There is a Saturday morning last spring when Maya and I stood in the living room looking at a coffee table buried under tablets, remotes, battery packs, and a half dead smart speaker that only worked when we screamed at it. We realized we had built a digital junk drawer in our own home. That same afternoon we boxed up every gadget except our iPhones and decided to see if one pocket sized rectangle could handle every job we actually cared about. One hundred and thirty days later we are still on that experiment, and our shelves are clearer, our bags are lighter, and our minds feel oddly spacious. If you want to know what living with just an iPhone really looks like, the article is a part tech hack and part life philosophy.
Why People Choose One Device Living
Less Stuff, Less Stress
Every extra gadget adds a decision, a charger, and a new place to lose the charger. When the iPhone becomes the only screen, those decisions disappear. Maya used to hunt for the iPad charger every night, now the single Lightning cable on the nightstand handles everything.
Freedom From Upgrades
When you own five devices, every fall event tempts you to upgrade five times. When you own one, the math shrinks to a single question. We skipped the latest tablet cycle without a second thought because we no longer needed a tablet.
Environmental Impact
Fewer devices mean fewer raw materials, fewer shipping boxes, and fewer e waste mountains. One phone instead of five is a small dent, but it feels good to carry less guilt in your pocket.
The iPhone as the Swiss Army Phone
Communication Hub
Texts, calls, FaceTime, and email live in one place. Group chats, work calls, and family check ins all arrive on the same screen. The single inbox feels organized instead of scattered across tablets and laptops.
Camera That Replaces Cameras
The iPhone camera now shoots raw, 4K, and cinematic mode. Maya left her mirrorless camera on the shelf after the first week and never looked back. The best camera is the one that is already in your pocket.
Document Scanner
Notes app turns any receipt or contract into a searchable PDF. No more flatbed scanners or third party apps. Point, tap, done.
Wallet and Keys
Apple Wallet holds credit cards, boarding passes, and transit tickets. Apple CarKey unlocks compatible cars. House keys went on a hook by the door because the phone now opens the front lock.
Entertainment Center
Music, podcasts, audiobooks, and streaming apps all live on one screen. The same device that plays Spotify in the car becomes the TV remote in the living room.
Home Control
HomeKit turns the iPhone into a universal remote for lights, fans, and thermostats. One swipe down from the top right corner dims the bedroom lights and turns off the porch bulb.
E reader and Notebook
The Kindle app and Apple Books turn the phone into a pocket library. Notes app handles shopping lists, journal entries, and voice memos. Maya writes morning pages on the Notes widget before coffee.
Fitness Tracker
The health app tracks the steps of a person, his or her heart rate, and sleep without a separate watch. Also the accelerometer can count the steps of a person also logs bike rides and yoga sessions.
Bank and Budget
The available banking apps can allow to transfer the money, deposit checks, and helps in tracking the spendings. And the same screen that pays the rent can also shows the grocery budget.
Maps and Transit
Apple Maps or Google Maps handles driving, walking, and public transit. The phone buzzes when the bus is two stops away, no extra app needed.
Dealing With the Missing Pieces
Big Screen Work
For long writing sessions we use the phone in landscape with a Bluetooth keyboard. Pages or Google Docs stretch to fill the screen. When the task feels cramped, we switch to voice dictation and let the words flow.
Storage Limits
We pay for two hundred gigabytes of iCloud storage and let photos live in the cloud. Local storage stays free for apps and offline music. Once a year we export the camera roll to an external drive and start fresh.
Battery Anxiety
A single MagSafe battery pack lives in the car for emergencies. At home we charge overnight on a simple stand. The weekly screen time report shows we still have thirty percent left at bedtime.
Typing Speed
SwiftKey and Gboard offer swipe typing that rivals a physical keyboard. Maya now types faster on glass than she ever did on plastic keys.
Multitasking
Split screen is missing, but the app switcher is fast. We train ourselves to finish one task before opening the next. The constraint feels like freedom.
Living Room Setup
TV Streaming
An Apple TV or a smart TV with AirPlay turns the phone into the remote. Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube all cast from the same device that ordered pizza.
Speaker Pairing
A single HomePod Mini fills the living room with music. The same phone that queued the playlist also answers the doorbell.
Photo Frame Mode
When the phone rests on the MagSafe stand, it becomes a digital photo frame. Family pictures rotate in landscape while dinner cooks.
Workday Workflow
Calendar and Reminders
Calendar shows meetings, Reminders shows tasks. Both sync across iCloud so the phone and Mac stay aligned. The phone becomes the daily dashboard.
Email Triaging
Spark or Apple Mail swipe gestures archive or flag messages in seconds. Long form replies wait for voice dictation during the commute.
Zoom and FaceTime
Video calls work on the phone screen with headphones. The front camera is wide enough for two faces in one frame.
File Management
Files app connects to iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and Google Drive. PDFs, spreadsheets, and photos live in one searchable folder.
Creative Projects
Photo Editing
Lightroom Mobile or Snapseed handles raw files. Edits sync to the cloud and appear on the Mac later. The phone edits photos faster than the old laptop.
Video Production
iMovie or CapCut cuts 4K video on the same device that shot it. Voice overs and music tracks layer in with a few taps.
Music Making
GarageBand turns the phone into a pocket studio. Drums, bass, and vocals record on separate tracks and export straight to Spotify.
Travel Light
One Bag Packing
The phone replaces camera, Kindle, GPS, and boarding pass. The carry on holds clothes and toiletries only.
Hotel Entertainment
Hotel WiFi plus the phone equals Netflix in bed. No extra tablet or laptop needed.
Local Guides
Maps offline mode works without data. Download the city map before leaving the hotel and explore without roaming charges.
Social Life
Photos on the Go
Portrait mode and night mode handle every lighting situation. Friends ask which camera we used and we just smile and point to the phone.
Social Media
Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter all post from the same device that took the picture. Stories and reels edit in seconds.
Group Chats
iMessage and WhatsApp handle group chats, voice notes, and video calls. One thread keeps family and friends in the same place.
Health and Wellness
Mindfulness
Headspace and Calm fit in a pocket. Guided meditations start with a single swipe.
Sleep Tracking
Bedtime mode dims the screen and tracks sleep without a watch. The phone sits face down and logs movement through the accelerometer.
Fitness
Nike Training Club and Yoga apps stream workouts to the TV via AirPlay. The same phone that tracked steps now guides squats.
Security and Privacy
Face ID
Face ID unlocks the phone, approves payments, and signs into apps. No passwords to remember, no keys to lose.
Find My
Find My locates the phone, the keys, and even the dog if he wears an AirTag. One app keeps track of everything that matters.
Privacy Settings
App Tracking Transparency stops apps from following you across the web. The same phone that knows your location also guards it.
The Emotional Shift
Less Decision Fatigue
Fewer devices mean fewer choices. The brain stops juggling which screen to pick up and focuses on what to do next.
More Presence
When the phone is the only screen, you look at it with intention instead of reflex. Conversations feel deeper because the tablet is not glowing in the corner.
Unexpected Joy
Clear counters and empty drawers spark a quiet happiness. Maya says the living room feels bigger even though we removed only a few gadgets.
Challenges and Solutions
Missing Laptop Power
For spreadsheets or code we use remote desktop apps. The phone connects to the home Mac and runs heavy software in the cloud.
Photo Backup Fear
iCloud plus an annual external drive backup keeps memories safe. We run the backup during a long weekend and forget about it for another year.
Screen Size Fatigue
After a full day of tiny text, we switch to voice dictation or listen to audiobooks. The ears rest the eyes.
Staying Motivated
Monthly Review
Each month we open Settings, General, iPhone Storage and delete apps we have not touched. The ritual keeps the phone lean.
Celebrate the Space
We toast to empty drawers and cable free counters. The celebration reinforces the habit.
Share the Story
Friends ask how we travel with one bag and we show them the phone. The conversation spreads minimalism like a gentle virus.
Conclusion
Now living with just an iPhone is not about a sacrifice of other gadgets and electronic devices etc however it is about the clarity. The iphone can become a lens that may focus on life instead of scattering it. Clear counters, lighter bags, and calmer minds all started with one simple question, what if one phone was enough? The answer turned out to be yes, and the experiment continues every single day.