Switching to Kompakt from a smartphone

The honest version of the first month, with the two things worth sorting out before switch day.

['Most people who switch do not miss the apps. They miss the reflex. The first three days feel quiet, even a little empty, and you will reach for your pocket more often than you expect. By the end of the first week that reflex fades. By week three the old phone mostly stays in the drawer.', 'This guide is the honest version of that month, told with Kompakt owners from our forum: what you will miss and what you will not, the two things worth sorting out before switch day, and how people handled banking, messaging and getting around without a smartphone in their pocket.']

Before you switch: Prepare on your old phone

A few days ahead. Nothing here needs Kompakt in your hand yet.

Check your must-have apps

Kompakt runs MuditaOS K, a de-Googled version of Android. Since MuditaOS K 2.0 you can install apps made for E Ink straight on the phone from InkApps. If an app you need is not there, you can still sideload it from your computer with Mudita Center. Apps that need Google services, or were not built for an E Ink screen, may not behave well.

• Write down the three to five apps you cannot live without
• Look for them in InkApps first, then on the compatibility list
• Owners report WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and HERE WeGo working when sideloaded

Sort out banking and login codes

This is the step people regret skipping. If your bank or work account sends codes to an app on your old phone, move them before you wipe it. Switch to SMS codes where you can, or set up an open-source authenticator on Kompakt and scan the QR codes with its camera.

• Owners use Aegis or Ente Auth for 2FA codes
• Some banking apps need Google services, so test yours early
• {'w': 1, 't': 'Do not reset the old phone until every account signs in from Kompakt'}

Back up what you want to keep

Export contacts from Google, iCloud or Outlook as a vCard or CSV file. Move your photo library to a computer or cloud storage, since Kompakt is made for a few photos, not thousands. Living in Google Calendar? MuditaOS K 2.0 can sync it both ways, and it stays off until you turn it on.

• Contacts: one vCard file is the easiest route
• Photos: copy them off before switch day
• Install Mudita Center on your computer now, for sideloading and backups

Switch day: Set up Kompakt

About an hour. Keep the old phone switched on until Kompakt rings.

Move your number

Put your SIM in Kompakt, or ask your carrier for an eSIM QR code. Slot 2 shares its modem with the eSIM, so it is one or the other. Make a test call and send a test SMS before you put the old phone away.

• {'w': 1, 't': 'Coming from an iPhone? Turn off iMessage and FaceTime first, or texts from iPhone friends keep going to the old phone'}
• US owners: if calls sound quiet, read the carrier article

Set up the basics

Language, Wi-Fi, fingerprint and PIN, then update to the latest MuditaOS K before anything else. Pick a launcher: the text-focused Kalm Launcher or the familiar Standard Launcher. Then get to know the Offline+ switch, the one feature owners mention most.

• Offline+ cuts the modem and microphones at hardware level
• Choose whether Bluetooth and the camera stay on in Offline+
• Import your contacts, set ringtones, one per SIM if you like

Add your few apps

Open InkApps on the phone and add what you need from there. For anything else, connect Kompakt to your computer and sideload it with Mudita Center. Add only the apps from your list. Fewer is the point, and the small effort it takes is part of what keeps the phone calm.

• Start with messaging and 2FA
• Leave social media and news where they are
• Owners suggest trying a different keyboard if typing feels slow

Your first month: Settle in

Weeks one to four. This is where the switch actually happens.

Learn what is already on board

Before you add a replacement, try the built-in tools: calendar, notes, voice recorder, music player, offline maps and camera. Then give the E Ink screen a week. It reads like paper, has no blue light, and is the reason the battery lasts up to 6 days.

• Download offline maps at home on Wi-Fi
• Seeing a faint ghost image? Use Force Refresh to clear the screen
• Charge once or twice a week, not every night

The 30-day handoff

Keep the smartphone in a drawer, not in the bin. Check it once a day for two weeks, then once a week. Tell the people who matter that a call or SMS is the best way to reach you. Most people stop opening the old phone by week three.

• Week 1: the reflex to check fades
• Week 2: move the last logins over
• Week 4: decide what happens to the old phone

Useful links

• Kompakt Quick Start Guide: On mudita.com
• Sideloaded apps compatibility list: Kept up to date by owners on the forum
• 2FA and authenticator apps: Forum thread
• Download Mudita Center: Windows, macOS and Linux
• Kompakt release notes: What changed in each update
• 14-day returns: If Kompakt is not for you