I made my Android phone super easy, and you can too

In a world of endless information and constant distraction, there is something pure about smartphones that is, well, not smart. This is what the Light Phone 3 promises when it arrives at the beginning of next year: a device that can provide the main function of the phone without the consequences of being connected all the time. But with a starting price of $400 — and a projected MSRP that could double that — it’s an expensive proposition, especially if you’re just looking for a break from social media.

Fortunately, you don’t need a piece of hardware dedicated to your online life; the Android phone you currently have will do just fine. I’m not talking about setting app restrictions or turning off notifications, either – I’m recommending a complete overhaul of your smartphone from top to bottom. With a little patience, you can have your Proto-Light Phone experience in less than half an hour, and keep the chance to restore your cell phone to, well, full. wise. This is how I did it.

Start by simplifying your smartphone

Think of it as a digital detox

Before we dive in, you’ll need a few things to streamline the process. Uninstalling an app from the Play Store is important – we’re going to uninstall a lot of apps from your phone, and you don’t want to do this manually.

You’ll also need a smaller launcher of some sort, and the choice is up to you. OLauncher is a great choice without tons of options, and it has no ads. If you are looking for a dive, this is the one I would recommend.

If you have multiple Android phones lying around your house, consider doing this for the device that best suits your needs. I’m using the Pixel 8 Pro, but if you have a smaller, lighter phone — or something a few generations old — that you’d like to use as a backup, hold on tight. You can move your SIM card back and forth as you see fit.

And hey, if you really want to replicate what Light is doing with a different phone, consider getting a matte case for your phone. These tend to be a little imperfect, but they can support all nails.

Uninstall almost all of your apps

Seriously, all of them

If you are serious about cutting out the digital noise in your life, the first thing you should do is start removing apps from your phone. This sounds simple, but you have to be ruthless here – think of Marie Kondo-disposal units. How you go about this area depends on what you can remove (you may have work-specific apps like Teams or Slack that won’t go, for example), but I recommend you try to leave as much of this as possible.

To do this, you’ll want to use an uninstaller from the Play Store – otherwise, uninstalling most apps will take a long time. And no, the phenomenon of downloading tons of apps to simplify your life is not lost on me.

To keep things simple, here’s what I kept on my Pixel 8 Pro:

• Basic tools, including Phone, Contacts, Camera, Clock, Calendar, and Calculator
• A note-taking app, like Google Keep
• A navigation app, like Google Maps
• Google Wallet for mobile payments
• Pocket Casts for podcasts
• Spotify for music streaming
• Various messaging applications, such as Telegram
• Uber
• Venmo
• A password manager is a validator
• Google Personal Safety program
• Google Photos, automatic storage

This is more than what Phone Light and its partners ship with, and it’s my personal preference – you won’t find a browser here.

You can cut more or less depending on how often you will be using the device. For me, I want a cell phone that can be used at night, but if you don’t want apps like Uber or Venmo, skip it. The same goes for privacy managers and verifiers; It’s a useful tool that I’d love to have on hand at all times. I certainly won’t be doomscrolling in my secret list, after all.

Once you’ve finished uninstalling, don’t forget to check your brand apps. I disabled Google, for example, which doesn’t seem to have caused any problems on my end, although your mileage may vary. At the very least, consider turning off your Assistant’s hands-free activation — the last thing you want on a digital detox is inappropriate chatter.

Customize – or completely block – your remaining notifications

Get rid of those distractions for good

It’s worth taking a few minutes to go into your notifications to update the rest of your phone. Sort by recent to see what’s been up to you recently, and cancel anything you think you don’t need. If you don’t have an information profile to turn it on, consider turning it on. It will help you to detect fraudulent notifications as you continue to use your phone.

This may take some time to repair over the next few days if you find active programs running through your network. When an unwanted notification appears on your phone, make sure you go into your settings to change or disable the app’s options.

Change your phone’s appearance to gray

Android options have made this possible

The Light Phone’s best selling point may be cutting distractions, but the first thing anyone notices is its gray display. For its first two devices, Light used E Ink screens to achieve this; on the upcoming Light Phone 3, it’s a black and white OLED screen. Thanks to Android’s accessible design methods, you can take the most interesting part of the design of the Light Phone and build it into your device, without any hard work.

On the Pixel, you’ll find this under Color and motion in Accessibility. Turn on color correction, and then turn on grayscale mode from the options menu.

Android does not take pictures in grayscale, but I assure you, it works.

Other Android phones – such as Samsung Galaxy phones, for example – follow the same path, with grayed-out options available under menus such as Vision extensions within Accessibility. If you can’t find it on your phone, try searching for “grayscale” in the settings.

Also remember to enable dark mode. Combined with the dark images that you can get from apps like Backdrops (I know, more apps), it brings all the beauty in line with what Light tools have to offer.

If you don’t want to keep your device in grayscale all the time – to take better photos, for example – I’d recommend using Sleep Time if you’re on a Pixel. As part of Digital Wellbeing, Sleep Time lets you set a timer to jump between black and white colors. It also includes a number of built-in sleep options, including anti-aliasing and punch tracking, but none of them need to be enabled to use its grayscale filter.

Finish everything with a new starter

Cut to the chase – you’re here for the software and that’s it

You have several options here. The first one, as I linked at the beginning of this article, is OLauncher. Its options are limited, but it works well as a Foni-esque Launcher, with a list of eight apps on your home page and a main icon. It is free for all trades and technically free with in-app purchases, although if you want to customize your experience, you should turn to premium standalone launchers. At $12 a year, it’s a small price to pay.

I recommend changing a few settings, though. Make sure the keyboard pop-up in your app drawer is turned off – with a few apps, it’s not necessary. I also recommend hiding apps you don’t want to use often, like the Play Store. It will prevent you from re-downloading the most trying internet sites. And, finally, change your hands. Swiping left or right on the home screen is a great way to jump into your two most used apps.

Alternatively, Niagara Launcher – an app well known by Android Police – works as a great way to bring a little more functionality to your smartphone experience. In addition to similar home events, Niagara also supports weather and calendar widgets for your home page. For me, this is a nice addition, which gives me the important information I want to see from a mobile phone without distracting everything. It’s also a little fun for me, even if your distance is different in front.

A dumbphone that can be smart at any time

The best collaboration in the world

Speaking as a gadget enthusiast, it’s hard to change anything that makes the Light products — and, in particular, the upcoming Light Phone 3 — so cool. Its unique design and controls cannot be replicated on your native Android device. I mean, Light Phone 3 has a scroll wheel that is designed to control your light. In a world full of boring cell phones and expensive flip phones, I think it’s great!

But these devices also cost hundreds of dollars, while they are unlikely to replace the smartphone you already own. So, whether you’re looking to try out some of the convenience without breaking your credit card, or you’re looking for an alternative to buying a dedicated device, this is an experiment worth checking out. And if you find yourself missing your old library of apps and games, everything you’ve removed is just a few downloads away.