The Vergecast · Wednesday, July 8, 2026
A listener questions the practicality of relying on an Apple Watch as a semi-smartphone to reduce phone dependence, citing challenges with family outings, commuting, and emergency location sharing. Pierce suggests that while the goal is legitimate, practical compromises are necessary, and using phone 'Focus modes' might be a more balanced approach.
“A running theme of our conversations here on The Vergecast, Alison, are why can't my Apple Watch solve all of our problems?”
“Man, my experimentation um, using an Apple Watch, like kind of as my phone. Leaving the house without the phone. Um, it was pretty, um, centered on like me going somewhere solo.”
“I think that's a good point. And I think, you know, if you want to really like embrace that minimalist phone usage, you have to be willing to make some compromises. And I think the biggest one for you there, it sounds like is, is the car interaction.”
“It's not about putting your phone away, it's about controlling the input, right? Like if you're going out with your kids, I can activate a focus mode that only allows calls from my wife, or my family members, or like, you know, emergency services or something. And it cuts out all the junk.”