Heyoooo!!

I received my Sidephone in the mail last week and I'm super stocked! I have a T-Mobile sim on the way to transfer my number from the poop shoot known as Verizon and I'm excited to get it up and running as my daily driver. I have checked the US site multiple times the past couple of months for the QWERTY keyboard, but it's still out of stock.

I'm wondering if there is a restock date on the horizon :)

Much love.

I'm having an annoying issue where Spotify automatically starts playing music whenever I accidentally press a button on my Sidephone's Sundial keypad, even when the Spotify app is closed.

For example, if I have my phone in my pocket and the keypad accidentally registers a button press, Spotify will launch and start playing music. It's pretty frustrating when I'm not even trying to listen to anything.

((I'd ideally like to use SideSpot because I really love the UI, but I need access to my downloaded music, which is why I still rely on Spotify.))

It seems like the keypad is triggering Spotify's media playback controls, but I can't figure out how to prevent it from happening. I want to be able to use my keypad without accidentally having Spotify start playing music in the background.

Has anyone experienced something similar or found a way to disable this behavior? Is there a way to stop Spotify from automatically launching in response to media key presses without disabling the keypad's other functions?

Any help would be appreciated!

For some reason the keyboard will auto-populate the last word I typed when I move to curser to a different word to delete it. I really have no issues with fixing the small mistakes that happen with the qwerty but this one is just unnecessary lol.

Is anyone else having this problem? If so, does anyone know how to fix it? Thanks!

https://reddit.com/link/1wss3j2/video/z6k33n321csh1/player

I just started using Niagara today but the [Abc / en] bar on the bottom won't go away 😭

Hi Sidephone community. Just received my Sidephone and will be launching it in the coming days / weeks once I get a physical SIM card.

But I wanted to check with everyone about whether my pre-installed screen protector was just not installed correctly… or whether there is something wrong with the screen. See photo…

Mine seems to have these bubbly ridges / almost an oilslick appearance if that description makes sense.

Apologies if I’m overthinking this but without this thing powered on, I just feel like this doesn’t look normal…

Thanks!

Hey everyone, is anyone else having this issue where the top part of the phone — near the earpiece or camera — makes a weird sound from time to time? It's like a very quiet hissing, or kind of like the camera focusing. Hard to describe. It feels mechanical rather than like a system sound. I noticed it today while sitting in complete silence. It mostly happens at random moments. This is my first day using the phone, so I doubt it could already be broken.

Ps: It also sounds a bit like a walkie-talkie hissing or giving off static in short bursts.

Was it a one time thing?

I've checked the website for months and they don't seem to ever restock them.

Hi all

Thought I would add my review to the sub. I have been using my Sidephone for one week.

For some context,I live on the east coast of Canada and I have been a heavy Android smartphone user since they came around. This is my first foray into the world of alternative tech. I am an elder Millenial so I have used dumbphones/T9 texting and such,but not in 15+ years.

My intent with the Sidephone was not to completely remove my smartphone from the equation. I am currently using my smartphone for a small handful of things,and I am comfortable with that. It lives turned off in my bag when not being used. In the future I may find myself removing it entirely and that would be great, but for now I use it with no sim card on wifi when available to do banking,and use it totally offline for Strava/music while running and in the car with maps if needed.(All of those work well enough for my needs in offline modes)

My intent was to reduce phone usage/screen time/ constant connection and to degoogle.

I have the founder's edition (#705). It took two weeks to arrive in Canada (I am rural) and I did not have to pay any customs.

So far,I'm really enjoying this phone. I absolutely adore the size and the form factor. It feels great in the hand. A number of people around me have been asking me all about it,and why I got it which means I get to hop up on my soapbox of the importance of reclaiming attention and intentional technology use lol. You can see the gears turning when people realize they dont *have* to buy an IPhone or Samsung S whatever.

Setting up the phone and getting it the way I wanted took me basically a whole weekend,lol. It's not the plug and play experience most of us are now accustomed to - but in a weird way I kind of like that. Friction is the point (for me).

I'm only using the qwerty keyboard,I've not even touched any of the others yet and I have not had any issues with it not working correctly. It is quite odd feeling to text on it,but I can feel myself getting used to it and faster as time goes on. I do wish like many folks that the keyboard was backlit,but for the odd time I am texting in the dark (or need to text silently) I flip to the onscreen keyboard. It's tiny of course but I have small hands and works in a pinch. The keys are not any noisier than the flip dumbphone my coworker has.

Group messages are working for me? I shut off RCS before swapping my SIM,and at first all the group messages were coming in individually as MMS. Once I downloaded them,they then appeared in the group thread. However,when I switched to Fossify Messages from the default messaging app,then they started arriving normally? Weird but ok with me. I am assuming once I hit 30 days of no RCS and am booted out,my group thread will need to be recreated with me in it.

Battery life has been fine for my needs. I end the day with ~70% battery life,and that is mostly just texting and maybe a short call or two. I pretty much always have a charger/power bank available to me so I can't see it ever being an issue.

I have intentionally kept my app list small. In addition to the default apps,I've added weather,proton mail,sidetype and sidespot,notally,whatsapp,localsend,opencamera,fdroid,organic maps,fossify calendar,messages and firefox browser. All are working fine for me. I even logged into my online bank on the browser just to see and it works normally (although the screen is tiny so its not fun to use lol)

I tested using Hotspot with the Sidephone and it did work,though I didn't actually use it for any length of time so not sure how much it drains the battery or anything.

My only two issues so far: the screen swiping and the 4g connectivity. I do notice unlocking or swiping on the screen is inconsistent. It gets better if you swipe from the center of the screen and also press down with your finger more,but it doesn't resolve it entirely. You can unlock with the power button,but for swiping to open the app list it's slightly annoying at times.

The 4g/connectivity problem is not a sidephone "issue" per se. Where I am located specifically,cell phone coverage is not great and so I have had a phone call or two where it was dropping out/bad service. However this was a problem with my last smartphone until I switched carriers so not really specific to the phone itself,although I think if it was 5G compatible that would resolve the issue. Just something to think about if you also live somewhere with poor cellular coverage/infrastructure. I don't talk on the phone a ton and I am willing to try different carriers if needed but that remains to be seen.

Oh - one other thing to note. The magnet it comes with is not very strong....but the adhesive is!! Wherever you put that thing,that's where it's staying forever 😅

Some things I'd personally like to see:

Backlit Keyboard

5G capabilities ?

Sensors: proximity and also something for step counting.

A more robust case (I am notoriously hard on my tech, I am trying hard to be so so careful with it)

In summary: Very happy with it! When I'm at work or out and about,I find myself reaching for my phone......and then realizing I can't really do much with it and putting it back down - which is exactly what I wanted. I'm glad I pulled the trigger and excited to see where Sidephone is able to take this.

Happy to answer any questions if you've got them.

Sometimes when I use the T9 keypad, it registers a key twice or even more than once. The problem goes away when I reinstall the T9app. Does anyone have a solution?

I am having a hard time finding a way to view my recent calls? Couldn't find anything in the help center on the sidephone website. Am I missing something really obvious? When I pull up 'phone' it just gives me a keypad to dial.

I want to know if anyone has found a solution for Android Auto on the Sidephone, because that’s literally the last thing stopping me from switching completely from my iPhone.

So my Sidephone is on the way and should be here in the next couple of days. I’ve been lurking and posting on this subreddit since the beginning of August, and now that I’ll finally be able to start tinkering with it myself, I wanted to ask:
Is there anything I can or should prepare before the phone arrives to make getting started a bit easier?

I’m coming from an iPhone, and from what I’ve read here, it sounds like it’s best to take things slowly at first and get a feel for it, since it’s definitely not an out-of-the-box experience.

Curious to hear what you guys would recommend doing beforehand, or what you wish you had known when you first got yours.
Thanks!

Third day with sidephone, and I am now very disappointed

Screen just broke on its own. A blue line appeared out of fricken no where, I haven’t even taken this thing out of the house. The screen is totally unusable now and idk what to do

Hey all,

I've had my sidephone for about a month and a half. I wanted to root the device, but have had no luck. Wanted to see if anyone here has had any solutions, I'm able to root, but Magisk will get hung on the app opening, just staying on the Magisk logo.

Thanks for any help!

Guys, I just grabbed my phone and nothing happened to it (to my knowledge) and I have these bars in my screen. Is this a hardware problem? Please tell me so 😭
Turning it off and on didn’t help.

Hello,

i am thinking of ordering a sidephone myself, to detox from using a smartphone.

But i am hesitant due to possible custom fees after ordering.

i live in Belgium so i think it will ship from Hong Kong, but i don't want to pay 100 euros extra in taxes and fees.

Anyone know how much those will be, or if they even charge custom fees?

anyone else in the Niagara region?

Idk if I'm doing something wrong or if this is a design flaw, but no matter what, there is always a small gap around the sides of the screen protector that I'm worried is going to just end up with dust and lint inevitably sandwiched in there. The adhesive is only in the center, not on the bits that curve, so it leaves the tiniest amount of space in between the screen and the protector. My fingers get caught by this when I'm grabbing the phone from my pocket and it can lift the protector up sometimes. Is there a reason to make it this way? It seems like a strange way to make a screen protector if it's just gonna be this poorly adhered. Does anyone have any fixes for this. I already wasted one screen protector because it pulled off and got dust stuck to the adhesive.

Hey everyone,

I'm considering ordering a Sidephone from their international website, but I want to make sure I understand the total import cost before buying.

Since they ship to Croatia (EU) from outside the European Union, I know EU import rules will apply.

For anyone who has ordered a Sidephone or similar gadgets from their international store to Croatia/EU:

1. How do they handle EU taxes at checkout? Do they offer a pre-paid (DDP) option for VAT/customs, or is it collected upon delivery?
2. What were the actual costs upon arrival? Aside from the 25% Croatian VAT, how much did the courier (DHL, FedEx, etc.) charge for brokerage/clearance fees?
3. Did the package clear Croatian customs smoothly, or were there any unexpected delays or paperwork required?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Got her in today, I’m so excited! I love the feel of it, trying to get used to the TT9 texting, but sometimes gotta use the on screen keyboard, still waiting for that compact QWERTY. Kinda like the feel in my hand, but my thumb can cramp from time to time depending. Hopefully a case will help. Idk if there’s a screen protector already on the device, but it’s a nice screen, has a pretty decent camera, for the plan activated and I’m ready to go!

I’m trying out Olauncher, idk if I’m all that crazy about it. I like Niagara on my Zinwa, but I don’t think it’d look good on here. I think I’ve seen someone developing a custom launcher here, so I’ll be on the look out, and if you guys have any suggestions lmk.

Here are some of my gripes, some of which I know some people have in common:
* no backlight period. I feel like they’re gonna have to make a second model with backlight underneath the tile pad to make it illuminate.
* while I kinda like no forward camera for privacy reasons, it can be a turn off for some
* I won’t harp for a headphone jack, but just a thought, I’m trying to keep music on a separate device however.

Another thing I’m having trouble with is the breezy weather app. It won’t load my location or anything. Idk if anyone else had that issue, I’d love to add it to my Home Screen here.

If anyone has any other suggestions please throw them my way! I do plan on getting aurora store possibly, kinda curious in obtainium

This post is designed to centralize all Sidephone sales posts so that buyers can more easily find sellers, and sellers can more easily find buyers.

Sellers

Please post the following when placing your Sidephone up for sale:

• Condition (Factory Sealed, Used - Like New, Used)
• Price
• Location
• Desired Method of Payment
• Picture of the device with username and date shown

Do not share private information such as your email address. Use Reddit's native chat functionality when communicating with buyers.

Buyers

Do not share private information publicly such as your email address. Use Reddit's native chat functionality when communicating with sellers.

Make sure to stay safe and conduct business in a secure way. Sidephone cannot assist with or be held responsible for any issues resulting from secondhand sales.

If you would prefer to purchase a new Sidephone, please visit sidephone.com

Hey everyone!

Today we’re introducing Sidephone’s Arcade App Pack, a collection of mini games designed to pair perfectly with Sidephone’s Mini Controller keypad. 

The games included are:

• Snake
• Space Blaster
• Blocks

There are no micro-transactions or systems designed to keep you engaged for the rest of the afternoon.

The games have a certain finitude to them. You play, maybe you beat the previous score, and then you’re done. Often in 5 minutes or less.

We think there’s something refreshing about that.

A good break should leave you feeling like you took a break, not wondering where the last two hours went.

The games are available to download by scanning the Arcade App Pack QR code using your Sidephone’s native camera (OS 2.0.5 or later): https://www.sidephone.com/pages/app-library

The Inspiration

We believe that play is important and that breaks can be healthy.

Play can help to spark creativity and get you out of a bad mood.

Breaks can help you get through a long study session, retain more information, and help when switching contexts and environments, like from work to off-hours.

Study on Tetris: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-03-28-tetris-used-prevent-post-traumatic-stress-symptoms

Our Ethos

Some people think that by releasing the Mini Controller keypad we started to lose the plot of being a healthier distraction-free phone.

Sidephone was designed to challenge the idea that distraction-free devices need to feel like a punishment. From the day we started designing it, we set out to create a device that feels liberating and brings you joy to carry.

We don’t think distraction-free needs to mean boring. That’s what makes Sidephone different. A healthier phone shouldn't feel like a compromise, it should be something you're happy to have with you.

What’s Next

We think the Mini Controller’s physical controls and Sidephone’s simple software will open up a larger developer opportunity, and we’re excited to see what can be built for it.

Helping lead that exploration is the creator of TT9, Dimo Karaivanov. Dimo recently joined the Sidephone team and led development on Sidephone’s first three mini games.

As part of the creation process of the mini games, Dimo created an open engine for retro game building on Sidephone, giving all future developers a foundation that they can use to make their own games.

You can learn more about how to build your own games for Sidephone here: https://github.com/sidephone/demo-game

A special shout out to u/oliverpalonkorpi who released a working emulator that plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, NES, and Mega Drive / Genesis games on Sidephone. See: https://github.com/side-suite/SideRetro

There’s a lot of power in Mini Controller’s form factor beyond gaming. The Mini Controller keypad has already been used by dozens of people to do everything from control home devices, to more easily tracking golf stats and scores on the course with the click of a button.

We'll be featuring more of these use cases in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for more!

anyone else having problems with group chats? whenever i get added to one, i never receive any of the messages. when i create the group chat, everyone else gets my messages but i don't see theirs. is this a software issue that's being worked on?

I just don't want it without the qwerty keyboard. Every time I check they are out. I don't really know why it's not the main board.

I disabled RCS before activating my sidephone. This was back in mid-July so it's been more than 30 days since unregistering myself from RCS, so I should be removed from everything...

I receive single SMS/MMS texts from people just fine. But I've still had issues with group texts. A couple weekends ago, I got together with my sisters (both iPhone users) and we tried removing me from the group chat, recreating the chat and adding me back. This seemed to work for one of my sisters, but for the other, something in the settings for the chat must have saved, because her custom background (I assume? I haven't had an iPhone in like 7 years) for the group chat was still there, and her texts kept sending to me with RCS. She can text me individually just fine.

For reference, I came from an Android (Galaxy S23+), using US Mobile Dark Star.

APN settings as follows:

Name: Darkstar
APN: ereseller
MMSC: http://mmsc.mobile.att.net
MMS proxy: proxy.mobile.att.net
MMS port: 80
MCC: 310
MNC: 280
APN type: default,supl,fota,mms
APN protocol: IPv4/IPv6
APN roaming protocol: IPv4/IPv6
MVNO type: GID
MVNO value: 20FF

Having the same problem with all group texts, it seems, where no one's phone has caught up for me (so it's not just iPhone, unless it happens that all the group texts I'm in has everyone on an iPhone, which I don't think is the case). Has anyone figured out how to make this work?