In May of 2020 after the "just two weeks" had already passed and it was becoming clear that Covid Mania was here to stay, I decided to cancel my phone service, cut my SIM card into pieces, and install GrapheneOS on my primary phone.
Sound extreme? Let me explain.
Unreasonable Search (early-2020)
A few months before ditching the SIM, back when we were still commuting to the the office, I recall one of my co-workers was absent one Monday morning. They explained to management that they had received a call on Sunday from the CDC (or some other alphabet agency). The agent explained that they had been to a restaurant on Friday where someone tested positive for COVID and they were asked to self-quarantine for 2-weeks.
If I recall correctly, this happened BEFORE contact tracing was rolled out to all the phones. In an unprecedented move, Apple and Google implemented a protocol standard that works on both iPhone and Android. The feature was called "Contact Tracing" and it would make your phone snitch on you and others using phones bluetooth and WiFi and sending that data to... who knows? At the time, GrapheneOS was being recommended by privacy-aware bitcoiners who also were worried about Contact Tracing.
With my co-worker's experience in mind. I imagined things might get way worse. What if lockdowns are enforced and breaking curfew was a punishable crime?
My favorite boba tea shop just told me I need to wear a mask to order a tea to-go. That was the final straw. The world was already going insane and the insanity was on my doorstep. So the decision to flash Graphene was a no-brainer. I needed to opt out as much as possible to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of this insanity.
Using Graphene (2020-2021)
Graphene felt like an objective downgrade in user experience at the time. I missed all my favorite features, like using voice to navigate Google Maps. Or backing up everything to Google Photos. But I wasn't taking many photos or driving a whole lot back then.
As the covid mania began to relax somewhat in 2021-2022, I had already gotten used to the new lifestyle. I got really good at learning which fast food chains, or franchise stores have FREE WiFi. When I am out of the house, I am dependent on these WiFi oasis for communications.
SIM-less
The SIM card is the primary method used to track and trace your whereabouts. Law enforcement and various agencies have easy access to this data in the USA because they have backdoors to every cellular provider's network. By removing the SIM, I was opting out of this means of track and trace. I wasn't doing anything illegal. I simply did not want to participate in any "Emergency Response and Public Safety" measures.
Other benefits of going SIM-less:
- No geo-fencing or location-based marketing targeted to me (I have also worked really hard for years to completely eliminate all advertising from my life, but thats a post for another day)
- No emergency Amber Alert or Flash Flood warnings (I think you can turn this off manually even if you still have a SIM)
- No spam callers to interrupt me
- No random calls from friends/family to interrupt me (they now know that I respond to text only. If you want to chat with me, schedule a call)
- I never have to worry about SIM swap attacks
- I have saved millions of sats by not having a phone bill
A second "Normie Phone" (2022)
At about this point I decided that I really do NEED some features that Graphene simply won't let me do (for good reason). I bought a second phone and kept the stock spyware installed. However, this "normie phone" is more like a crutch than an everyday-carry device. It lets me do mobile banking (my bank apps require Google Services) so I can upload photos of checks to deposit them.
The normie phone also let's me order food using the apps so I don't have to explain my highly customized order everytime. Also, I find that when you order custom menu items using the apps, they're more likely to NOT screw up your order. The food apps also let you stack rewards/loyalty points, etc. Many of these apps also require Google Services.
I almost never travel with the normie phone. It spends most of the time on my desk, connected to WiFi.
GPS-less
Many people think you need a SIM to use GPS. This is false, GPS works even without a SIM card. And GPS can be used to track you too!
I was using GPS on my graphene phone, but now that I have a normie phone, GPS is disabled on Graphene. Sure, its probably still trackable by Law Enforcement, but GPS is at least a little bit more difficult for advertisers and other public-safety agencies to use to track you.
Since my normie phone has GPS, I just use it when I need to. Although, I would also recommend getting a dedicated GPS for your car. I don't need GPS that much (I've gotten better at reading highway signs and navigation without assistance in general)
Self-hosting your Data
Since my graphene phone is my everyday carry, it's also my primary camera. If I want to backup my photos, I need to implement a backup service. I use Immich on Umbrel. It feels a lot like Google Photos and completely self-hosted on my server.
Using graphene means you can't use a lot of cloud services. So this nudged me to self-host my data even more.
Never Going Back (2023)
By this point, Covid mania has subsided, and the authoritarian response didn't get as bad as I had imagined when I decided to install Graphene. But I'm still rocking a SIM-less graphene. Our right to privacy (and unreasonable search) is still under attack and opting out as much as possible is a lifestyle choice I continue to make everyday.
Life After SIM (2024-now)
Going SIM-less still feels like a sacrifice -- especially when out of the house. I can't call for emergencies. I can't even send a low-bandwidth chat message unless I'm connected to some public WiFi.
Many public WiFi options now require accounts and password authentication, increasing the friction to get connected while out-and-about.
I'm also highly dependent on friend's hotspot, or even strangers if I'm desperate enough. Would you let a stranger borrow your phone to make a call?
This sucks. And most people are happy paying $20-120/mo for the privilege of using a SIM, even if they are being tracked and constantly interrupted by calls and occasionally SIM-swapped. So there isn't much economic pressure to change the status quo.
I'm hopeful for distributed mesh technology (like LoRa). And I'm hopeful that more people will opt out of SIMs for privacy/security reasons so the market for SIM-less mobile communications can grow large enough to sustain a viable alternative to SIMs.
I'm hopeful for distributed mesh technology (like LoRa).