# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/41 "2024-03-26T13:35:46Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I can certainly see how someone as long-retired as our esteemed @wolfpup could have transitioned to the point where the interpersonal communications have long since dwindled to near zero. FTR, my interpersonal communications are not near zero. It’s just that they’re mostly conducted over the telephone, as befits normal human beings. To see how this is done, watch any 1950s movie or TV show. 😉 Somewhere there is a black-and-white 8x10 glossy of me, at the age of about 3 or 4, talking on the telephone. My preferred mode of communication hasn’t changed in all the intervening years. Aside from emergencies, pretty much the only use my cell phone gets is that the kid who mows my lawn, being one of those modern urchins bred in this technological age, insists on texting rather than calling to announce his imminent arrival. To my everlasting regret, I’ve allowed email to become an accepted mode of communication, which has attacked me not just with spam but by disabling my preferred email client app of many years because it doesn’t support some stupid new security protocol. This is the kind of shit that I despise. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/42 "2024-03-26T14:01:09Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’d be happier if it was the size and weight of a paperclip, but that’s coming. I’m old enough to remember when the phone manufacturers were racing to that endpoint. I think they figured out that people would end up losing/breaking them. Which would enable the sale of replacements, but at some point the masses would rebel. Now of course it seems like Apple is going the other way, and soon the next IPhone will be the size of an IPad. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/43 "2024-03-26T14:10:44Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > I think they figured out that people would end up losing/breaking them. No, it’s that screens became vastly more important, from something that displayed text to something that could display websites and images. Then they needed to add space for processing power to run all of the stuff that could benefit from the display. And so on and forth until you get to where we are today. Though we seem to have reached the edge of what people will accept for where “phone” ends and “tablet” begins, which is why companies are pivoting to folding screens. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/44 "2024-03-26T14:10:57Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It’s just that they’re mostly conducted over the telephone, as befits normal human beings. To see how this is done, watch any 1950s movie or TV show. 😉 One ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingies, … ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/45 "2024-03-26T14:20:50Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Oh, you’re one of those high-class folks that deigns to wear pants around the house, so of course you keep an expensive phone in the pocket, just like you have a bejeweled watch in your smoking jacket. Hardly, my good man. What need have I of a watch? A trifling matter like the time of day concerns a man of leisure such as myself not at all. I do carry a bejeweled money clip containing the thousand dollar bills I use to kindle my cigars. Lit of course with a bejeweled cigar lighter held by my naked butleress _du jour_. One of several kept in rotation. Actually, once I am living alone and control my own thermostat, I expect pants will be one of the things I stop routinely wearing. How that affects my mobile is TBD. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/46 "2024-03-26T15:11:55Z")
I carry my clock, flashlight, calculator, and magnifying glass with me from room to room at home. The phone comes along for the ride. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/47 "2024-03-26T15:13:09Z")
Good point on the flashlight, I use my phone for that a lot. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/48 "2024-03-26T15:14:34Z")
I like to listen to podcasts when I do household stuff like dishes, laundry, garbage, etc… You would think my cell phone would be perfect for this but it’s way too heavy, and my sweatpants way too comfy to hold all that weight. So I have a separate device specifically for listening to podcasts while I do my chores: SanDisk 8GB Clip Sport MP3 Player, Black - LCD Screen and FM Radio - SDMX24-008G-G46K [https://a.co/d/1Nj62c1](https://a.co/d/1Nj62c1) I bought my first clip jam in the 2000s, but when that died I replaced it with the above clip sport in 2018. Looks like when this one dies I’ll have to try and find a different model since it appears to be discontinued. I weighed both just now with my postal scale: Pixel 4A: 6.7 ounces (5¾" x 3" x ½") Clip Sport: 0.6 ounces (2¼" x 1⅜" x ½") ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/49 "2024-03-26T15:16:56Z")
I use my phone as a step tracker since my fitbit died, so I keep it in my pocket most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/50 "2024-03-26T15:18:56Z")
I don’t, mostly. Once in a while there is a definite need to catch a call or something, but that is rare for me. I just don’t need to be “on call” most of the time when I’m at home. I have a tablet anchored in the living room that I use to look up stuff, like IMDB, partly because I hate trying to look up internet stuff on my phone. When I’m at home I’m in baggy and comfortable clothing, and something as big and heavy as a smart phone tends to drag my pants down. I can certainly see why some people would want to, and why others would not want to. What I don’t see is the need to make a religious war out of it, nor to insist that the way you do it is the way that everyone should. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/51 "2024-03-26T15:23:47Z")
At night I place my phone on my nightstand and use it as my alarm. If I know I am going to be texting someone (for example, 3 days a week I text my sister to arrange bike riding time), I bring it downstairs with me. Or if I expect a doctor or someone to be calling. Or I bring it if I know I will be driving. Otherwise, it may stay on my nightstand all day. I do not bring my phone when I walk the dog. I do bring it when biking, in case of emergencies. If my phone makes it off the nightstand, I likely place it one of 3 or so places. I do not bring it with when I move room to room. And my preference is to have nothing in my pockets when at home - net even something as slim as a phone. With the rare exception of emergencies, I was fine with landline and answering machine technology. Weeks pass without my receiving a non-spam phone call on my cell. I don’t have to “run” to answer my phone. When I get to it, if I see it was someone I want to talk to - or if they leave a VM - I can call them back. I cannot recall the last time I received an “emergency” call or text that couldn’t wait a few hours or a day until it was returned. My phone is often on silent - so I wouldn’t even know if it rang. Not intentionally, but I’ll often turn it off for a concert or something, and forget to turn it back on. I have no audible notifications. I do not uderstand whay so many folk feel they need an immediate audible notification that someone somewhere texted them. I do not like using my phone for much of anything other than texts/phone calls. I just do no tlike the size/interface. I have a very light Mac Air which I prefer to use for the Dope or any computer uses while at home. As a rule, that is closer to me than my phone. I didn’t really like talking on the phone in the days of landlines either, so this isn’t a huge change. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/52 "2024-03-26T15:28:25Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I can certainly see why some people would want to, and why others would not want to. What I don’t see is the need to make a religious war out of it, nor to insist that the way you do it is the way that everyone should. I agree with much of your post. And I know this thread asks about while at home. I DO have somewhat of an issue when someone visits me in my home, and has their phone on, alerting them to texts/phone calls. It mildly irritates me to hear the notifications if the person doesn’t answer them, and it irritates me more if they pick up the phone and start a non-urgent phone call in the middle of a conversation we were having. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/53 "2024-03-26T15:29:17Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > [@AHunter3](#): > > > > I’m not really a luddite. I just don’t like the damn thing for phone calls or for doing things I can do on a computer. I like the _idea_ of a cell phone but I can’t stand the operating system. > > Um… you do realize that carrying the phone with you doesn’t mean you have to use it, answer it, or even have it on. It’s for emergencies, which by their nature, we cannot avoid, but we can **prepare** for. > > It makes me nuts when people say they don’t take their phone on walks Umm, that’s one time when I _do_ take my cell phone with me, as I said in the post you’re quoting. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/54 "2024-03-26T15:30:57Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > And when you’re watching TV and an actor comes on ho looks familiar but you’re not quite sur from where, do you pause, stand up, walk to your computer and look him up on IMDB? Same here. “Hey, isn’t he that guy from such and such a show?” “Huh. I’m not sure. I see the resemblance. Maybe?” “Well, my magic rectangle can tell us!” ---
**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 26, 2024, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/55 "2024-03-26T15:40:05Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Do people really just keep their phone in their pocket while they are home? That seems as unnatural to me as wearing my outdoor shoes at home. I keep all sorts of stuff in my pockets all of the time. (Part of the trick to this is to wear men’s cargo pants.) The phone that can survive a day with me is also small enough not to interfere with the rest of the collection. But then, I often also wear my outdoor shoes in the house. Most days I go in and out of the house a lot; it would be a nuisance to change them all the time. > [@EllisDee](#): > > I’ll respond to texts like a civilized person, but as a general rule I do not answer a voice call. What am I, a caveman? Sigh. What on earth is more civilized about a text than about a phone call or for that matter an email? The phone that will survive a day with me is very hard to text on, and difficult to read anything more than a few words long on. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/56 "2024-03-26T15:42:45Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Sigh. That was intended in a light-hearted joke-y manner. The tone may not have translated. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/57 "2024-03-26T15:43:17Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Same here. “Hey, isn’t he that guy from such and such a show?” I’m fine with looking it up after the show. Different preferences, but I prefer not to use my phone/computer while watching TV. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/58 "2024-03-26T15:43:27Z")
No…unless on rare instances where there’s a call I’m expecting that I just abso-tively poso-lutely hafta’ hafta’ take. Often enough in those instances, the call will come while I’m showering, and so it rest right outside the shower door. ---
**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 26, 2024, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/59 "2024-03-26T15:46:39Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > That was intended in a light-hearted joke-y manner. The tone may not have translated. Ah. You’re right, I didn’t realize it was meant to be a joke. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390/60 "2024-03-26T16:07:01Z")
I have my phone on me _always_. My gf works from home with her office door closed, so I cannot interrupt her to tell her I’m taking Kizzy and Simi walking in the woods. Instead, if she takes a break from work I’ll get a “where you at?” text and I reply. I also use my phone for pictures, measuring things, communicating via text with friends, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-carry-your-cell-phone-with-you-at-home/999390.md?page=4)