Simpson decided to build the Callback 8020 after becoming a dad and hunting for other distraction-free phones on the market. He found phones like the Light Phone III too limiting, tried a dumb flip phone but realised he still needed access to some apps – a common problem that stifles many of these digital detox devices. That’s why he decided the Callback should be a phone that sits in the middle; a smartphone with dumb-phone looks that costs half as much as a flagship iPhone.
You don’t need a Google account to operate the device. The “Commodore Store” app store is based on Sailfish’s Aurora Store, letting you download some of the same Android apps available on Android. Aurora doesn’t have the same massive selection of apps as the Google Play Store – in fact, it lacks official Google apps, though Google Maps is available – but it has other common essentials.
At the OS level, Simpson says Commodore has “patent-pending” technology that blocks the ability for users to install or sideload internet browsers and social media apps. This is designed to be a distraction-free phone through and through. The company is even pitching it to schools that ban smartphones, so having a way to block the installation of these services is crucial. Commodore has permission from Meta to pre-install WhatsApp, though.
If the Commodore Store is missing an app a user wants, like a home security app or an authenticator, there’s a white-list process to get it. Simpson says people can submit requests to sideload an app, and these are vetted and approved through an AI system. If the AI has trouble deciding whether to allow it, a human steps in. Not every app will be granted access, as the company wants to maintain the Callback’s raison d’être.
Good news for iPhone users, though: you can use the OpenBubbles app to gain access to Apple Messages on the Callback. (It just requires a one-time set-up with a Mac.) The company will provide instructions on how people can set up text or call forwarding, so users don’t have to worry about giving a second phone number to all of their contacts.
“We’re not saying it has to replace the smartphone – I still use an iPhone when I have to,” Simpson says. “It can be the weekend phone, it can be the evening phone, the going-out-with-family phone. You make an intentional decision about that.”