Earlier this week, I went to one of those tech-show-in-a-basement affairs, where journalists are herded into a confined space with no natural light, no mobile signal, and lots of companies eager to show off shiny gadgets. These events always have a strange vibe as you shuffle around, try to snag the attention of reps, and occasionally lock eyes with someone you’ve definitely met before but whose name instantly escapes you. By far the busiest spot of the evening was the Fairphone display, a large chunk of which comprised an artistically dismantled Fairphone 6.
It took the better part of an hour before I got close enough for a proper look. I already knew the pitch: a mid-range Android blower with a strong emphasis on ethics and repairability. But this was the first time I’d seen one up close. Current-me was impressed by adult things like Fairphone’s confidence in offering a five-year warranty and software support until 2033. Inner-kid-me, raised during an era of build-your-own home micros, was more excited about phone parts carefully arranged next to a tiny screwdriver. Doubly so when I was assured that even ham-fisted-me could almost certainly replace a component without destroying the entire space-time continuum.
All that appealed – but not nearly as much as the Fairphone 6 Moments switch.
Switch it up
It felt quite magical when a tame Fairphone rep flicked a switch on the side of the device and instantly transformed the home screen. The grid of icons vanished, replaced by a boring list of app names. And, to be clear, boring in this context is good. It means a phone without distractions. A device that lets you be present, rather than tempting you every waking moment with yet more shiny icons.
Of course, there’s nothing complicated happening here. Fairphone just mapped a switch to a launcher. But the implementation is everything. The physicality – the deliberate act of making your phone less distracting – made something in my brain go ding. It reminded me of Bear Focus Timer, a Pomodoro app that only works when your phone is face down.
The ritual matters more than the mechanism – it’s a psychological thing. You flip the phone over to put it ‘out of reach’. You commit to focus. It’s far more effective than tapping a virtual button. And so it felt with the Fairphone 6, even if, alas, that device lacks scowling cartoon bears should you abandon focus mode.
On the button
It also reminded me of something else: my iPhone 16 Pro has a perfectly serviceable Action button that I barely use. Cue: epiphany! Why not shamelessly steal Fairphone’s great idea and bodge it into iOS?
I duly set up my standard iOS home screen to feature a single Dumb Phone widget with a few apps I use, and turned all the others off. Then I created a new one called Badness, with a dozen home screens of icons in all their appy glory. Next, I headed to Shortcuts and built a new shortcut called ‘Focus toggle’:
- Get Current Focus
- If Current Focus does not have any value
- Otherwise
- Get Current Focus
- If Name is Badness
- End if
- End if
I then set Settings > ‘Action Button’ > Shortcut to ‘Focus toggle’. Boom! Pressing the Action button now flips my phone between zen slab of mindfulness and infinite distraction machine. All with roughly 85% of the satisfaction of the Fairphone 6. Because, let’s be real, holding a button down is never going to match flicking a switch.
So, sorry, Fairphone. I just stole your great idea for my iPhone. But don’t worry. I doubt Apple will. And if it does, it won’t go further. Because even with Self Service Repair, it’ll never sell an iPhone it properly encourages users to gleefully dismantle with a screwdriver.