When did having a smartphone become compulsory?

BlueBelle

Where do pigeons come into it ???

Carrier !

Where do pigeons come into it ???

Funny isn't it that we were all worried about being "jobless" once technology had been accepted, now no-one cares about my poor pigeons if I bought a mobile.

Daisymae

You can get monthly deals from Tesco Mobile. No need to spend anything like £100 let alone £1000. Technology can only make life easier if you actually have it.

You can also get Smarty for around £5 a month which is fine for me. It might be more if you were on the internet all the time and away from home.
I have unlimited calls and texts plus download WhatsApp for sending pictures and making video or phone calls - even abroad - all free! It's amazing when I remember that calling the USA was so expensive in the 1960s. Now it actually costs nothing. 😍

I usually buy a second hand iPhone when one of my younger relatives upgrades. I pay £5 a month for a SIM only contract. We disconnected our landline because of all the annoying sales calls.
I wish smart phones had been around years ago!

I have a 5.5 inch screen on my mobile (old I phone 8) and must admit the older I get the easier it is to use a larger screen for text size so would go "up" next time.

Casdon

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.

I've never, in 30 years, had to worry about a virus on any Apple product. I buy second hand lap tops too, but they are more expensive, but given how much I use it worth it.
I also like the sound quality on my Apple lap top as I listen to a lot of music on it. You can get really good media output these days on PC's, but they are in the upper cost range.

You can get monthly deals from Tesco Mobile. No need to spend anything like £100 let alone £1000. Technology can only make life easier if you actually have it.

I have a Samsung Galaxy J3 which is an Android I bought in 2018. Now I want to upgrade as the camera is poor and it doesn't have a compass which I would love. Why? because I want to download Sky Safari. This follows the stars in the sky and you can identify what you're looking at on a clear night. I really want a compass!

My J3 has a 5 inch screen which is fine for me. I would be happy to get a much newer model but the screen size has gone up so they are all 6 inches or even 6.5 inches or more!

So have you gone down that route and do you find the 6.5 inch phones are now too large? (the screen is measured diagonally top to bottom).

Don't forget on WhatsApp you can send your location on Google maps. This is invaluable if you are travelling to friends or family as they can check every now and then to see where you are. They will know when you are at the corner of their road and can come out to meet you as you arrive. It's fabulous!
Find the person in WhatsApp.
Click the paperclip symbol.
Click location.
Share live location.
Choose 1h or 8hrs.

The other night I arrived at an outer-suburb station heading home - the train was just pulling out and I missed it. So I was on an empty platform and the destination display was blank.

No problem, as with a few taps on my phone I could see that the next train was seven minutes away. Had the next train been 30 minutes away I could have summoned an Uber using the App on my trusty phone. Smart phones are just so very useful!

Siope

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.

I too recommend a second hand I phone. Buy it from a shop where you'll get a guarantee and some help/advice setting up. One reason for getting a decent phone is the quality of pictures it takes, ie easily equivalent to a good basic camera, if that's of interest.

Cost well under £200 and I have a contract for Sim only with 02 - but its best to go with a provider that has good service in your area.

I don't pay for things with my phone that's a step too far for me - do banking my computer and use cards - but some of the apps are wonderful. Some features that one doesn't think of - for example someone finding you needing help can access your essential medical details without a password:

google maps in he phone act as a satnav:

WhatsApp is a cheap way of communicating with friends and family, and you can have video calls. I have a voice recorder which can be very useful to record important discussions or have a record of what's been said - for example at the doctors when they explain something!

Yes its a bit of a techie leap but honestly I'm not very techie.

I did a lot of IT community teaching with adults (generally pensioners) who realised they'd soon find life difficult if they didn't use a computer. That was around 2000 - 2015. Next, it will be awkward without using a smartphone. Once 80% or more of the population have them, they're 'mainstream'.

Now, we can shop, book holidays, research, follow our interests, browse entertainment, watch the news - and, vitally, communicate (I just love email) with these tools.

If it's just for occasional use, though, you can always use a family member's phone. Ask around and somebody will have an 'old' one to spare. We don't need a brand new one - or the latest model.

Just use it for what you find convenient. I prefer my laptop's larger screen, using the phone for texts, WhatsApp, Zoom and quick calls - oh, and for reading the meters!

I buy online from CEX and be sure to look at the battery power in the write up about it

MayBee70

I don’t have a smart phone ( can’t even use the phone I do have) but use my iPad for everything. It broke down last week and I couldn’t function….contacting people, buying things, paying bills, reading the news. But I’ve realised I need to get a good phone and learn how to use it. But they’re @ £1000 and I assume I’ll have to pay a monthly fee too?

You don’t have to pay that much Maybee don’t buy the latest one out and buy reconditioned Mine have never cost over £200 and last for years I ve never had one die on me yet and I pay £8.50 a month to my provider Sim only and I get FAR more data than I ever use So not as bad as you are thinking If you can find your way round iPad go for a reconditioned not the latest iPhone and you ll find it easy peasy

I bought a second hand iPhone from the local iOutlet shop (£359 but plenty of cheaper ones available, guaranteed 12 months) and have a £6 pm sim only deal (soon to increase but still under £7). It doesn’t have to cost the earth.

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It’s not compulsory - yet, but soon if you don’t have one, you will have to find help to do day to day activities. You don’t need a fancy IPhone, cheaper android phones are an alternative, plenty of S/H phones available, mine is 7 yrs old and still updates to current OS.

Riverwalk

MayBee70

I don’t have a smart phone ( can’t even use the phone I do have) but use my iPad for everything. It broke down last week and I couldn’t function….contacting people, buying things, paying bills, reading the news. But I’ve realised I need to get a good phone and learn how to use it. But they’re @ £1000 and I assume I’ll have to pay a monthly fee too?

No need to spend £1000 - I recently bought a new iPhone SE from an Apple store (I like the smaller size of the SE) for £450.

Anyone who can post on Gransnet can easily use a smart phone!

Finances permitting, I think older people shouldn't shun new technology - it's almost a badge of honour with some.

This! If you're posting on GN, you're clearly using some form of technology, so using a smartphone shouldn't be much of a stretch.

MayBee70

I don’t have a smart phone ( can’t even use the phone I do have) but use my iPad for everything. It broke down last week and I couldn’t function….contacting people, buying things, paying bills, reading the news. But I’ve realised I need to get a good phone and learn how to use it. But they’re @ £1000 and I assume I’ll have to pay a monthly fee too?

No need to spend £1000 - I recently bought a new iPhone SE from an Apple store (I like the smaller size of the SE) for £450.

Anyone who can post on Gransnet can easily use a smart phone!

Finances permitting, I think older people shouldn't shun new technology - it's almost a badge of honour with some.

Whether we like it or not, Smartphones and many of the cultural changes associated with them are here to stay. They don't need to be wildly expensive, either. I have a Samsung Galaxy, SIM free, which cost me £140, and which has more capabilities than I need. Other makes are available, some of which are less than £100. Second hand ones are also worth a look. The advance of technology is relentless and unavoidable, and I guess that the best we can do is to focus on those aspects that can improve the quality of our lives and give us better access to what we need. I think it's also important to be clear about what we don't need, and to leave that alone. I certainly couldn't function efficiently these days without my Smartphone, as so much of what I do is facilitated by it.

I find my smartphone very useful for:

- Online shopping
- Online banking
- Listening to podcasts and watching videos
- Listening to radio stations or watching TV, including on demand
- Reading the news (BBC website or newspapers)
- Up to date weather forecasts
- Reading e-books including library books
- Renewing library books
- Taking and storing photos
- Satnav and compass
- Using WhatsApp for group chats and group phone calls
- Calendar (diary) app which reminds me of upcoming appointments
- Making GP appointments
- Recipe app which stores recipes, imports them into meal plans for the week and generates shopping lists
- There is even an app that makes it easy to print address labels for Christmas cards
- Not to mention texts and phone calls!

My Sainsbury's SmartShop app does give me offers on regular purchases. I use it to scan as I go round the shop. It works very well and fast. I can use it to pay quickly at the end on a self-service till, and get Nectar points without getting out a Nectar card. It's very convenient and I haven't noticed a downside.

ApplePay is also very convenient and quicker than using a debit card. I keep loyalty cards, like for Boots or M&S, in the Wallet app on my phone.

I buy second-hand iPhones and pay about £8 a month to Three.

IPhones are said to be more secure against viruses than other phones. They are also easy and intuitive to use, and the Apple customer support is amazing.

The Apple SE is a good phone and not as expensive as the higher end of the range. I also have an SE Apple Watch which I love.

Windee

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

I have apps for most of the local shops on my phone and only last week that gave me savings of nearly €10.

I also thought and hoped it would also enable them to target advertising and offers to my regular purchases but the technology doesn't seem to have got that far yet. Having said that, I don't get offers for nappies, sanitary products or pet food, none of which I need, so maybe it is working without my noticing.

Wouldn't be without my smart phone. Ticket machines are so often out of order - much easier to just get them on the phone, out of the rain.