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I recently experienced a really good reason to have a dumbphone.

I was in the process of getting mugged. Someone was pointing a gun at me and telling me to give up my things. My hand was in my pocket, and I wanted to dial 911, but I couldn't, because all the smartphones nowadays have touch screen buttons.

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In almost all cases like this, your absolute best choice is to simply give them what they want and gtfo of there. If they see you playing with something in your pocket, it could escalate things very quickly

I've often thought about "what if..." that smartphones would suck at that older phones were better at. Mostly if you couldn't see the phone (by being blinded or it's not in view).

I do notice my phone has a small 'emergency call' button on the lock screen so that's a plus. I probably wouldn't notice it in a real emergency though (I can only imagine I'd panic and forget it).

You're probably lucky you didn't get the chance to dial 911. Because after you did there was probably a 50/50 chance of the perpetrator injuring you further or running away.

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