The Digital Separation

I've been doing this weird thing lately - switching between my iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra every couple of weeks. It sounds a bit crazy, but stay with me for a bit.

I've always been curious about both iOS and Android, and I couldn't decide which one I liked better. So, I ended up with both. But this constant switching was definitely getting to me. It felt… uncomfortable. Like I couldn't make up my mind or something.

Then I had this idea: why not use both phones at the same time? Not just having one as a backup, but actually using both daily for different purposes. I've poked around online for other people's experiences (tech bloggers like MKBHD have shared a ton of thoughts on this), and I also came up with some of my own ideas.

My Plan

The main idea is to use the iPhone as my privacy-first device. All the personal stuff, sensitive data, and that sort of thing goes there. The Android becomes my playground for less private apps and work-related stuff.

I'm thinking of keeping my personal communications on the iPhone. That means my main phone number, Telegram, WhatsApp, and all that jazz. My primary email and calendar will live there too, along with my banking apps - at least the main one.

The Android, on the other hand, will be my utility device. I'll put my work email and calendar there, along with any apps that need more data access. It'll also become my go-to for mobile development and testing.

Also, since I'm kind of into smart home stuff, I'll use Apple HomeKit on the iPhone to control all my connected gadgets. And I could use Google Home for those smart home devices that don't play nice with Apple. I've also recently set up Homebridge on my Synology NAS, but it's a story for another day.

Setup

Setting this whole thing up is a bit of a process, but here's the gist of it. First off, I'm doing a full privacy checkup on the iPhone. Two-factor authentication, a long alphanumeric passcode - the works. I might also enable Lockdown Mode and see if it affects my daily use scenarios negatively in any way.

I'm also getting a second phone line for the Android. This'll be for those services that aren't exactly Fort Knox in terms of privacy, and I might use it as a backup if I ever get into a situation where I only have access to one of my phones.

When it comes to storing my digital life, I'm splitting things up. The iPhone gets the full iCloud treatment with Advanced Data Protection enabled, which end-to-end encrypts even the things that are normally encrypted with the key known to Apple. At the same time I'm thinking of minimizing the storing of personal data on my Samsung completely. This should keep things nice and separate.

One tricky bit is figuring out how to keep my notes in sync across both devices without compromising on privacy. Now, I know that keeping the two devices completely separate would be the dream, but let's be real - it's just too much of a hassle to not be able to jot down a quick note on whichever phone I'm using at the moment. Especially if I'd like to attach some context from the apps I'm using at the time. I'm leaning towards using something like Standard Notes. They offer free end-to-end encryption and they are available cross-platform which is a huge plus for my setup.

Challenges

This whole two-phone setup isn't without its quirks. For starters, carrying two phones around is… interesting, to say the least. I'm looking into getting one of those tech-friendly cross-body bags. Maybe something from Peak Design or Aer. This way, I can dodge the whole pocket tetris game of pushing my ID, two phones, keys, and credit cards into my jeans.

Then there's the social aspect. Every once in a while people give me weird looks when they see me juggling two phones. I'm still working on my explanation. Usually, saying "I'm a software engineer" does the trick, but I'm definitely open to more creative (or mysterious) excuses.

The biggest challenge, though, is figuring out which apps go where. It definitely is a constant balancing act between privacy, convenience, and not turning my digital life into a complex puzzle. I feel like some days I might need a flowchart just to remember which phone to use for what.

But Why?

Good question. Part of it is my software engineering brain wanting to tinker and optimize. Part of it is genuine curiosity about how this might improve my digital life. And yeah, a small part of it is probably just me being indecisive and not wanting to fully commit to one platform.

I'm going to try this setup for a while and see how it goes. Maybe I'll love it and wonder how I ever lived with just one phone. Or maybe I'll realize it's overkill and go back to just one device. Either way, it'll be an interesting experiment.

If you're curious about how this goes or have any suggestions, drop me a line. And if you see me fumbling with two phones in public, well, now you know why.