Losing my virginity, need advice...
7Smartphone virginity, that is.
Sorry for the clickbait title, I couldn’t resist. 
So, here’s the background - I’ve used a flip phone for aeons, never wanted a smartphone, figured I’d get one once the flip phone no longer functioned.
Well, last week I traded in my 11y/o car for a 2019 Toyota which came with an ‘Entune 3.0’ infotainment system that can do a lot of cool stuff, but none of them without pairing with a smartphone.
With no smartphone, it’ll do am/fm and came with a 3 month trial of SiriusXM - that’s it. No nav, no personal music collection or even CDs. For the 1st week I’ve used my stand alone Garmin GPS which, unlike in my Subaru, has no good place to sit on/in the console, and my old iPod Nano, which needs to be wired to the aux jack. With the GPS also plugged in to the power jack, it’s just a mess of wires and unsecured devices rattling around.
So, I went to Apple’s clearance site and scored an iPhone SE 32gb (gold, no rose) for $250.
Now, I need advice on choosing a plan.
The iPhone came w/ a T-Mobile sim card but is unlocked.
My flip phone uses Verizon Wireless (and my home internet/TV/phone is also Verizon).
I’m actually reluctant to give up my flip phone as my mobile - even as relatively small as the iPhone SE is, it’s still twice the size of the flip, and I can’t see carrying that around in a pocket.
(I think) I’d like the iPhone to just be the brain for my stupid Infotainment Suite. It can use phone apps via Bluetooth or via Apple CarPlay if I wire it in w/ a lightning to usb cable that I’d have to buy.
Either way, it’ll display the apps on the 8" touch screen with the touch functionality.
I’m wondering if I should put the iPhone on a data only plan or maybe get a 2-line plan to include both devices.
I also suspect that it won’t take long for me to be infected with the smartphone-zombie virus and abandon my flip phone, so I’ll probably be better off w/out a contract.
Anyway - all that said, here come the real questions:
How much data am I likely to need? I have absolutely no idea how much I’m likely to use.
Should I get an unlimited plan or a capped plan?
Who’s the best/cheapest carrier?
Should I use T-Mobile since I already have the sim, or Verizon since I already have service from them, or someone else entirely?
Thanks in advance for any advice, I suspect I’ll have more questions.
- 26 comments, 41 replies
- Comment
My unlocked T-Mobile phone wouldn’t work with Verizon. SO we went with AT&T only because my husband’s work takes him out in the boonies and we needed reliable cell service. We also get a discount at AT&T because our employers have accounts with them. I would have preferred T-moble just be because of the extras they give. We have a company here called Metro PCS that uses T-moble lines but less cost and no extras like T-Mobile. Sorry if this sounds rambely only 1 cup of coffee and a 4 year old helping me.
As to plans you will be surprised how much you will use your data plan. I was, and I am a cell phone is only a phone person, but I use it to check prices at stores, verify facts the know it all coworker spouts, and find out places to go when we are out. you can always bump it up if you find you need more data. We did. We also found out that we need to check and see what plans the provider is offering more often. They changed the plans at AT&T and we were able to get more data at the same cost.
Still on 1st cup and 4 year old is helping.
@olddognewtricks So what’s your current data usage amount?
I don’t anticipate ever streaming video, but probably will end up streaming some music. I’m going to try to figure out a way to get my music into the phone storage, which will eliminate most if not all streaming.
Most of all, I’ll be using a navigation app - Toyota has a proprietary one that is free for 3 years (which is the term of my lease) but I’ve heard a lot of praise for Waze.
The only other thing I anticipate using it for is the occasional Google search.
The Toyota suite of apps also has some things like finding the nearest gas station, Toyota service center and stores or restaurants, but I don’t anticipate using those very often.
Of course, being the smartphone virgin that I am, and not knowing what I’ve been missing, I do suspect that I’ll end up using it a lot more often for a lot more things than I’m aware of at the moment.
@DennisG2014 @olddognewtricks Just so you’ll know Waze requires data at all times, otherwise it won’t work. You can download the maps for navigation when you’re on wi-fi ahead of time (if you plan the route at home for example), but you must be online for it to work - it uses your data to map traffic and streets, this is not optional. Doesn’t require much data if you download maps over wifi, but something to consider when calculating your data plan.
Also, if you want to switch carriers ting lets you share data between devices, so you might want to look that up.
@mwgm I’m a little unclear - If I download the route/map data on my home wifi, will it do turn by turn directions in the car without being connected to a network, or no?
If no, could I still use the pre-mapped route as an offline zoomable/scrollable map, even if it wouldn’t update my actual position along the route?
Is the iPhone capable of GPS tracking without being connected to any kind of network?
If it is, is there any Nav app that can download the relevant map data over my home wifi and then give me turn by turn directions while offline in the car?
I’m pretty sure I’m eventually just going to say farewell to my trusty flip phone and embrace this newfangled smartyphone thing that all the kids are doing, so the offline thing is probably moot, but I’d still like to know.
@DennisG2014 Waze does not allow offline use. It’s a restriction of the app. Their “reasoning” is that they use “crowd mapping” in a way, they use your data for traffic info (so they can tell you which is the best way and give you estimated time based on real data) and for mapping purposes (a lot of people driving “off road” means there’s probably a road there). There is no opt-out and it will not work without a live data connection. You can save data by entering the route prior and then download the maps needed for the trip, but this is purely to save data, you still need a live connection. Which is why probably not ideal if you’re going to be in a dead zone.
I don’t like Waze though in the city it is a great time-saver.
I don’t have an iphone, but it should work as a GPS without data- Androids do, no reason it wouldn’t. Yes, there are navigatiom apps that don’t require live data connection and do provide turn-by-turn. Most of those want money per map or similar. There is OSMAnd https://osmand.net/ which is completely free on Android, probably on iphone as well. It’s using OSM which is open source, so basically volunteers so the maps are not always updated. You would have to check your area (you’ll see the date before you choose to download).
I’ve recently started using HereWeGo which has really nice maps you can download and use offline, but you need data for turn-by-turn navigation and they’re probably mining your data- it is a for profit company.
PS- I still use my BB bold, love it and need a keyboard. I have an additional device in car/home for streaming/navigation etc.
I was told that’s how they do it in Japan - one for data and one for calls/texts, so in a way, you’re ahead of the curve
i’ve had 2gb of data with rollover for about 3 years now and i’ve never, ever, hit my limit. then again, i don’t watch a lot of video when i’m not on wifi.
i say, try the capped plan. you can always up it if you discover you need more data.
as for carriers, i don’t see much of a difference service wise. i’ve had to deal with AT&T customer service about 4-5 times since i’ve been with them (10 years), and have had my issues resolved in one phone call.
price wise, there’s a lot of MVNOs out there, but you’ll have to do research to find one you like. i thought about switching to an MVNO, but i was too lazy to do the research on it.
Credo Mobile! They do excellent things to help the country and offer comparative value to the big corrupt phone companies.
You can make and receive calls on the iPhone, so ditch the flip phone altogether. No point in paying for two devices when one is all you need.
And data overages nowadays don’t cost an arm and a leg, so don’t worry about going over while you find out what your average usage is.
A few points on data:
Big users are audio, video, and software. In my experience (YMMV), I can use about 10 gigs/month streaming Spotify and downloading podcasts recklessly, but not watching much video (don’t remember the software update setting). If I toggle the settings to only download audio and software updates on wifi, then it requires no special effort to stay well under 2 gigs. I’d only be cautious about tethering a computer to your phone for Internet access, if you do that kind of thing.
If you’re considering MVNOs, also consider the big companies’ own prepaid plans – they’re cost competitive, depending on your exact use case. And sometimes physically interacting with a human backed by a megacorporation is actually useful (and the MVNOs resell the big companies’ networks, either way). I’m on AT&T because I ran into difficulties trying to get support from some MVNOs while switching.
Best carrier depends on what kind of reception you get in your area, and which carriers your phone best supports. I get passable LTE from AT&T where I live, but only 4G from Verizon. Verizon’s got better coverage overall, otherwise, AT&T being in second place (afaik, Verizon’s the most expensive too, with AT&T in second place, at least on a postpaid contract). I’m not sure that isn’t because the phone I was swapping sims around in wasn’t a Verizon phone.
A pro (?) tip: you can get cheap sim cards from carriers (like $1), plug them into your phone, and look at the cell signal bars without having an account or associating a phone number with that sim card. The phone will make emergency calls, even, IIRC. (Haven’t tried that, myself.)
@InnocuousFarmer
I’m tempted to try this because I’ve been paying attention to the T-Mobile bars as I walk around my house, and I only get 1-3 bars.
But, boy, does trying various cards sound like a pain in the ass. lol
At this point, I’m thinking of just going with T-Mobile just to take the path of least resistance/hassle.
But I’m still intending to look into the Verizon hotspot built into the car.
We live in a wifi world. Home, office, restaurants, grocery stores… where we sleep, where we eat, where we work, where we shop, chances are very good there’s gonna be wifi access there.
I’ve been on a 2GB plan for years (my carrier just increased it to 3GB). I VERY seldom exceed 500MB (1/6 of my monthly data allowance).
A followup point on data: I would seriously consider sticking to the cell network when you’re not at home. Public and semi-public wifi is a big potential attack vector for ne’er-do-wells, and app developers are, as a category, known for being incompetent and complacent where security is concerned.
@InnocuousFarmer Yeah, privacy/security is one of my biggest concerns since I’m so clueless about the technology.
I do intend to avoid using wifi unless absolutely necessary.
Came in based on title. Left disappointed.
@Pavlov lol Sorry.
@Pavlov
Tempted to make a joke about my actual first time going the same way, but while it might be funny, it wouldn’t be true.
I had a great experience and she at least claimed that she did, too.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
PagePlus is about as cheap as it gets for pre-paid service.
You’d need to visit their website and chat with one of their CSRs and give them your phone’s IMEI/MEID/whatever to see if your phone would work with them. There’s a decent chance it won’t, but it’ll only cost five or ten minutes of your time.
I use phone cards.
Right now I use Walmart’s Sraighttalk $35/mo 3 gig data.
I had Net 10 back when I had a flip phone. Their customer service actually is pretty decent. At the time their lowest gig card cost more than straight talk so I switch. I think they are the same now. (They are now owned by Tracphone and straighttalk is owned by trackphone).
With the phone card services you can choose the amount of data. What happens when you use it all up is that you get switched to a much lower speed (which may or may not be useless). Plus if you don’t like the phone card you can switch cards. You may or may not have to use a different sim card. You can transfer your phone number over. Doesn’t take long to do that.
If you care about making phone calls, stick with Verizon. Avoid Sprint like the plague it is (and many cheap third party wireless providers resell Sprint’s network, so please do your research of you’re going to go with one). If your phone ends up not working with Verizon, T-Mobile would be my second choice. And I’d go with them if you travel internationally.
I can’t ever recommend AT&T because of their spectacularly bad customer service. I’d I agree with those that say 2 gb WiFi is fine. You can always upgrade your plan later if you need to. Source: I’m a small business IT consultant and I help people with their phones all the time.
@Fuzzalini
Did you mean 2gb data?
If I connect via WiFi, I don’t have to worry about data transfer rates and amounts, right?
@DennisG2014 Yes, sorry, my bad. I meant 2 gb data. My BF and I are heavy users of our phones, and we shared 4 GB of data and rarely go over it. Verizon’s new plans allows you to roll over the data from your last month, which often covers the rare overage (which usually happens because one of us disables the wi-fi connection on our phone, and then forgets to turn it back on). They also have a points program that, if you want to use it for that, will give you a free block of 1 GB every month, that you can store up for overages. I have several that I keep in case. I think I’ve used it twice in the past three years.
If you are amenable to a pay-in-advance plan, Mint Mobile will give you unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 3GB of high speed data for $15 per month. I brought an iPhone SE and had no problem getting started with them. I did end up having to get a new phone number but that was because the former carrier wouldn’t let go and I just gave up messing with them.
@cf1 Out of curiosity, who was your previous carrier? That sounds like a hell of a deal from Mint. How is the service with them?
@PooltoyWolf from what I’ve read Mint uses the T-Mobile network.
@djslack I asked primarily to find out which provider created a hassle with moving a phone number. I’m currently with Cricket (AT&T) and am happy, but the Mint plan mentioned is everything I have but one less GB of data per month, for a literal fraction of the cost.
@PooltoyWolf Gotcha. I was trying to shed some light on how Mint’s service would be. I would have tried it when I learned about it last year but t-mobile’s coverage is terrible (even worse than Sprint) where I live.
@djslack I wonder if T-Mobile’s coverage has improved since we last used them around 2013. Folkston, Georgia was a prominent dead zone. The coverage map on Mint’s website seems to indicate that area is now served better.
@PooltoyWolf I had previously been with consumer cellular. The service with mint has been great. My only complaint so far has been that calls end at two hours.
@djslack @PooltoyWolf I can’t speak for Folkston, GA, but I have heard that T-Mobile’s coverage has expanded considerably over the last two or three years.
@cf1 Huh, that’s interesting…do you know if that’s a coverage or service issue, or something written into their terms? That’s very significant, but not quite a deal-breaker.
@PooltoyWolf I think it must be something to do with their terms. I haven’t found it written anywhere and I think I posted a question on their FAQ and forgot to see if there were any replies. I only have two people I talk to for that long and I really only need to talk to one of them for longer – I just re-dial and we keep going.
(And right now it is only a penny a minute for the international calls I make.)
@cf1 Sounds good to me!
@PooltoyWolf I’m pretty happy with it. The signal seems to be pretty good, too. Even in the laundry room in my building’s basement where I only get one bar, I can still talk, text, and hop on the internet.
@PooltoyWolf @djslack I can’t remember off the top of my head but I believe you can try it out for three months at a discounted price and see if the service works well in your area. The drawback to that would be you’d either have to use a new number or you would have to port your number and then, if you didn’t like it, have to re-port it to something else.
@cf1 This is good to hear!
Thanks for all the advice!
And sincere apologies for those who came here expecting to help a guy getting laid for the first time.
I’d be happy to tell the tale of my first time getting laid - there are actually some parallels to my smartphone virginity: E.g., I held out longer than most, with the philosophy that I was better off not knowing what I was missing.
That said, I was way more prepared and knowledgeable for my first time having sex than for my first smartphone.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So, still not exactly sure how to proceed. In the little bit of shopping I did, it does seem like T-Mobile is a better deal than Verizon, and I’m pretty sure I’m not under contract w/ Verizon wireless, so it shouldn’t be a problem to switch.
I think I’ll probably just go to a T-Mobile store to talk it over with them. I do know a couple of people who use Metro PCS and are very happy with them, so maybe I’ll check them out, too.
I still feel very reluctant to give up my trusty flip phone, mostly because of the portability factor - it’s hardly bigger than my car key fob.
Does it really make no sense to keep the flip for phone/text and just use the iPhone for apps in the car?
There are certain things that the iPhone really wants me to use it for that I have no intention of doing; namely email and Apple Pay. I want to keep my email at home, on my lap top, and I want to continue to pay w/ my actual credit card, not via my phone. The Apple Pay thing is the most annoying - the phone insists I have not finished setting it up until I give it my credit card and I haven’t been able to find a way to get it to stop nagging me.
I really only want 2 things from the iPhone, navigation and related apps, and my music collection. I’m pretty sure my music won’t fit within the storage on the phone, so I’m not sure how to handle that. iTunes does let me access anything I’ve bought from them via the cloud, but that’s just a fraction of my collection, most of it was ripped from CDs. It also keeps trying to get me to sign up for Apple Music, but I don’t wanna! (Luddism is hard to shake, apparently.)
The navigation via smartphone app concerns me a bit, because I can easily imagine losing cell service while in the wilds of northern VT, e.g. I’ll probably keep my Garmin Nuvi in the car, just in case. I’ve only ever lost GPS satellite link while in a tunnel or parking garage, it doesn’t seem to be phased by being surrounded by mountains or out in the rural boonies.
I also have a very specific iPhone question, for which a cursory google search was no help - didn’t try very hard though, so pardon me if this is a derpy noob question:
How do I add or remove app icons on the Home screen?
Went through all the settings and configuration menus, tried some swiping, prolonged presses on the screen, etc. and there just doesn’t seem to be a way to do it.
There are a couple of apps on the home screen that I’ll never use, so would like to kick them off the screen, and there are a couple of apps contained within the “Extras” icon that I’d like to move to the home screen proper.
Thanks for helping and thanks for reading my lengthy posts.
Never mind the last question re: icons on the home screen - I did just find the answer and it’s easy.
@DennisG2014 I
my flip phone. I still have it in service even though I now have a smartphone. Yeah, I know, I’m a little weird.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@Barney You and me both, I guess.
So how do you handle using them both?
Are they both on the same plan?
Do they both do phone/text or is the smartphone data only?
If they’re both used as phones, do they both have the same #? Is that even possible?
@DennisG2014 I get your apprehension but eventually you’ll find that there are likely things you do with your smartphone that make it worth just carrying around one device. Taking photos. Looking up things (someone above mentioned price checking things in stores, I do this). Podcasts and music. Visual translation. Games. So if that same thing does your calls and texts too, then that’s easy.
Re GPS, your navigation app can cache maps for areas that you may need offline capabilities in. At least Google maps will do this. You won’t get the realtime traffic data when you don’t have service, but then again if you’re in a no service area you’re not likely also in a traffic jam.
Two phones with the same number is not really possible, although you can approximate that by using something like Google Voice - port your number to that service and then join both the desired devices to it so that they both ring for it.
@DennisG2014 I had a landline with AT&T that I had to cancel because it was getting too costly for what little service I was receiving. And I knew that sooner or later I would have to go over to the dark side and get a smartphone.
So, I took the plunge and went with Google Fi. I bought a Moto G6, had AT&T transfer my number (that was a pain in the ass), and now I have a smartphone that I jokingly say that I keep in my nightstand drawer. But it has my main phone number on it, so I do use it, and there are a few things on it that I like and, yes, use often. However, you will never see me as a smartphone zombie.
My trusty little flip phone was, and still is, the phone I carry for emergencies (different number than my smartphone). It fits in my pocket and doesn’t give me any hassles like my smartphone. (My Google assistant on my smartphone will sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night and say, “How can I help you?” Very annoying). Anyway, my flip phone only costs me $7 a month (Tracfone), so having it isn’t killing my budget. I admit, I seldom use it. I think I have over 500 minutes that have accumulated on it (the minutes rollover every month, so you only use them if you don’t re-up them when the due date roles around. I buy the 3 month card which costs around $19 plus tax.
So, I have a smartphone and a flip phone and together, they are just about half the price I was paying for my landline.
I’m happy and, yes, a little weird.
@djslack I hear you about all the things one can do with a smartphone, but I’ve gone all these years without those things, perfectly happy and not missing them (except the occasional wish for a Google search).
Honestly, the main reason I’m reluctant to give up the flip for the smart is the size.
It’s very easy to carry my flip in a pocket; I don’t imagine the iPhone, even being the smallest of them, being convenient or comfortable to carry in jeans pockets.
I ordered an Otterbox Defender that should arrive tomorrow, so once I have that on, I’ll see what it feels like to carry it in a pocket. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@DennisG2014 If you want to keep your flip phone cheaply - Net 10, $30 for 2 months (so $15/mo), minutes roll over indefinitely as long as you don’t let your card lapse.
BTW, the iPhone SE’s Touch ID fingerprint unlock thing is pretty neat!
I was very skeptical, but it works!
Never fails to unlock for the thumb that I registered, and I’ve tried it with other fingers just as a test, and it remained locked (as it should).
@DennisG2014 it’s almost never worked on my Mom’s SE that we got her last year…
on the other hand, the finger print unlock on my pixel 2 just works. flawlessly.
I just skimmed most of what has already been posted so maybe someone has already said this, but does your car have it’s own WiFi option? My car has the option to be a WiFi hotspot using Verizon’s data connection for $10 / gig. If your car can do that you can just use the iPhone as a WiFi only device in the car. You will want to use another WiFi to add music to the iPhone, you should be able to put over 5000 songs on the phone, if you really need more music than that I guess you will have to look at streaming some. Could be a cheap and easy way to get the smart features in your car but not having to deal with a second phone.
@metaphore Yes! I didn’t mention it because I figured it wasn’t a good option, but now that you mention it, that would be the best way to use it as a mobile device and not a phone.
I think I glanced at Verizon’s plan for the mobile hotspot and stopped considering it when I saw there were a bunch more fees on top of the $10/gig.
I’ll have to take another look, but I think it ended up being cheaper to get a plan w/ a cell provider.
Re: transferring music, I’d do it over a wired connection to my lap top.
You really think I’ll be able to fit 5000+ songs on a 32gb phone, along with whatever other data will be stored from apps, etc?
I have about 5750 songs in my library, but there are many that I never listen to for various reasons (bass guitar tutorial tracks, e.g.). So my actual playlist of songs I listen to is only ~5500 songs, and I’m pretty sure I could pare it down to <5000.
I have yet to try connecting the iPhone to my Mac/iTunes, but I’ll probably give it a shot tonight and see what happens.
edit: I just checked and my active playlist is 31.75gb.
Pretty sure there’s an option to trade some quality for smaller file sizes when transferring, though.
I’ll get around to figuring this stuff out soon.
@metaphore Loaded as much music onto it as I was able to last night.
4,330 songs, < 25gb (on the laptop, it’s 25.47, but I had it set to lower all bitrates to 128kbps on transfer, so it’s less on the phone - don’t know how much).
iTunes was a pain in the ass - at first it said my entire library would fit with 6gb to spare, but when I hit ‘sync’ it said something to the effect of, “there’s not enough room for all your songs, so I’m just going to go ahead and randomly load whatever will fit”, with only an “OK” button, no cancel.
So I hit ok and then clicked the ‘x’ to get it to stop, and then spent a lot of time setting up a separate “iPhone” playlist, not including anything I could bear to do without. (wasn’t easy to choose what to sacrifice)
That playlist left 10+gb to spare on the phone and I set iTunes to only sync that playlist, and it worked.
Oy. Just went to the app store to download the Toyota Entune app suite connect app and it has 1.4 stars from 1117 reviews.
Apparently it absolutely sucks and is completely unreliable.
Older reviews were begging for Toyota to add Apple CarPlay, which is now included. Newer reviews implored readers to just use Apple CarPlay and avoid Entune like the plague.
In order to use Apple CarPlay, the phone has to be connected to the car’s usb data port.
I did find out that the lightning - usb cable that came with the phone is the right one; had thought I’d need to buy a different one, so that’s good news.
Many reviewers of the Entune app claimed that they had been loyal to Toyota over several vehicles, but that their experience with Entune was so bad, it has convinced them to NEVER BUY TOYOTA AGAIN!!1!!
I hope this shit works w/ Apple CarPlay, I want a damn integrated gps navigation!
I had also looked at Mazda before leasing the Toyota, and it also has an infotainment system with a ‘Nav’ button, but it does not come with the Nav software.
There is no Nav option to add to any of their vehicles when you configure (build) a car on their website.
The salesman said the chip with the software can be had for $450. WTAF?
Going to be awhile before I get this iPhone all set-up and can see how well it integrates with the car… Now I’m nervous. Fingers crossed.
Well… FUCK.
if your verizon flip phone was not a newer, ie: within the last year or so, 4Glte model, (if it’s a 3G, or lower, an old CDMA phone with no sim), its basically going to be nothing but a paperweight in a couple months anyhow.
they are shutting the CDMA (3G and lower) network down this fall.(yes, they do make 4G LTE flip phones)
and even though your Iphone is “unlocked”, the fact that it came with a T-Mobile sim sends up compatibility flags for me. (They use Different LTE bands, your phone may not have the right radios for verizon.) the only way to be sure is to try a known working verizon sim in it.
I bring this up, b/c my brother has a Fire phone that he loves, and wanted to keep when he moved back up here(NWOH) from DFW. he had it on T-Mo down there, but when he would come to visit had basically no service, unless he was within a 1mi corridor along the 4 lane hwy.
it was labeled as a fully unlocked unit when he bought it from amazon, but when we tried (many times) my Verizon 4g sim it would not pick up any signal. plop the sim back in my phone, full strength signal.
Stick it in the pooper.
Yes, I’m aware we’re still talking about phones… It worked for Ashley Cole.
@OnionSoup Had to Google Ashley Cole… was expecting her to be a porn star - was not prepared for him to be a footballer.
I may or may not have looked into it more if it was a porn actress, but once I saw who he was, I sure as hell wasn’t going to click the Google search suggestion, “Ashley Cole phone arse”.
I do not need to know that story. lol
I don’t get the “too big for my pocket” thing. Or even the pocket/key thing What do you usually wear and what else do you keep in your pockets?
Wallet goes in one pocket. Phone goes in the other. Keys go in the watch pocket. I never notice any of them. I guess if you wear really tight pants but the wallet would always be the bigger issue.
If you get over that it’s going to be cheaper to just use one phone. Redpocket is working well for me on the cheapest plan but I barely use any data and don’t text/call much. Although I doubt you would either. What’s nice there is if you find you like or need more you just upgrade your plan. Once you figure out what you use. Recompare and maybe switch. Mint and some others do about the same. I only used redpocket because I already had ATT(cricket) so same network. And I never needed unlimted. But they do Verizon too.
Obviously with low cost non network carriers I expect zero customer service. But I’ve never needed any either. They don’t fuck with you like the cable/internet/main carriers do. And usually give you deals if you sign up for a year
@unksol Well, I mean, I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m pretty sure no matter which pocket I put it in, I won’t be able to sit down w/out taking it out. Maybe that just becomes habit and not a big deal, but seems like a pain in the ass to me (pun acknowledged, not intended).
I definitely tend to be a bit neurotic/OCD about even the little things, so I recognize I may be making this into a bigger deal than it is.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@unksol You sound like you must be a big person if you can fit your keys in the watch pocket. That, or you only have two keys. Bigger pants have bigger pockets.
I wear Levi’s 501s. I don’t wear skinny jeans. My wallet goes in one front pocket. My keys go in the other. I could maybe fit two keys in my watch pocket, but no more. Car keys these days are so big that might even be pushing it. I definitely couldn’t fit one of those giant phones in either pocket comfortably.
Carrying a phone sucks. I usually just don’t do it. If I’m wearing a jacket, I’ll carry my phone in a jacket pocket.
Iphones work on Google Fi now. If you’re not using much data, it could be pretty cheap. Let me know if you need a promo code.
Pretty good info for your situation here:
https://ios.gadgethacks.com/how-to/set-up-google-fi-your-iphone-0174991/
Won’t be able to put your flip phone on Fi though.
@medz Says iPhone on Google Fi can only use the T-Mobile network and my phone has T-Mobile sim, so…
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@DennisG2014 I think you would need a new Google Fi SIM card but you would only be able to take advantage of 1 of the 3 carrier signals Fi piggy-backs on. (the T-Mobile signal)
I’m just having a hard time understanding how someone smart/frugal enough to avoid smartphones this long goes anywhere near a new car, much less a lease!
Teasing aside… T-Mobile’s unlimited data has been flawless for me. I drive a lot, over a thousand miles many weeks, and get my “discount-won’t-apply text message” (my plan is for unlimited data but gives me a discount if I stay under 2gb) by the second or third day most months!
Waze is a must for me, and I also run Google Maps in parallel to compare route options. I also had a standalone Garmin as a third backup (did I mention I drive a lot?) but it decided to not turn on anymore and I really don’t miss it much now. I set up my phone-based options to have the freshest maps downloaded all the time, so being in the boonies does not make them any worse than the Garmin. Garmin just had really interesting routing options in my area sometimes since it helped me avoid the “waze-effect” when enough people use Waze and take the same detour through some smaller road, the smaller road very quickly becomes a far worse option than having stayed on the main albeit-congested one. Garmin would see the traffic build up on both and give yet another choice. Did I mention I drive a lot?
You can put all of your music on a Plex server at home and stream it to an impressive number of different platforms. Phones, PCs, tablets, NVidia Shield, Tivo, XBox etc. I ripped all my stuff to FLAC and can access it anywhere in the world. Just keep a favorites playlist in a USB thumbdrive plugged into the car, or in the phone itself for areas with no data service (very rare nowadays).
Did I mention I- ok, I’ll stop.
Hope this helps!
@jester747
lol, That is a very fair point, but I can be a man of many contradictions.
The new/leased car thing actually is about frugality - I’m clueless when it comes to car repair/maintenance, so I’m at the mercy of the mechanic - I hate that.
My 11 y/o Subaru, which I loved had been bleeding money (along with P.S. fluid and motor oil) for the last couple of years, and I just have no desire to ever again spend that kind of money just to keep a car road-worthy.
So that’s the main reason I wouldn’t buy used and one of the main reasons I decided to lease.
Aside from there being no car currently on the market that I really wanted to own, I like the idea of getting a new vehicle every few years and never having to pay for any repairs (aside from an at-fault accident, of course).
Also, as thoughtful and frugal as I try to be about major purchases, I eventually reach a point where I just feel like I don’t have the bandwidth left to continue to think things through carefully and I’ll rapidly pivot to being impulsive - it’s how I ended up with the Corolla (after ~18 months of car shopping, I drove it and said, “good enough, I’ll take it”) and I’m rapidly approaching that point of saturation with this smartphone thing, so I’m probably not too far from just saying, “fuck it… sign me up, T-Mobile.”
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
edit: p.s.: it did help. Thanks!
iPhone specific question:
Do you quit/close your apps?
Do they ever close on their own or just stay running in the background once you open them?
I looked up how to ‘force’ them to quit; double tap the home button and then swipe them up off the screen.
Is that the only way?
Just seems very strange - at least, coming from Mac OS to iOS - that there’s no readily available button to ‘quit’ an app when you’re done using it.
You know, busting out the flip phone and getting amused looks and/or comments made me feel a bit stubborn, but not old.
Trying to learn how to use the iPhone is making me feel old, like I need some 12 year old to teach me how to use it.
I probably should’ve had the foresight to have at least one kid 10 or more years ago, so I’d have my own tech support. It’s what I do for my parents - they both use Macs and not smartphones, so that’s still in my wheelhouse.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@DennisG2014 Ain’t nothing easy, is there.
Sprint and T-mobile are the cheapest carriers, unless Verizon will bundle you up hardcore with massive discounts. I use 57 GB data per month, but that’s without having home Internet.
Actually, I think you screwed the pooch when you went for Apple. My Samsung integrates perfectly with Entune on my Rav4.
Apple makes decent (pricey) stuff, but doesn’t play well outside the Apple realm—as in their encoded music—you may “own” it , but you can only download it to Apple products.
I think your problem is the phone, not the car software—YMMV, but since Apple won’t allow any 3rd party apps…
@cole103 I haven’t actually had a problem with the car software because I haven’t used it, was just quoting the 1,117 unanimously bad reviews of it on the app store.
All of my Toyota’s manuals and guides actually promote connecting to Entune via AppleCarPlay.
Apparently, as of 2019 models, Apple is Toyota’s preferred brand of mobile device.
Yesterday I connected my almost-obsolete model iPhone, still without a cellular service plan, to my Corolla’s head unit via AppleCarPlay and, guess what… it just worked.
Was able to use all the apps on the phone through the car’s touch screen.
iTunes worked well and Apple’s “Maps” app knew my correct location.
Again, this is with a 3 y/o iPhone without cell service or WiFi, just a lightning-usb cable connection.
Apple absolutely will allow Toyota’s (3rd party) app suite on the iPhone - the two brands have partnered to support it.
The 1,117 reviews of Toyota’s Entune app suite, however, all say it’s garbage. The ones who have posted since Toyota integrated Apple CarPlay all say that works great, without Toyota’s proprietary apps.
Also, although I’ve only downloaded iTunes music purchases to Apple devices, I have burned that music to CDs for people who have then ripped those CDs to non-Apple devices.
I think your problem is you’ve never actually used Apple products and your info is based on claims made by others who’ve never actually used Apple products.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I am curious though - when you say your Samsung integrates perfectly with Entune, are you actually using Toyota’s Entune branded apps, or just connecting to the Entune branded head unit and using the 3rd party apps on your device?