[androdev]

Originally Posted by binand

The whole purpose of the article is to introduce a framework that allows one to use two smartphones without getting addicted; not to have one smartphone + one dumbphone to avoid addiction.

My reading comprehension is not that poor :-) Been there done that. No disrespect but the blogger is behind times, IMHO.

The case for two devices is pretty weak these days unless one wants to show everyone that one is very organised. It's a clumsy arrangement. This is what I do:

1. Primary number linked to iPhone and Apple watch (cellular). Watch has good battery life (I turn off certain features to get max battery life) and keeps you reachable even if your phone battery goes dead. I can afford to be without phone as long as I wish - it's absolutely liberating. As a wearable item, it actually makes it effortless to remain reachable if you choose - no matter what activity you are doing - compared to a Phone that you tend to forget or always anxious to ensure you are carrying it. There is very little unproductive work you can do with a watch - it's one of the few gadgets that has many benefits without any downside. As someone averse to technology and gadgets, I have become a big fan of Apple watch.

2. Secondary number that I use with random websites and at places that collect customer data for marketing purposes. This remains as a physical sim on the same device and always turned off except when I want to use it.

This arrangement: Dual SIM phone + Apple watch will solve all the problems two phone setup is supposed to solve:

1. I can stay away from my phone to cut down screen time. I have no excuse to be near my phone.
2. Enhances "always reachable" aspect in the most elegant way. I can go anywhere and do anything without worrying about carrying a brick with me all the time.
3. I still have the flexibility of two numbers: I can use it for private+work or primary+spam or whatever combination suits my needs.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

all 3 have WhatsApp linked with the same number.

How can you use multiple WhatsApp on the same number?

I have been using 2 phones since the days before smartphones. I needed to segregate pesonal and official/marketing calls. Since all phone were single sim those days, it was the only option.

I briefly switched to a single phone with dual SIM for a few years but then reverted back to 2 phone when I got my first iPhone. Having been using 2 phones ever since (at least 1 Android).

My main reason for 2 phones is I need to have a back up phone on the ship for the following reasons:
- In case the primary phone stops working. I can't just walk into a store and buy a new one immediately.
- Data consumption on iPhones is higher than on Androids.
- Since my iPhone has 2 eSims, I need a phone for local sims that I purchase in ports.

[PaddleShifter]

I have a single phone for 90% of the work. I have also maintained my old phone (MiA3) as a home phone on which I can install any app without having any security/privacy risk as I have a dummy email ID registered on that phone. I have installed Instagram on that phone for occasional viewing. I make sure not to carry that phone with me so that I dont get habitual of using two phones.

[Oppanna]

Been a single phone user since 2006. At times had two SIM connections on the phone. One connection is personal and another office connection.

For last 4 years i am with only one SIM which is personal and used for office calls also.

I am not comfortable with carrying two phones all the time.

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

How can you use multiple WhatsApp on the same number?

I meant 'Linked Devices', which is a pretty common whatsapp feature now.
One can use the same whatsapp account on different devices, be it mobile or pc. Quite useful.

[binand]

Originally Posted by androdev

The case for two devices is pretty weak these days... Apple watch[...] keeps you reachable even if your phone battery goes dead. I can afford to be without phone as long as I wish

The thing is, you are evaluating the need/luxury of two phones primarily - no, only - from the perspective of reachability. It is your use-case but you can't assume it is everyone else's. I keep two phones for other reasons:

a. For redundancy - $dayjob-mandated and personal preference.
b. Division of Apps/workload over multiple devices.
c. I Have to maintain more numbers that can be used on a single phone.

So...

Originally Posted by androdev

This arrangement: Dual SIM phone + Apple watch will solve all the problems two phone setup is supposed to solve:

1. I can stay away from my phone to cut down screen time. I have no excuse to be near my phone.
2. Enhances "always reachable" aspect in the most elegant way. I can go anywhere and do anything without worrying about carrying a brick with me all the time.
3. I still have the flexibility of two numbers: I can use it for private+work or primary+spam or whatever combination suits my needs.

I don't want to stay away from my phone. I am totally OK with the amount of screentime I do; I just want to be able to use it productively avoiding distractions.
I maintain more than 2 numbers.
I am not a member of the Apple ecosystem. My phones are Android phones.
I don't have a smartwatch, instead I prefer wearing a quartz watch (I do have a Fitbit which I wear only when I'm doing my daily constitutional and when I sleep).

So in first read - it does not solve the problems that my two-phone setup is solving for me. But the original article at least provides a (customisable) method by which I can use two phones in such a way that time wastage is minimised (for me, time waste happens via Reddit, Twitter - and of late Mastodon, and to a lesser extent, LinkedIn).

(Also curious, is the call experience on the watch comparable to that on the phone? For example, can you record calls, send data to IVRS during the call using the keypad, manage multi-party calls...? Do VoIP call apps like WhatsApp/Teams etc. work on the watch?)

[androdev]

I guess our usage scenarios and expectations are very different. What you describe above is different from the blog post you refer to where someone using an older iPhone + fancy iPhone combo to cut down unproductive screen time. I and many others I know had such a setup for awhile and found it to be clumsy and ineffective compared to the current setup of iPhone + watch (cellular).

I have no clue about the Android side of the world but Apple watch (cellular) has been nothing short of a revelation to me - it's a brain without the screen. I am extremely prejudiced against smartphones and didn't want to own one but relented mainly for GSP navigation. Found it difficult to limit screen time until I discovered the magic of Apple watch.

My usage (and knowledge) of watch as a phone is very basic, limited to calls and 2-3 app notifications that I enabled. While I bought it for fitness/health reasons, but the ability of the watch to act as a basic phone is the feature that I appreciate the most.

[binand]

Originally Posted by androdev

What you describe above is different from the blog post you refer to where someone using an older iPhone + fancy iPhone combo to cut down unproductive screen time.

This is exactly my use-case. Just that I intent to use two Android phones. The idea is not to reduce screen time, but to reduce unproductive screen time. In my case, I call time spent on social media and chat apps to be unproductive time.

Originally Posted by androdev

I have no clue about the Android side of the world but Apple watch (cellular) has been nothing short of a revelation to me - it's a brain without the screen.

This is the difference between your case and mine. I do want a screen accessible at all waking hours of mine. 90% of things I call "productive use of screen time" requires a screen, a browser and a decent Internet connection.

I have more or less determined what apps I want on my Kale phone. Kindle, Feedly, Spotify. OneNote and Tasks & Notes. Firefox. That's it.