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Removing my phones internet browser

Early August 2026

A few months ago I stumbled on the following paper. The general conclusion seemed to be that removing the ability for a phone to connect to the internet, whilst maintaining it’s ability to make calls and texts was measurably good for people.

Quick note: I’m cannot comment on the validity of the paper, blah blah, scientific method, peer review, pinch of salt, etc.

It got me thinking though, the experiment explicitly did not restrict internet access on other devices like desktop computers, or laptops. Just phones. Yet they still saw improvements in the participants wellbeing and sustained attention.

Despite me deleting all social media and self hosting as much as possible, I still use my phone all the time to read the various blogs I follow and the news.

I have looked into “dumb phones”, mp3 players with sd cards, all the stuff I’d need to replace my current iPhone. However I haven’t bit the bullet and dove into the world of low-tech living. Mostly because modern smart phones are still really convenient. I can access maps on my phone, listen to music or podcasts, and it’s the only way I can access my online bank.

There’s a reason why most posts I see online asking for dumb phone recommendations have a caveat along the lines of “I still need WhatsApp, Spotify and Maps”.

I’ve tried lots of things people say you should do to make your phone less appealing, but none really worked. It might work for others but turning my phone greyscale just annoyed me.

So, inspired by the study I removed safari from my iPhone.

So far, it’s worked. It really was the magic bullet. I didn’t realise how often I went to my phone each time I had a question I needed answering, and how much time I wasted going down rabbit holes from simple searches.

Now I write down questions I have and when I’m on my laptop or desktop I search them up if I still care about finding the answer.

Interestingly I still have apps on my phone that I can use for shopping, or streaming, but my general phone use has dropped anyway. Removing my phones ability to be an instant information recovery device has made it far more boring to me. I still have YouTube on it, but I can watch YouTube on my TV or computer. I have eBay on it, but believe it or not don’t find myself itching to have a quick scroll to find stuff to bid on.

I’ve also found that the browser isn’t as useful as I thought. I tried to come up with scenarios where I might be out of luck without a browser but struggled. The main one was: What if I’m in a restaurant or cafe where you have to order with a QR code. But I can just… stand up, and talk to someone who works there, and if it’s some kind of nightmarish fully automated food place, I can just leave.

I had a similar experience when I started wearing watches again. I used to wear a watch all the time, then COVID happened and I started working from home, I didn’t feel the need to wear a watch around the house so I stopped wearing watches in general.

I bought a nice watch for myself earlier this year and found that not using my phone to check the time meant I was using my phone way less. I wasn’t seeing notifications I’d missed or opening it up and having a quick scroll. The simple trigger of checking the time was leading to unnecessary phone use.

In conclusion: If you want to reduce your phone use I would really recommend that you disable the browsers on your phone, and I guess wear a watch as well. It worked for me.

A Poem I read

Late July 2026

I’ve been reading the poetry of Emily Dickinson recently and came across the following poem. It made me think of my late grandfather, a man who loved books, and told great stories.

A precious, mouldering pleasure ’t is
To meet an antique book,
In just the dress his century wore;
A privilege, I think,

His venerable hand to take,
And warming in our own,
A passage back, or two, to make
To times when he was young.

His quaint opinions to inspect,
His knowledge to unfold
On what concerns our mutual mind,
The literature of old;

What interested scholars most,
What competitions ran
When Plato was a certainty.
And Sophocles a man;

When Sappho was a living girl,
And Beatrice wore
The gown that Dante deified.
Facts, centuries before,

He traverses familiar,
As one should come to town
And tell you all your dreams were true;
He lived where dreams were sown.

His presence is enchantment,
You beg him not to go;
Old volumes shake their vellum heads
And tantalize, just so.