Backstory

My phone screen got broken when it fell down, rendering it unable to be used at all. When I took it to the service center, the cost of repair was about 20% of my phone price, and it need to be left there for about 2 working days. Luckily for me I have a secondary phone, but it was a 4 year old phone running LineageOS 18. Even then, the past 2 days waiting for my phone to be fixed was riddled with anxiety.

Hassles

Try to imagine if your phone is suddenly broken to the point of it being unusable. What parts of your life would you lose access to? I will list down some potential problems that I encountered while moving to a secondary phone (of course, this also applies when you move to a new phone). The second paragraph of each part is me thinking of what will happen if you don’t use a phone while waiting for your primary phone to be fixed.

Phone Banking

Phone banking This is probably one of the biggest issues with having your main phone broken. Banking apps are very concerned with security, so they may not work with phones running custom ROM such as LineageOS. Not only that, but some banking apps keep track of the phone you are currently using. If you want to move your phone, you will need to call the bank in order to verify your identity. Personally I use banking apps to top up my digital wallets (OVO, GoPay), so if I have no access to the banking app and my digital wallet is running low, I would need to go to an ATM machine.

Banking apps are not a necessity, but it definitely beats having to go to an ATM machine every time you run out of cash.

COVID-19 Tracking App

Covid-19 Tracking I don’t know if this applies to other countries or not, but in Indonesia, there’s this app called PeduliLindungi which keeps track of your vaccination status, test results, and many more. One vital feature of this app is that to enter public spaces, you will need to scan a QR code before being allowed to enter. PeduliLindungi uses your phone number as a user ID, so you can simply log in when changing phones, unlike banking apps.

I’m not sure how you plan on living without using this app in Indonesia, because it is a necessity when entering malls and train stations.

Device Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA If you use your phone number for two-factor authentication, then you can simply move your sim card to another phone. However, if you use an app that relies on the device to generate a code (e.g. Google Authenticator), then you’re kind of screwed (unless you have a backup code). Thankfully, my workplace can reset the 2FA needed to access the network over VPN. I will need to export the code back to my phone once it is repaired. Worse case scenario, I reset it again so that I can use it with my main phone

If you don’t use 2FA at all, good for you, but once your password is comprimised, you might be done for.

Social Media (Instagram, Facebook) & Instant Messanging (Telegram, Whatsapp, LINE)

SocMed This is a minor hassle if you have a secondary phone. Log in to your google account, install all social media and instant messanging apps. However, some apps will erase your chat history upon logging in (looking at you, Whatsapp & LINE). If you don’t have a backup on your google account available, you risk losing all of your old messages.

Social media and instant messanging can be accessed using a PC / laptop, but if you can live without opening all those apps on the go, then this part can be ignored.

Music

I don’t know about you guys, but I prefer listening to music using local mp3 files rather than spotify. A few reaasons why is that I don’t want to consume a lot of mobile data for listening to music. I also don’t have spotify premium, and the free phone app really sucks (limited skips, forced shuffle). The only problem with using local files for listening to music is that you would need to have a backup that can be moved to a new phone. Music is vital for me to not get bored while commuting.

If you don’t listen to music on the go (or you have a DAP) then this part can be ignored.

Moral of the Story

  • Protect your main phone, because living without a phone in this era is very hard (doable, but you will lose a lot of your convenience that you took for granted). Get a case, and maybe a tempered glass screen protector as well.
  • A secondary phone is a nice to have. You can even divide the responsibilities between two phones! Imagine leaving your work phone at home while you take your personal phone and go on vacation. True bliss. If your work place falls apart just because you are unreachable, I think there are more important issues than you being unreachable.