Downgrading to a dumbphone

I am looking for a dumbphone (i.e. capable of calling, texting and little else) that would work with the Sprint SIM card inside a Samsung Galaxy S3. Reason? This would be a "punishment device" of sorts for my teenage son who's been using his smartphone so much lately that it started affecting his grades. We do need to communicate with almost daily after he gets out of school, that's why I am not simply taking away his device, just trying to find a "dumb enough" replacement. In fact, if it can simply call and not even text that might be enough.

The trick is to make sure it will recognize the SIM card and will work with it. How would I do that? In other words, what sort of specs should I be looking for in the dumbphone?

Thx

I used sprint from 2000 with various phones until last year with a galaxy s2, and they never had sim cards...

It's pretty fast to just stop in at sprint and have them switch out a phone on your account. Any old phone will do for what you want although you'd have to back pretty far to have no text. He doesn't need his contact list, so just have them put this new old phone on the account.

My wife and 3 children are on a plan with T-Mobile. I can go to our account on line and turn everything off if I want to. I can also allow them to dial and receive calls from certain numbers like 911 and family. If your plan doesn't have that feature you could always go to walmart or dollar store and buy them a 10 dollar phone and a 25 dollar card to add minutes to it.

I would think any fully unlocked phone that takes a sim card would work in this situation. You'll have to get em from ebay as no one sells em in-store. Had a Motorola razr once that was originally locked for AT&T but the guy I bought it from unlocked it for any sim card carrier so I used it on Verizon prepaid.

Sprint, for the most part, doesn't use SIM cards. Some of their newer phones have a micro sim, I believe, like the samsungs, ...

I'd look on ebay for a sprint phone, and have sprint port his number over to it. Then when he's re-earned his privileges, just have them port the number back to the smartphone...

good luck!
Brian

Get him a flip phone or search eBay for a bag phone. He will change his grades lugging that thing around.

What I do to my teenage sons phone is what I call the 1995 punishment. We plug the charger in the wall in the kitchen and his phone has to stay plugged in. So its basically a regular telephone. He can call and text all he wants standing in the kitchen. He is very shy and basically doesn't use it during the punishment.

For verizon it actually costs me to block features of his phone.

I know of a man who has a phone that won't text (He's on Verizon). I think he bought it about 3 years ago.

For the ultimate punishment, I'd take an older phone, and build a case for it to resemble this (Painted pink with polka-dots for more humiliation):
http://i.cdn.turner.com/dr/hln/www/r...09/27/zach.jpg

Any phone should work, but make sure that you get one that you can get a new battery for. The old one may be shot.

I looked on eBay, and you have tons of options.

Is there the option to just shut off the data usage on his current phone?

About three months ago I finally got a smartphone, Galaxy S5. It has the option to stop all data use. I am still too dumb to know if it is an app, a widget, or part of my phone.

Ilyaz, i am having same problem with my daughter. Lets shave their heads, put them together and make an ass out of them!!!!

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Originally Posted by beardo

What I do to my teenage sons phone is what I call the 1995 punishment. We plug the charger in the wall in the kitchen and his phone has to stay plugged in. So its basically a regular telephone. He can call and text all he wants standing in the kitchen. He is very shy and basically doesn't use it during the punishment.

For verizon it actually costs me to block features of his phone.

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I'm not there yet.... but I am going to remember this one.

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Originally Posted by BRASSCATCHER

Ilyaz, i am having same problem with my daughter. Lets shave their heads, put them together and make an ass out of them!!!!

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I have 2 daughters, 13 and 14. Can I add them with yalls two?

20 bucks..tracfone, flip style. No internet, or text lest not cheaply. So you'd know by his minute usage.

You can find them on sale for like 10 bucks.

May not be the best suggestion but it's the quickest way to get a dumb phone that doesn't do much.

Good luck!

Sirscrapalot - Phones get smarter..people get dumber...anyone not good with this trade off? - Me, your, someone else..who knows!

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Originally Posted by Rollyrogers33

Get him a flip phone or search eBay for a bag phone. He will change his grades lugging that thing around.

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Originally Posted by matador

I know of a man who has a phone that won't text (He's on Verizon). I think he bought it about 3 years ago.

For the ultimate punishment, I'd take an older phone, and build a case for it to resemble this (Painted pink with polka-dots for more humiliation):
http://i.cdn.turner.com/dr/hln/www/r...09/27/zach.jpg

Any phone should work, but make sure that you get one that you can get a new battery for. The old one may be shot.

I looked on eBay, and you have tons of options.

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that's some funny **** right there!!

Not trying to give you parenting advice or anything but from my experience (as a 16 year old kid) I got a lot of bad grades and my parents have tried most everything including taking away my phone, giving me a bad phone, taking my computer, not letting me go outside and some of it worked, but phone just did not work. One thing they did which I look back and though it was real funny yet worked was they took every item out of my room except my desk and matress and dresser. Let me tell you it really sucks to have no computer / tv / items you can use / play with in your bedroom. Also grounded me and a week later my grades were up... but of course didn't last long. If they were to take my phone or give me a junk one I just wouldn't carry it around. I'm doubting he will let it affect him if he is "smart" persay in avoiding your punishment tactics he will just find a way around it such as an ipod or friends phone or get old games on his old phone haha flip phones even have games! Talk to him about his future and what he plans on doing when he can't graduate highschool and get into college. Thats what my parents tried to do until I told them I didn't plan on going to college for a degree. Worth a try? If not you can get parental devices for smartphones where you can block them from getting on internet and playing games at certain times I know sprint offers a lot of that.

Stay in school and i suggest a career in electronics/computers/networking......etc........

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Originally Posted by DevinThaScrapper

Not trying to give you parenting advice or anything but from my experience (as a 16 year old kid) I got a lot of bad grades and my parents have tried most everything including taking away my phone, giving me a bad phone, taking my computer, not letting me go outside and some of it worked, but phone just did not work. One thing they did which I look back and though it was real funny yet worked was they took every item out of my room except my desk and matress and dresser. Let me tell you it really sucks to have no computer / tv / items you can use / play with in your bedroom. Also grounded me and a week later my grades were up... but of course didn't last long. If they were to take my phone or give me a junk one I just wouldn't carry it around. I'm doubting he will let it affect him if he is "smart" persay in avoiding your punishment tactics he will just find a way around it such as an ipod or friends phone or get old games on his old phone haha flip phones even have games! Talk to him about his future and what he plans on doing when he can't graduate highschool and get into college. Thats what my parents tried to do until I told them I didn't plan on going to college for a degree. Worth a try? If not you can get parental devices for smartphones where you can block them from getting on internet and playing games at certain times I know sprint offers a lot of that.

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My experiences growing up were similar, if I did bad in school my dad would either remove everything from my room or watch me remove everything from my room.