Launched this week
UltraPod
Turn your old iPhone into a music-first dumbphone
106 followers
Turn your old iPhone into a music-first dumbphone
106 followers
UltraPod turns an old iPhone into a music-first dumbphone without abandoning the useful parts of a modern device. Stream with Apple Music, keep HealthKit workouts, reading, camera, and essential local tools, while stripping away social feeds and attention traps. It is a focused daily companion for people who want a digital detox without buying another piece of hardware.
Repurposing old iPhones for focused music listening is clever. Reduces e-waste and gives the phone new purpose. Does it work offline or needs internet connection for the music library?
UltraPod
@abdurrahman_fakhrul You can absolutely stream music online, listen to downloaded streaming content offline, or play local music files. You can even upload your local music to the appmusic cloud, with support for mixed playback. If you enter offline mode, undownloaded music will appear grayed out, won't be included in shuffle queues, and direct playback will prompt you to connect to the internet. You can also search for online music within the app and add it to my favorites.
the physical-case-as-the-real-lock detail is honest and makes sense given iOS won't let you build a true restricted mode. the thing I'd want to know day-to-day: while the phone is in dumbphone mode under the case, do texts and calls still come through normally in the background, or does going music-first mean you'd also miss a 2FA code or an urgent text unless you pop the case off? that's usually the dealbreaker for using something like this as your actual daily phone instead of a side device.
UltraPod
@galdayan Yes, there must be compromises. There is no perfect solution yet, so the design of the phone case is crucial. Being able to switch within 10 seconds when the user needs it is the original design intention of my phone.
@gigass 10 seconds is a fair bar - that's about the same wait as a bad Face ID unlock, so it wouldn't actually cost you a 2FA code or an urgent text in practice. good to know it's a real mode swap and not something you'd have to think about in the moment. makes the case-as-lock approach feel a lot more usable day to day than I first assumed.
Thank you for building and sharing this — I really love what you've made here.
To answer your question — if it were me, I'd probably keep music, the camera, and notes for jotting things down. That combination alone already covers most of what I actually need when I want to step away from everything else.
UltraPod is such a lovely idea. It genuinely took me back to how things felt ten-plus years ago. In an era where we run into an endless flood of new things every single day, being able to shut out the noise and sink back into your own little world might be the real luxury now.
UltraPod
@kryptonite_wei Actually, I've already developed part of the sleep mode functionality, which is easy to integrate. The project is still ongoing, and I want to create something even more interesting.
The reuse angle is the strongest part for me. A separate minimalist device can become one more thing to buy, charge, sync, and justify. Turning hardware already in the drawer into a music-first tool is the more practical version of opting out: keep the parts that serve you, remove the parts that harvest attention.
UltraPod
@krekeltronics Actually, just taking an old iPhone and turning it into a usable device is already appealing enough to people.
UltraPod
@tehreem_fatima5 The project is still being refined, haha. I've invested a lot of time in this.
cool idea Chris! I like the friction aspect of it. even a simple magnetic case is enough for our brain to give up on those behaviors.
UltraPod
@gianmarco_speroni I came up with this idea while solving my own problems.
This is such a clever way to give old iPhones a second life.
I also really appreciate the pricing, it feels accessible, and the "Full Companion App" included in the Ultimate plan is a nice touch.
The only problem is... I wish I still had my old iPhone 😂
UltraPod
@philipjpj iOS 16 and above works perfectly, haha, I'm working hard to share this interesting project