A 4G, e-ink phone with limited functions.
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This is a perfect example of humane technology. Thanks for posting. I would love to see this movement sponsor something like this as an example of what technology looks like that doesnât exploit its user.
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As I understand it, the original Lightphone is meant to be a âphone away from phoneâ - a companion to your current smartphone. As a flip phone user, that is what has kept me from getting one.
It looks like this one is meant to be a standalone phone!! Which is awesome! Super excited for this.
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Thanks for posting James. I logged in today with the expressed purpose of posting about the light phone as well.
What I like about this phone beyond the fact that itâs âhumane technology,â in that itâs simple and gives you your life back, is how it allows you to do so in a flexible way. This phone allows you (through technology) to share your current phone number. This means you can decide which phone to take with you at any given time. So when itâs family time, or a date night, or quiet time, You can take the light phone, When traveling on business, or otherwise need the features of the phone, perhaps as a fall back to email, the nav when in a new place, or the need to internet, etc⌠then take the smart phone. For a modest $200ish dollars⌠And there are competitors. This is not the only alternative.
Not to mention the security and privacy you get as a consequence of this devicesâŚ
I love the idea and plan to get one.
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Hey everyone. Yes, the original Lightphone uses a forwarding/spoofing setup to use your main phone number. Now with the advent of duplicate SIM services like T-Mobileâs DIGITs, you can have the same number on multiple handsets, which willl be great for the Lightphone 2.
The Lightphone 2âs features are similar to how I have configured a second iPhone. But, unfortunately, itâs still too much like a regular iPhone to really be a change of pace.
Like @afuchs, I also have a flip phone. Itâs great for some situations. But I often miss maps, ride-sharing/hailing services, and messaging with a full keyboard.
The Lightphone 2 seems like it will strike the right balance. Iâm looking forward to getting one.
James
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Also came here to post about this and see I have been beaten to the punch! I hope that the Center for Human Technology can be invovled in this project in some way. Itâs so cool!
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This is a great phone with all the essentials: phone calls and text messages. I have a dumbphone and really donât have the need for everything else. Excited to see if this phone catches on!
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Great pivot! I have bought the Lightphone 1 as a weekend alternative to my smartphone, but have always found it very hard to start using it on a regular basis. Changing my habit turned out to be a massive thing. I believe that for this movement to have real impact we have to understand current and desired human behaviour to the fullest. Branding and emotion-triggering propositions will help to raise awareness, but functional solutions will provide the best tools to changing those habits. Keep up the good work!
Very excited to the Light Phone II! I remember being interested in the first version. I never bought it though because the band it was supposed to operate on was closing if I recall correctly. This one looks way better than the original! I am probably going to pick one up. The only thing it is missing for me is a camera but I am sure I could find a suitable replacement.
Very cool design. On the other hand, other than being slick, I am not sure how this different from an âoldâ feature phone. One serious drawback is that it seems to require a different model for different parts of the world, which means itâs not useful for people who travel internationally.
Agree on that. In my opinion a solution somewhere between a feature phone and a smartphone we know today should be sought, in order to use it on a regular basis, in a more healthy way than the existing smartphones. What about a smart device with limited number of apps, limited time per day/week to use the apps, and working without notifications? Just thinking out loud
This has been our approach with Siempo. Originally intended to be a physical device (see 2017 Kickstarter), we pivoted to software after learning how high the switching costs were for a replacement device, and how personalized each humanâs digital needs are. People demanded an experience they could try on their original device, so now weâre meeting them where theyâre at with an Android home app.
In this demo video of our upcoming release you can see how weâve bake a number of âhealthyâ design choices into the experience, grounded in evidence-based research. We arenât removing access to anything; we are providing default settings that make the interface more intentional and less distracting, plus tools to limit certain behaviors, create further distance from distracting apps and better manage notifications.
We would love your feedback on our beta and this approach!
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A smart device with a limited number of apps is how Iâve been addressing this issue. I would welcome a standalone device that is incapable of installing traditional apps. I find that apps I intended not to have on my stripped down phone periodically find their way onto it (which is totally my fault), out of convenience.
I have some ideas for you to make Siempo even more effective.
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Thanks James! Weâd love to hear them. Feel free to DM me or share here 
We are especially interested in ideas to facilitate deeper human connection and community.
Just saw on Hacker News an announcement for a new non-distracting phone:
Looks quite cool!
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I am all about the Light Phone 2. For all the reasons the developers talk about, and the reasons shared here. Not to mention its a sleek piece of kit.
The one reservation I have right now â and this is also what prevents me from getting a âfeature phoneâ â is secure texting. I use Signal, and I am not prepared to go back to having my messages stored as plaintext on the servers of major corporations. It may just be that I stop texting altogether, but I really hope the Light Phone folks either include Signal as the default SMS app, or fork the code to make their own encrypted SMS app, like WhatsApp (minus Facebookâs nasty intrusions)
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At a glance, it doesnât seem much better than a regular smartphone with regards to the attention economy and privacy. Still uses FB and Twitter, has news feeds, etc. I like the simpler interface, butâŚthatâs not enough for me.