# Do you carry your cell phone with you at home? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 26, 2024, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390 "2024-03-26T14:33:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/201 "2024-03-28T22:42:20Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Eh, i have covid and a fever right now. I might have made they typo even without swype to blame. Well, please feel better soon, and due to those circumstances, may I suggest to the thread that someone suffering from such symptoms would have yet another valid reason to keep a cellphone on them at all times? YMMV, your risk is your own, where permitted by law, etc. [most gentle fun poked at all of us in good humor of course] ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/202 "2024-03-28T23:13:20Z")
I live with my husband and adult daughter. I don’t need to carry a phone in the house for my safety. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2024, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/203 "2024-03-28T23:54:03Z")
Back when I was younger, uhh… 30 years or so ago I did not have instant communication. Or thought it may be a good idea. It’s easy now. My 93 yo mother would not wear her emergency button. It was a bone of contention. Not wearing it killed her. Death is never pleasant but, no need to suffer. I keep my cell phone with me. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/204 "2024-03-29T01:03:30Z")
When I first got a cell phone I only used it when I wasn’t home. As in when I was traveling. When I was home I used my landline, which was the only number I gave out. The only people who had my cell number were people who would need to reach me when I wasn’t home, and they all knew not to bother using it at other times. It was just a flip phone; I didn’t upgrade to a smart phone until a few years ago, and even then it wasn’t on all the time. It wasn’t until about two years ago that I started keeping my cell phone on all the time. This was mainly because I needed to check for texts from my doctors’ offices and others. I carry the phone with me now whenever I leave the house, and when I’m home it sits on the table next to my sofa. With a few exceptions, I do not use my phone as a computer. The only apps I use with any frequency are things like Uber, or to deposit checks. I can’t imagine playing games or watching videos on my phone. ---
**Author:** ![moes\_lotion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/205 "2024-03-29T05:57:07Z")
The only time my cellphone doesn’t sit on a shelf when I’m at home is if my wife or I want to look something up during dinner. All of my acquaintances know that I will probably get back to them if they call me, and usually the same day. We still have a land line, and again I don’t have a Pavlovian response to it’s ringing. I often don’t carry it with me outside the house, mostly only for longer trips where I use it as a camera, or use the GnssLogger app for navigation when hiking or canoeing. ---
**Author:** ![Dandan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/206 "2024-03-29T12:26:58Z")
Generally always in my pocket. If I set it down, odds are that I’ll have to wait for a call to locate it. Dan ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/207 "2024-03-29T20:53:10Z")
I always wonder how people put up for years with suboptimal conditions (like being awakened by notifications) … instead of heading over to google and invest 3 min. in “how to configure notifications in Android/Iphone”… but then again, wifey is searching **every bloody morning** for her car-keys instead of hanging them to the same place like other family members do … so, yeah… ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/208 "2024-03-29T23:09:54Z")
I feel like several phones ago, my new phone walked me through stuff like “how to set up quiet times”. I’m not sure i would have looked into it on my own. But it’s one of those things that once you know it exists and that it’s easy to set up, of course you do it on every new phone. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/209 "2024-03-29T23:11:54Z")
The person complaining on this issue needs to be able to hear calls from unknown numbers, but not from most known ones. Is there a configuration for that? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/210 "2024-03-29T23:18:46Z")
Hmmm, the standard configuration lets you “white list” numbers to ring even when it’s otherwise quiet, and gives you the option to let a phone ring aloud if the caller tries twice. (First it gets shunted to voicemail, and then it rings.) I didn’t think there’s a configuration for “none of my contacts, but let randos call me”. But “call twice” might work? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/211 "2024-03-29T23:24:36Z")
> [@Dandan](#): > > Generally always in my pocket. If I set it down, odds are that I’ll have to wait for a call to locate it. Same here. If I’m not actively using it for games or whatever, it’s in my pocket, or on a nearby surface. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/212 "2024-03-29T23:30:03Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I didn’t think there’s a configuration for “none of my contacts, but let randos call me”. > > But “call twice” might work? Except you’d have to somehow tell unknown people to call twice; because otherwise they wouldn’t. And I think texts were an issue as well as phone calls. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/213 "2024-03-29T23:31:16Z")
Pretty sure it’s me we’re talking about. I can set quiet times and whitelist certain numbers to ring at any time. But the phone numbers I want to ring are not exactly randos - I want to be able to get emergency phone calls from hospitals, police or my kid’s friend’s phone no matter what time it is.\* I won’t know the numbers those calls are coming from and I won’t be able to tell them to call twice. As far as I can tell, what I want isn’t possible. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > And I think texts were an issue as well as phone calls. Texts really are the entire issue - because no one ever calls me at 3am to ask me what time I’m picking them up tomorrow but people will text at that time. \* There have been a couple of times my kid needed to call me and had to use a friend’s phone. I know one time my son’s phone had been lost or stolen , I guess the other time it was dead ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2024, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/214 "2024-03-29T23:39:27Z")
If texts are the entire issue, my Android lets me silence text notifications during the Do Not Disturb times. Does yours not do that? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/215 "2024-03-30T00:06:22Z")
It is entirely possible I’m missing something but as far as I can tell, I can’t silence _only_ text notifications. If I turn on DND , I won’t get any notifications from unknown numbers - there’s no setting I can find that allows calls but not texts. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/216 "2024-03-30T00:09:11Z")
What device/OS? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/217 "2024-03-30T00:10:09Z")
iPhone ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/218 "2024-03-30T00:18:07Z")
I checked my wife’s iPhone, and under DND you can select apps to block and apps to allow, and among those apps is Messages (i.e., texts). Should be no problem to do what you want. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/219 "2024-03-30T00:25:06Z")
Thank you ! I wasn’t thinking of Messages as an app. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2024, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/220 "2024-03-30T01:41:20Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Pretty sure it’s me we’re talking about. I can set quiet times and whitelist certain numbers to ring at any time. But the phone numbers I want to ring are not exactly randos - I want to be able to get emergency phone calls from hospitals, police or my kid’s friend’s phone no matter what time it is.\* I won’t know the numbers those calls are coming from and I won’t be able to tell them to call twice. As far as I can tell, what I want isn’t possible. In Android, I recall a toggle that is a “3 calls w/in 15 min” will override nightly silence, even from a random number … at least that points into this direction that you mention [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390.md?page=12)