The Curious Case of the Handcuffed User
This Week in SLEKE: Issue #6
Happy Friday All,
One of the biggest hurdles Users face in moving on from their iPhone (or standard Android) is the sense that they are handcuffed to it out of necessity. Switching to a “dumbphone” is all well and good in theory, but there are just certain things you need on your iPhone. It’s a genuine dilemma, as there really are some things that are non-negotiable for the average person. Yes, some can make the switch to a full dumbphone and are willing to introduce friction into their life, and that is not a bad thing. But what SLEKE is doing is responding to the reasons why people want to ditch their iPhone by designing something with intention within the smartphone ecosystem. That way, the average User can keep the functionality that is in many ways a requirement for their day-to-day life while eliminating the things that make smartphones so self-evidently maddening in their theft of our time and attention.
For so many, the idea of switching to a dumbphone is a non-starter. The desire might be there, but practicality makes it impossible. From a professional standpoint, whether we like it or not, people need access to certain apps; Email on the go, Slack, WhatsApp, 2FA, Doc access, Calendar & Scheduling, just to name a few. Many people living in busy cities need Uber and Lyft. Getting into almost any venue for a concert or event requires a smartphone. And many venues have a dynamic barcode now, so a screenshot or a paper copy of a QR code won’t cut it. You need access to the mobile app or mobile wallet. Certain medical providers have moved entirely to an app-based service for appointment scheduling and prescription management. And increasingly, having a smartphone for travel feels necessary. Ryanair, one of Europe’s largest airlines, just recently announced they are moving to a digital-only boarding pass system. Apparently, there will be no exceptions made for paper passes.1
It all can start to feel like a bit of a mouse trap. Usually all in the name of convenience and streamlining. The sense that a User feels handcuffed is very real. The hassle for the average person to navigate modern infrastructure without a smartphone is just that, too much of a hassle. Here’s the real trap: while you genuinely need your iPhone for essential functions, you’re forced to accept everything else that comes with it. The relentless advertising, addictive social media algorithms, and attention-stealing notifications, all designed to exploit your time and data. The rub is that you can’t access what’s necessary without being subjected to what’s exploitative. That’s what makes it feel like even more of a trap.
So, what can we do? Is it really that much of a problem?
Indeed, it is. Anecdotally, almost everyone knows that our smartphones are a problem. So many of us feel that urge to “find balance” in our lives. This shows in survey data as well. In a May 2024 survey from Deloitte Germany, 84% of 18–24-year-olds say they use their phones “too much,” and 56% of respondents (in that German sample) reported negative consequences from overuse (sleep issues, distraction). The data also showed that 96% of respondents own a smartphone. That’s how ubiquitous this tool is. 67% of respondents in another Deloitte survey say they wish they spent less time on their devices. Most alarming are the statistics for Gen Z. About 50% of teens feel they are addicted to mobile phone use, over 2/3rds of Gen Z respondents believe their social life would improve with less phone time, and 72% think their mental health would improve if phone apps were less addictive.2
The yearning for something different is there. It’s almost as if young people (and adults!) are crying for help. But Apple and Google are simply not responding to the call. More time on apps is more profitable for everyone. That’s the cold hard truth. There is no incentive to prioritize the User experience or the well being of the User.
That’s where we come in. At SLEKE, that is what we are trying to accomplish. That is our mission. We are trying to design an intentional OS interface that helps you navigate through a world that is increasingly app based while eliminating the exploitative elements. The SLEKE phone is a direct response to the yearning for a device that respects you and your time.
If you are someone constantly seeking an alternative to your iPhone while retaining most of its functionality, that is where we fit in. And we know people are searching. The r/dumbphones subreddit has 174,000 weekly visitors. Posts abound of people looking for something new and lamenting how what they want doesn’t seem to exist. For people who have indeed ditched their iPhone, you will a ton of EDC posts. These are fun, but prove how inconvenient it can be to try to navigate everyday life without a smartphone.
We can’t talk about the handcuffed User without mentioning the greatest handcuff of all: iMessage.
This is probably the biggest hurdle for so many in switching phones, especially for young people. There is a stigma around the green bubble in chats. It’s quite an odd phenomenon. Sometimes you can’t tell if people are making a joke about it or are actually bothered by the green bubble… But it’s more than a social stigma as well. The iPhone is the standard. For Android users interacting with Apple users, you get stripped down SMS/MMS, blurry photos, low quality media/video, and broken group chats. At SLEKE, we are trying to solve this from multiple angles. One such option is Beeper. It’s not perfect, but group chat functionality is better than the default and hopefully will continue to improve. We are also in early testing for an openbubbles integration! Stay tuned on that, as this would give people full iMessage functionality.
But the social alienation is real with the lack of iMessage. Just check out this article on All About Cookies. Here are some of their key findings:3
The exclusion is real: Roughly a quarter (24%) of Android users have been left out of group chats because of their smartphone choices and over half (52%) report being teased or made fun of by iPhone users.
More than 1 in 5 iPhone users (22%) say they think less of someone when they see a green bubble pop up in a text conversation and nearly 1 in 4 (23%) say it’s a dating dealbreaker.
As a result, about a third (30%) of Android users have considered switching to an iPhone because of the sheer pressure and mockery.”
Those are pretty staggering statistics. Imagine being a young person and being left out of a group text because you don’t have an iPhone. In your impressionable years, that’s an incredibly impactful form of rejection and tension. Sometimes surveys are hard to take seriously, as in the case that 1 in 4 people said a green bubble would be a dating dealbreaker. Yikes…
And lest you think this isn’t subtly encouraged and reinforced by Apple, we know that iMessage is a major leverage tool that they will happily use to trap consumers in the Apple ecosystem. Look no further than these quotes directly from Apple execs.45
Craig Federighi (SVP, Software Eng.) on Android iMessage: “iMessage on Android would simply serve to remove [an] obstacle to iPhone families giving their kids Android phones.”
Phil Schiller (SVP, Marketing) response on porting iMessage: “Moving iMessage to Android will hurt us more than help us.”
Eddy Cue (SVP, Services) on feasibility: “We could have made a version [of iMessage] on Android that worked with iOS.”
Our hope is that, as Users, people are as frustrated by this as we are. These are companies that prioritize profit over User well-being. The beauty of functional markets is that we are supposed to have alternatives. When faced with lock-in tactics, we should have the option to choose differently. Instead of being beholden to a company that uses these practices, we should seek out something new. Something different. Something that puts the User first and actually adheres to a set of ethics and values.
Thanks for reading and as always,
Do Cool Stuff.
~SLEKE.
What We’re Reading and Watching
This is a fantastic essay by
. While AI execs continue to make grandiose predictions about the replacement of jobs by AI, what does that really mean for us? Thompson argues that the real crisis is that we’re de-skilling ourselves. We’re outsourcing writing, reading, and even thinking to machines. As literacy and deep focus decline, we risk losing the very cognitive “serum” that makes us human. The piece is a call to resist passive consumption and reclaim deep thinking as our true edge in the age of AI. We truly believe choosing a device like SLEKE is a form of resistance.
Check out this video from our friend Jake at Returning Retro! If you are on the fence or have questions about what it’s like to have the SLEKE phone, this is the best video to watch. Jake is doing awesome things with his YouTube channel and is a big part of the intentional tech movement.
This video is both comical and dark in its implications. But it’s true! There are smartphone alternative options specifically geared to kids that are starting to pop up and we hope SLEKE can also be an option here. We specifically developed our OS for privacy and also to prevent the exploitative elements of the standard smartphone ecosystem.
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/travel/2025/09/24/whats-happening-with-ryanairs-digital-only-boarding-passes/
https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/technology-management/survey-users-admit-to-smartphone-overuse-implement-digital-detox.html
https://www.deloitte.com/ie/en/about/press-room/consumer-trends-smartphone-usage.html
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/new-report-finds-teens-feel-addicted-to-their-phones-causing-tension-at-home
https://www.harmonyhit.com/phone-screen-time-statistics/
https://allaboutcookies.org/apple-vs-android
https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/9/22375128/apple-imessage-android-ecosystem-lock-in-epic-games-filings-app-store-dispute?
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/27/epic-eddy-cue-forstall-depositions/