Turning off the phone completely

  • Thread starter Thread starter Danielelfe
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Danielelfe

Guest
Hi all,

I’ve got a question:

I was thinking of turning off my smartphone after work. So completely turn off (no phone calls either). Do you think that’s a good idea? I dont like the idea of the possibilty of being contacted all the time, but what about emergencies and the like?

Greetings Daniel.
 
Last edited:
I don’t know if the capability exists on Android but if you have an iPhone, you can schedule Do Not Disturb (DND) for certain periods or based on a repeating schedule. You can silence the ringer and you won’t even be notified of incoming messages unless you proactively check for them. There’s even a way to constrain who you’re willing to accept calls from if you choose.
 
I don’t have a smartphone, but restricting calls to just family, for instance, would be a great feature to have. There are many times where I just don’t feel like being bothered with people.
(Did I just say that out loud?)
 
Personally, I would not block calls, text messages or apps where my family usually contacts me. Other stuff, as e-mail may be customized when to pop-up or not, there are app blockers for smartphones where you can block some apps for some time. Limit and manage distractions, but don’t shut away possibilities to contact you in emergency.
 
I think turning off your smartphone is a great idea. Take back some control.

I have a very cheap mobile phone, pay as you go, I spend £10 a year on average …and resent every penny. 😉
I take it with me on trips in case I have an emergency or perhaps someone needs to contact me urgently. The rest of the time when I’m at home I have my landline only. Very simple, uncomplicated and peaceful
 
But what if family calls you for an emergency in the evening when you have your phone turned off? Is it a moral obligation to have your phone turned on for your family?
 
Personally I wouldn’t do this, because I am a wife and mother and because my parents are getting older and may need something.

If you don’t have anyone depending on you, however, I don’t see why there would be any problem. (It sounds kind of nice to me, to be off the grid!)
 
I routinely turn off my cell phone at times I don’t want to be interrupted, such as having dinner with friends, or at a doctor or dental appointment. Even with the phone turned off, people can still leave messages. Before the advent of cell phones, I always wished that the land line had an off button.
 
You can unplug if you wish. Billions throught history have.
 
If it is a true emergency you will be notified
 
Last edited:
Yes but times have changed. It can come in handy though, in emergencies for
example.

My mother lives 2 hours away but she thinks that in case of something happens to her it is a good idea to have the phone on all the time. She is 59 years old.

So you don’t think it is a moral obligation to have to phone on all the time for your family? What if a close family member calls for an emergency and you have left your phone off? Are morally culpable then?

Greetings Daniel
 
Last edited:
Believe me, if there’s an emergency, you’ll be notified. Make sure your family has you listed as the person to contact, your current address and all phone numbers you can be reached at.

Leave your landline on at home and make sure you have voicemail activated.

As a last resort, the police will come to your door and let you know who to contact if something has happened.
 
Danielelfe said:
Yes but times have changed. It can come in handy though, in emergencies for
example.

My mother lives 2 hours away but she thinks that in case of something happens to her it is a good idea to have the phone on all the time. She is 59 years old.

So you don’t think it is a moral obligation to have to phone on all the time for your family? What if a close family member calls for an emergency and you have left your phone off? Are morally culpable then?

Greetings Daniel
Click to expand...
No you can silence your phone or turn it off.
If you had children and they were out, then leave the phone on.

There are different levels of responsibility here.

Unless your mother is paying for your phone, it’s your decision. To add stress to your life for an emergency that may never happen is not healthy.
 
Last edited:
I just don’t answer work calls at home. There’s an email system if my colleagues want to contact me. That is less invasive and gives me the option to deal with it immediately or not.
 
Last edited:
That is a good point, Adam. Too many people are slaves to their phones and think they need to take every call. If it is important enough people will leave a message.

We get lots of calls we don’t answer because we don’t recognize the number as someone we know.
When they don’t leave a message, we know it cant be anything important or its a wrong number.
 
On my phone, I can set it to “do not disturb” and still allow for numbers in my “favorites” to contact me. It just prevents other numbers from getting through. I can also set it to where a number that calls me more than once within a short period of time will go through as well. I can also see if I missed a call or text and call or text back as I choose. That’s how I often keep mine set so my kids and husband can contact me if needed, or an emergency call will go through because they will call back soon if no one answers.
 
Great idea! We use our answering machine & screen calls. If we think it’s worth an answer we get back to them. Your phone is your tool, you are not at its mercy.

However, if you’re in a field where you must be on-call at certain times, this would be irresponsible.

My two cents.
 
Irishmom2 said:
Too many people are slaves to their phones and think they need to take every call. If it is important enough people will leave a message.
Click to expand...
Goodness yes! I wonder how anyone functioned in the dark ages of the 80s and 90s when there were no cell phones (at least not till later on in the 90s)?? 🤔🤣
 
All of my family and friends know that I turn off my phone at a certain point every night and turn it back on in the morning.

There is no emergency that I could respond to, I do not own a car and there is no public transit in my town. If it is super serious, someone is going to come tell me face to face anyway.
 
I was fortunate enough to grow up at a time when there were no cell phones. I knew as a child and as a teenager that when I was away from home for any reason I was essentially on my own. If we kids wandered in the woods behind the house down to the creek, once we were out of shouting distance whatever happened we had to handle it. Driving the family car as a teen, if I had a flat tire, I had to put on the spare. There was no way to call. Even at elementary school, there was no phone in the building. If a parent wanted to call, they would call the nearby rectory and hope to find someone there. They could call the convent but no one would answer; the nuns were all teaching.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top