducing Visual Stimuli

Colors are stimulating—great for marketing, but not so great for creating a calm environment. 

My original colorful wallpaper was contributing to the addictive nature of my phone. 

Switching to a simple, neutral-colored background dramatically decreased its visual appeal, making my phone less enticing. I just screenshotted an off white photo and set it as the background to my Home Screen. 

If you want to take it further, you can even enable grayscale mode on your iPhone!

Simply navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters and toggle Color Filters on, then select Grayscale. 

Personally, I opted for a neutral but pleasant background,  it felt like a good compromise.

The Impact after You turn your smart phone into a dumb phone

Turning my iPhone into a “dumb-ish” phone significantly improved my daily life! 

I’ve reclaimed hours previously lost to endless scrolling, and I now spend more intentional, focused time with my family. 

When I reach for my phone, it’s intentional and purposeful—exactly the balance I hoped to achieve.

This transformation didn’t just benefit me; it positively impacted my kids too!  They now have a more present mom, fully engaged and less distracted by a device.

If you’re tired of feeling glued to your smartphone but aren’t ready (or financially prepared) to switch to a dumb phone, I encourage you to give this method a try! Customize it to your needs and habits. 

In a world that continuously pushes digital distraction, choosing simplicity and intentionality can feel revolutionary. But the benefits—improved relationships, mental clarity, and a calmer lifestyle—are well worth the effort! 

If you’re interested in simplifying other areas of your life you can read my posts on how I simplify my fitness and daily housework!

I’d love to hear your experiences! Have you ever tried turning your smartphone into a “dumb-ish” phone? Let me know what worked (or didn’t) for you!