Some Habits Never Really Leave You
If your first phone was a brick or flip phone, chances are, you still have that temptation to smack your phone shut every time you end a stressful call. Or maybe texting with a full keyboard still feels odd to you, your thumbs too used to the old T9 configuration. Sure, smartphones now may be plenty intelligent and equipped with practically any app or feature you can imagine, but sometimes, you still miss the good old days.
Fotografia Lui Vlad on Unsplash
1. You Still Want to Physically End the Call
Smartphones are delicate things, made with premium materials and, oftentimes, glass all around. You can't be rough with them. But those who grew up in the era of older cell phones, you likely still wish you could hang up the old way. Snapping your phone shut definitely feels more cathartic than stabbing a little red icon.
2. You Type with Both Thumbs
Years of hammering away at tiny number pads meant you were able to text with both thumbs at pretty impressive speeds. Of course, full QWERTY keyboards should give you more control—and they do—but nothing beats those physical buttons.
Karolina Grabowska www.kaboompics.com on Pexels
3. You Memorize Phone Numbers
Sure, you could always just ask for a number once and save it permanently in your contacts list, but flip-phone veterans often know several numbers from memory, whether it's your best friend or your favorite pizza shop. In fact, you may still remember your childhood home phone number even though you haven't dialed it in ages.
4. You Keep Your Phone on Silent
Old ringtones might be nostalgic to hear back, but during the eras we had them, they could be pretty loud and jarring. That's why many former flip-phone users have stuck to the habit of setting their device to vibrate or silent mode: just a small buzz is enough of an alert for you.
Watford London Media on Pexels
5. You Treat Battery Percentage Like a Precious Resource
Older phones could sometimes go several days between charges, but the modern smartphone could lose all its juice within hours. Given that, people raised on those older devices often are more hyperaware of their battery percentage and plug it in as soon as it dips too low. You might also react in the opposite way by assuming your phone will last you until next week.
6. You Prefer Calling When Something Gets Complicated
Younger generations who were raised on smartphones likely prefer texting. Older folks, though, would likely rather call. Considering typing on a T9 keyboard was sometimes pretty tedious, especially for longer stories, jumping on a voice call was the easier choice.
7. You Still Think Short Texts Are Perfectly Acceptable
Another habit T9-texters picked up from the bygone era is sending out short messages. After all, texting used to be so effortful! You see no problem typing one-word or one-letter replies such as "K," "Yep," or "G2G," even if younger texters nowadays would think it's rude.
8. You Occasionally Miss Physical Buttons
For all the gripe that T9 keyboards gave you, you still kind of prefer them over touchscreens, which can be too sleek and slippery. Plus, the old configuration your fingers have memorized, but QWERTY keyboards? Not so much.
9. You Keep Old Contacts Forever
Not only can you remember a few contacts off the top of your head, but your contact list may contain people you haven't spoken to since decades ago. Deleting them can feel weird, so you've kept them around like a tiny phone book. Smartphone syncing has only made it easier for these ancient contacts to survive indefinitely.
10. You Still Say “Hang Up”
Of course, nobody physically hangs up a phone anymore, but you grew up in a time when that was a thing, and now the expression remains firmly embedded in your vocabulary. You might even voice it out loud to the person you're on the line with ("I'm hanging up" instead of "bye"), just to give them a heads up.
11. You Instinctively Lock the Screen Immediately
As soon as you snapped your flip phone shut, you knew it was essentially locked. But since smartphones nowadays have an "Always-On" feature, you might constantly check the illuminated screen, wondering what triggered the wake-up. It likely took you a while to finally get used to not checking the screen.
12. You Still Say “Pocket Dial”
Pocket dialing was famous back when those T9 buttons could be physically pressed without knowing, but locking a modern smartphone makes this accident far less common. Still, plenty of flip-phone veterans still use the phrase whenever they receive an accidental call.
13. You Don't Assume Every Text Needs an Immediate Reply
Because technology wasn't so advanced yet back then, you didn't automatically assume you'd get quick replies. Plus, texting was still a niche thing back then, and some carriers had limits. If you still view texting as something you can comfortably wait an hour or two (or longer) for, it's likely that those early phone years have shaped your attitude.
14. You Sometimes Use Speakerphone Instead of Earbuds
Before wireless earbuds were everywhere, speakerphone was one of the easiest ways to talk without constantly holding your phone against your ear. It's not surprising, then, that many older cellphone users still prefer broadcasting their entire conversation out to the world rather than keeping things private.
15. You Expect Phones to Survive Being Dropped
Older bricks and flip phones were incredibly sturdy, which meant they survived multiple bumps and scratches without damaging their functionality at all. But today's large glass-covered devices wouldn't stand a chance! It's probably precisely because of that older era that you're more prone to dropping your phone now.
16. You Keep the Default Ringtone
Back then, ringtones were exciting—in fact, choosing a unique one was essential to personalizing your device! Now, though, you're past that phase. Modern ringtones don't sound nearly as interesting anymore, so you just leave yours set to whatever is the default.
17. You Still Occasionally Say “Cell Phone”
"Phone" is usually enough these days because almost everyone assumes you mean a portable device—it's far less likely they mean a landline. But those who grew up in the era where you had to specify you were calling from a "cell phone" likely still do it now, even if it's redundant.
18. You Feel Weird Without a Backup Charging Option
Back when phones had removable batteries, all you had to do was pop open the back shell and replace it. But modern devices are significantly more difficult to repair, and not to mention far more costly, too. It's another thing that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth if you lived through that older era.
19. You Occasionally Clear Out Messages to Save Space
Old phones offered laughably small amounts of storage, nowhere near the options you have now (128GB? 1TB??). If you're still not used to having more space on your spanking new smartphone, you likely still regularly delete texts and photos to ensure everything is periodically cleaned out, even if there's technically no need to.
Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
20. You Can Still Explain T9 Texting
Mention T9 to anyone who's only ever held a smartphone, and they'll probably give you a weird look. But those who grew up with older phones will instantly know what you're talking about. Better yet, if you were handed an older device, you likely can still type just as fast on it.
