What’s on your phone, Alberto?

Editor's note: Every week, I publish the phone's home screen from a blog reader. Want to participate? Fill out this form. Want more? Check out the archive. All app links go to the App Store, Play Store, or F-Droid.

What is your name and what do you do?

Alberto Barbosa.

Many people see my phone and lifestyle as an aversion to technology, so it's worth mentioning that I'm a programmer. I like to play games, watch movies, and read. And for all these hobbies, I love learning about their history. Playing old games, watching old movies, and reading in depth about the history of strangely specific things, even if that knowledge is of no use to me.

Editor's note: The interview was conducted in July 2025.

What phone and operating system do you use?

In the middle of last year [2024], I traded in my modern phone for the Cat S22, a slightly smart dumb phone. It has the Android GO; limited, but functional. It also has a physical keyboard and a very poor touchscreen — to be expected, considering the size of the screen. On the outside, it's a traditional flip phone. At the time, I bought it for BRL 400 (~USD 75).

The change was motivated by wanting to spend more time on my hobbies. I didn't want to pause a game to check something on my phone. Yes, there were less radical options, such as deleting apps or putting the device in another room, but the idea of not having the option at all appeals to me much more.

And even outside the house, whether in an Uber (although I use 99), it's nice to be able to see the view and enjoy those moments when I have nothing to entertain my mind but itself.

It's with it that I survive, get out of trouble, and get by. At home, stored in a drawer in the office, there's an old smartphone. It has apps for banking, internet provider, electricity, and other utilities. I pick it up about three times a month to make sure everything is okay with my financial life. Otherwise, I pay for everything with a card or cash (yes, that happens).

Tell us a little about your wallpaper.

I don't have one. Unfortunately, most websites provide wallpapers for conventional screens. So, I took advantage of the minimalist vibe and simply gave up on them all.

Why is your home screen the way it is?

The icons are all from a package of pixelated items. By default, the app name appears at the bottom, but I chose to remove it to make it cleaner. Some I simply kept the suggested icon when I made the change (such as the phone, clock, and Pocket Casts). Others I selected without much criteria (there's no reason why the duck represents 99, even the yellow color was by chance).

The apps, starting from the first row, from left to right:

• 99. I tried Uber, but even in the lite version, it simply closed every time I tried to start it. 99 works well, it's light and agile.
• Google Maps. It works. Very poorly. Unfortunately, pinch-to-zoom is very difficult on this phone screen, even being a touch-sensitive one. Because it's a weak phone, there's a significant delay that just makes everything difficult. It's here to be used in case of emergencies. It's functional when I need to go to a specific place. It's definitely not useful for finding a restaurant or a gas station, for example.
• BH Bus. Before this phone, I used the app to take the bus. All I had to do was generate a QR Code, point it at the camera on the bus, and get on. Obviously, this doesn't work so well on a 640×480 screen, so I went back to using a prepaid card. Honestly, it's even easier to just use the card. In any case, the app has a very clean layout, it's very easy to navigate to check the schedules for a given stop and know when to leave.
• Clock. Besides the alarm clock, I use the timer function. The only one I have saved is 16min16s, the equivalent of a perfect nap. I recommend it.
• Spotify. I was happier when Spotify Lite existed. Even so, the standard version is light enough not to be problematic. However, the interface is too confusing to navigate with a physical keyboard. Because I always have to resort to touching the screen, I rarely use it. If any app had to go, this would be the first choice.
• WhatsApp. Yes, WhatsApp is the newspaper. There's no reason for that. In my personal life, when I need to chat, I use the browser version on my PC. Why keep it on my phone? Because sometimes I need to find people. Most of the time, I do as people did in the old days: I schedule a time to meet up with friends, leave the house, and hope they're there (or on their way). Sometimes they're going to be late, sometimes they need to let me know they're at point X. And they always send these messages via WhatsApp. I'm not going to ask them to change and send them by SMS just for me. I can read them. Replying is a pain, since I have to use the physical numeric keypad. In the end, it serves almost like a souped-up pager. I read the messages, but I don't have the option to reply. Honestly, I really like this arrangement.
• Pocket Casts. The reason I don't use Spotify. Surprisingly, it has the best structure for navigation with a physical keyboard. Although I don't use it much, I can do everything without touching the screen, and having a long queue of podcasts ready (sometimes on the computer) helps a lot.
• Phone. Phone.
• Search bar. It's only there because I couldn't delete it.

Which apps do you use the most?

I always take a 16min16s nap, so the clock is probably the app I use the most.

What is the most obscure/strange/surprising app you use that you would like more people to know about?

BH Bus. Use public transportation.

Finally, any message?

I would like to conclude with what this phone is not.

It is not a manifesto against technology. I work with programming, I like to play games, and many conveniences in my life come from innovations that are not always positive (I buy books almost monthly on Amazon). Having an old phone has to do with enjoying my hobbies, not with rejecting innovation.

Nor is it something I want to encourage or declare as the superior way of living with modernity. My reality (young, single, no children) allows me to do so. A person with children, for example, would find it difficult to adhere to this. Similarly, it would be complicated for anyone who works with social media at any level.

My adherence to this lifestyle was the result of a personal desire that I do not want to project onto anyone else, and I do not think it makes my routine better or worse than others. It was simply the way I found to improve my reality.