How can I use NumberLink to limit my smartphone use?

It’s a common scenario we all recognize. Or maybe, sometimes we don’t, despite it pulling us out of the moment 10s of times a day.

You’re deep into putting the finishing touches on an important report, or perhaps entangled in a more hands-on project in the shop. Then you hear that ding, that -bzzzt- on the desk, or you catch a glance of the smartphone screen lighting up out of the corner of your eye. Like Pavlov’s dog, at this point we’re trained to drop everything and see what new information awaits.

Of course, at work, a smartphone can be harnessed as a driver of coordination and productivity. You might need to use apps like Slack or Teams to keep track of projects and see the status of various team members in real time. Or you might depend on industry-specific tools that you need in your pocket at a moment’s notice.

But what about when it’s time to clock out?

Many have embraced dumbphones as a distraction-free alternative to smartphones. However, they still need that smartphone for work. It creates a conundrum where even though you have a dumbphone, you still feel attached to the smartphone so you don’t miss critical notifications. How can you draw a clearer line between your smartphone at work and your dumbphone in your downtime?

NumberLink by Sunbeam Wireless is an app that helps achieve that ideal work-life balance by forwarding important work messages and calls from your work Android smartphone to your personal Sunbeam F1 device. That means you can leave the smartphone at the office or toss it in a drawer over the weekend, get some peace and quiet from all the apps, but still be kept in the loop on your personal device if something big comes up.

How does NumberLink work?

It all starts with your Account. A NumberLink account requires a paid subscription and a Sunbeam phone to activate. The account allows you to sign in and connect up to six other devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Once you have your account activated, you set the Host. The host is the main device hosting the connection and functioning as the source of data for all other connected devices.

A Client is any device connected to the NumberLink service.

If you’re wanting a break from the work apps but to still take important texts and calls, you would set your Android smartphone for business as the host device. Then you can set your personal Sunbeam F1 dumbphone, laptop, or tablet as the client devices. Let’s say a colleague needs to send you a crucial SMS over the weekend for something to address Monday morning. The SMS will reach your smartphone at the office first. As the host device, it passes the SMS on to Sunbeam’s secure server, which then forwards it to your client devices at home.

NumberLink helps limit your smartphone use by keeping you open for critical text messages and calls on your Sunbeam dumbphone without getting trapped in the scroll cycle of checking everything on your smartphone. It’s also a great way for those who’d like to exclusively switch to a dumbphone at some point to dip one toe in the water without taking on such a drastic change all at once.

Harness NumberLink for productivity with balance.

Beyond just helping you limit your smartphone use in your free time at home, NumberLink by Sunbeam can boost your productivity and allow you to avoid bringing your smartphone to harsh work environments.

Avoid temptations that come with the convenience of a smartphone.

While smartphone apps have many tools that genuinely do boost productivity in the office, they exist at a gateway to distractions. You might not even consciously do it, but after checking that Teams notification, your brain does something like “well, I’m already here, might as well check the socials.” Before you know it, checking a work-related notification balloons into a 15-minute time sink. NumberLink makes it a bit easier to avoid bringing those same smartphone temptations by keeping them at the office away from your dumbphone zone at home.

Enable “focus mode” when you really need to get stuff done.

While our main use case for this guide is about limiting smartphone use in your downtime, you can also use NumberLink to give yourself microbursts of focus at work with the same principle. When you have a crucial task you need to work on without constant app notifications interrupting you, NumberLink allows you to put the smartphone out of sight while still getting those important calls and texts either on your Sunbeam device or laptop (or both!).

Keep the smartphone at the office and a more durable dumbphone at the work site.

Smartphones are pricey and not exactly durable. If you work on a building site or in the shop where drops and tumbles are commonplace, you can leave your fragile smartphone behind and take a more durable dumbphone, like the Sunbeam F1 Pro, to the site or shop instead. You will still get the texts and calls you need without putting the smartphone at risk.

How do I set up NumberLink to limit my smartphone use?

Sunbeam F1 account creation and login

1. On the Sunbeam phone, open the NumberLink Host app.
2. Note the new account number, you’ll need this to sign in to other devices later. The account number will be your phone number, including the country code. (For example, “1” for US numbers)
3. Create a password, then tap Register.
4. Accept the terms and conditions.
5. Enter the verification code you received.
6. You should now be logged in and connected.
7. Choose “Set as client” in the popup.

Android smartphone login

1. Install the NumberLink Phone, NumberLink Messaging and NumberLink Host apps. See the installation instructions for Android host devices for more details: How to install NumberLink Apps : Sunbeam Wireless 
2. Open the NumberLink Host app.
3. Enter your account number and password, then tap Login.
4. Choose “Set as host” to start uploading your data. This should be done over WiFi, as the initial sync uploads the entire call log, contact names/numbers and the last 30 days of messages.
5. Wait a few minutes until the data syncs to your F1 phone.

Logging in to other devices

1. Install the NumberLink app for the device you’re using, from the downloads page.
2. Enter your account number and password, then tap Login.
3. Wait a few minutes for your NumberLink data to sync and you’re done! 
4. Repeat the process for any other devices you wish to add.

Get even more added convenience and increased parental oversight with NumberLink.

Limiting your smartphone use and cultivating a healthier relationship with technology in the digital age is a big part of NumberLink, but there are many other helpful use cases to explore! Tired of tracking down your phone at home when you’re expecting an important call or text? Read our guide about using NumberLink to receive things like verification codes on your laptop for convenient copy and paste without leaving your seat. Also, if you have children, you know all too well the challenge of avoiding potentially dangerous communication. Check out our guide on how NumberLink can reduce the risk of cyber-stalking and bullying. ☀