I Don't Have a Smartphone
- ID
- 21207
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 03 Sep 2026, 1:51 AM
- Fetched
- 04 Sep 2026, 4:03 AM
- Provider
- Hacker News
- Category
- dev-community
- Original URL
- https://ploum.net/2026-09-02-i_dont_have_a_smartphone.html
- Source URL
- https://hnrss.org/best
Summary
- Score
- 5.5
- Created
- 04 Sep 2026, 5:12 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- developerssaas_founders
What happened
Ploum argues that requiring a smartphone app for basic products and services imposes at least 10 hidden assumptions on users—from device ownership and battery to Google/Apple account validity and data plan limits. He counted 18 apps he was pressured to install in one year, including apps for a toilet seat, flush, and ventilation, estimating that even 3 minutes per app per day costs 22 waking days per year.
Why it matters
If you build app-only or QR-only flows for your product, you are silently excluding anyone who fails any one of the 10 assumptions listed—no phone, dead battery, no data, terminated Google account, no storage. Design a non-app fallback (web, paper, staff-assisted) for at least your core transaction path, especially in markets where data plans and device storage are constrained.
Discussion angle
How many of your own product's critical flows would break if the user's Google or Apple account were suspended tomorrow—and is that a risk you've ever designed around?