The CAT S22 Flip Phone is AWESOME. It’s exactly what you’d want in a dumb phone. It’s got everything you need, and nothing more. It’s pragmatic, $80, and not very much fun - PERFECT.

The line between “not very much fun” and “actively painful” can be thin, so I wanted to post this as a round-up of some tips and tricks that have worked for me to make the phone more functional without making it more distracting.

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Specs

What you need to know is basically:

• it runs android, which means its like any samsung ultra pro plus galaxy mega phone. you can download all the usual apps (WhatsApp, Spotify, Google Maps, etc.) and still use iMessgage blue text messages
• it has a touchscreen, ur goldfish tiktok brain will know how to navigate it. huge.
• __ the QWERTY keyboard pops up at a text input fields. learn how to swipe type. you dont need to do T9 typing
• battery lasts 1-13 days, charges via USB-C within 3 hours
• camera sucks. what did u expect? it can zoom 4x, scan QR codes and record 1080p videos. thats more than what i expected.
• audio speakers and microphone are good enough, also has a headphone jack or bluetooth for AirPods purists
• chonky af. this thing is a heavy tank. waterproof for 35min in a pool and built for military grade blast shocks/temperatures/dust/bleach/etc..

more spec details are in the appendix

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Essential Apps

First things first, lets install everything we need. Add more accordingly.

Category	Apps
Prebuilt	- Google Play Store - Google Chrome - Google Maps - Google Drive - Google Calendar - YouTube
Google Play Store	- WhatsApp - Messenger - Google Photos - Spotify - Uber - Bay Wheels - Venmo - Microsoft Authenticator
Nice to haves	- ChatGPT - Waymo - Shazam - Google 1 - Simple Voice Recorder - Key Mapper: Unleash your keys!
Personal	- Strava - Oura - Daylio - Zero - Govee Home

For some, downloading from the F-Droid Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) application store can provide other apps that are privacy compliant / marginally better / aren’t otherwise available in the Google Playstore (for example, something to suport typing with the physical T9 keyboard)

It’ll take a while to download. We can do all the system settings changes in the meantime.

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Settings to modify

This part is exactly why android stans enjoy the “customization and modularity” over iPhone. There is a lot more flexibility on what is avaible to the user to modify.

Basic settings

Adjust accordingly

• Settings -> Programmable Key -> PTT Mode -> Off
• Settings -> Programmable Key -> Double Tap -> Flashlight
• Settings -> Programmable Key -> Long Press -> ___
• Settings -> Sound -> Ring & notification volume -> 50%
• Settings -> Sound -> Phone ringtone -> + Add Ringtone -> ___ (pick ur fav 2000s song, im using Owl City - Fireflies)
• Settings -> Sound -> Default notification sound -> Tejat
• Settings -> System -> Languages & Input -> Languages -> + Add a language -> Français
• Settings -> System -> Backup -> Enable with Google Acocunt
• Settings -> Bluetooth -> Pair new device -> Car
• Settings -> Bluetooth -> Pair new device -> Airpods

Reducing bloat

There is so much garbage on this dumb phone trying to make it smart. lets make it dumb again. To do that, we’ll have to enable developer settings, something Apple would never let you do.

• Settings -> About Phone -> Tap ‘Build Number’ seven times

• Settings -> System -> Developer Options -> Disable absolute volume
  ^ about halfway down the page
  i want to hear my music unfiltered

• Settings -> System -> Developer Options -> Smallest Widgth -> 380
  ^about 2/3 down the page
  Increasing ‘smallest width’ to at least 380 will unbreak certain apps that have trouble accommodating the aspect ratio of the screen, including Instagram, Hinge, Oura, and some banking apps. You can always increase it to 500+ to make the change, then set it back to its default value afterwards.
  Note that this will make everything a bit smaller, maybe avoid if you have poor eyesight.

• Settings -> System -> Developer Options -> Background process limit -> At most 4 processess
  ^about 5/6 down the page
  Increases speed performance, can always revert.

• Settings -> Accessibility -> Remove animations -> On
  Increases speed performance, can always revert.

uninstalling apps

• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> App info -> App Manager -> Uninstall
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> App info -> Merge -> Uninstall
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> App info -> Monopoly Go -> Uninstall
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> App info -> Sagadoku -> Uninstall
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> App info -> Solitaire -> Uninstall
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> App info -> Spades -> Uninstall
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> App info -> T-Mobile Play -> Uninstall
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> App info -> Tile Collector -> Uninstall
• Home Screen -> T-Mobile App Folder -> Long Press -> Drag to ‘X Remove’

Advanced: If you want to fully uninstall the uninstallable Google and T-Mobile apps, these guides from Reddit have been popular: Guide 1 & Guide 2
Note, I haven’t tried these myself

other useful system changes

• Home Screen -> Long Press -> Widgets -> Screen Time
• Home Screen -> Long Press -> Widgets -> Hotspot
• Home Screen -> Long Press -> Widgets -> Shazam
• Home Screen -> Scroll up (touch screen) -> Settings -> Long Press -> Drag onto Home Screen
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Notifications -> Notification history -> On
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Notifications -> See all from last 7 days -> Disable the apps you dont want
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Notifications -> Advanced -> Allow notification snoozing
• Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Notifications -> Advanced -> Suggested actions and replies -> On

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Good to know:

Button	Action	Function
Home ◯	Press and hold	Open Google Assistant
Overview □	Press and hold	Show notifications
↳	Double Click	Previous app
Speaker 🔈	Press	Tab
Pick Up ☏	Press and hold	Open Google Assistant
Hang Up ☏	Press and hold	Show power menu / Boot phone
↳	Double Click	Open Camera
Orange Key + Vol. Down	Press	Take screenshot

T9 Typing

Probably the most aggravating example is that typing “I” with proper capitalization requires four separate strokes on the T9 keyboard: switch to caps, then tap the 4 key three times to select “i”, after which you will have to switch back to T9 with additional strokes.

If you’re a madlad and want to use the physical T9 keyboard to type, you can download the Traditional T9 (TT9) app via the Google Play Store, f-droid or github.

For instance, with the TT9 Keyboard, it takes exactly one stroke to type “I”, because that’s the only valid word that can be formed by hitting the 4 key once. Similarly, it will auto-populate the most likely word based on your input so far and if it’s correct, you can simply hit SPACE and continue typing rather than having to confirm on the D-pad. It also handles capitalization very fluently.

At the very least, it is worth downloading to avoid the known bug of “double click” when using the swipe type virtual screen keyboard. This bug will occasionally make you feel like you have fat fingers but its really just because of refresh times.

• Traditional T9 -> Settings -> Keypad -> Key repeat protection -> 50-75 ms

Tbh, the Speech-to-Text (STT) Dictation works really well. Just use that and save the typing headache. Embrace the early 2000s salesman ethos.

Key Shortcuts

if you’re like me and wont use the physical T9 keyboard for much more than putting in my phone number for partiful invites and 2FA codes, we can adjust them to have useful functionalities by downloading the Key Mapper: Unleash your keys! app. You’ll also have to download the TT9 app from the instructions above.

Then you can swap your keyboard and record macros to make certain shortcuts on speed dial.

• Key Mapper -> ≡ -> Show input method picker -> Traditional T9
• Key Mapper -> + -> Record Trigger -> (*) -> Actions -> Add action -> Decrease display brightness -> Save 💾
• Key Mapper -> + -> Record Trigger -> (+) -> Actions -> Add action -> Increase display brightness -> Save 💾
• Key Mapper -> + -> Record Trigger -> (*) -> Double Press -> Actions -> Add action -> Previous track -> Save 💾
• Key Mapper -> + -> Record Trigger -> (+) -> Double Press -> Actions -> Add action -> Next track -> Save 💾

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Setting up iMessage

Follow the steps on ur Mac: https://bluebubbles.app/install/

After installing the .dmg at the bottom of the github page, and moving the app to Applications folder, when you first open the app it may say its not a trusted developer. To fix this:

• Mac -> System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Open Anyway
• Mac -> System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Full Disk Access -> BlueBubbles

Then follow the steps in the app itself. The Firebase project creation process will take a while, be patient if it hasnt updated the logs in the last 30 seconds..

If it has a failure at the end of the compiling, just click the Continue with Google button again and it’ll try again. Worked the second time for me

Eventually you’ll reach a screen like this. you can use the server url + passward or QR code to access iMessages from the web (e.g. on windows) or by downloading the BlueBubbles app on Android’s Google Play Store.

Other reviews

Here are some key reviews from Reddit users sharing their experiences with the Cat S22 Flip:

2 years with Cat S22 - Long-term review praising it as a digital minimalist device:

“I’ve found that I really don’t look at its screen for more than 5-10 minutes a day. I’m not drawn to grabbing the Cat S22 when I’m bored. In fact, I’ve almost forgotten where I put it a few times.”

Best USA flip phone - Comprehensive review praising Android Go experience:

“Yes, running Android on a 2.8” screen has its quirks, but it’s the best flip phone experience I’ve had in my life. The refinement, smoothness, and versatility that Android Go offers make this phone awesome.”

4 months bittersweet journey - Mixed review highlighting keyboard issues:

“The biggest and by far most annoying thing about the phone, is, sadly, the keyboard. It’s simply bad… it still double presses on its own, so much in fact, that every two or three words I have to make some kind of correction”

4 months positive experience - Reduced screen time significantly:

“It has managed to get me from spending around 3 to 4 hours a day on my old Samsung Galaxy to around 10 to 20 minutes”

Perfect digital minimalist phone - Enthusiastic review from someone who tried many dumbphones:

“This phone is AMAZING. I got it yesterday and I can finally say I found the perfect phone for the digital minimalist. This is the perfect middle ground transition device that you need to function in todays world.”

My review

I miss AirDrop Copy/Paste, Find My iPhone and Apple Notes conveniences. The phone doesnt have a NFC chip so you cant do contactless pay or contact bump sharing. I carry a wallet around anyway, but now have to add a local transit card to the pack.

Other than that, masterpiece.

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Appendix

Number of people I have convinced to purchase and set up a CAT S22: 4

Full Specs

The Cat S22 Flip is a rugged smartphone running Android 11 Go Edition. It has a rating of IP68, which signifies:

Feature	Description
Waterproof	The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which the manufacturer specifies as: “Waterproof to a depth of 5ft for up to 35 mins” [5ft → 1.5m]
Durability Features	• Washable and resistant to bleach, alcohol, sand, dust, dirt, humidity, and salt mist • MIL-SPEC rated for thermal shock and vibration – meaning it meets military standards for surviving extreme temperature changes (-13°F to 122°F for up to 30 minutes) and physical shaking/impacts • “Hazardous Area rated Non-Incendive, Class 1, Division 2, Group A-D, T4” - meaning it’s safe to use in potentially explosive atmospheres
Dust-tight	No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust-tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on airflow.

Hardware Specifications:

Component	Specification
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 @ 1.3 GHz
RAM	2GB
Storage	16GB internal + MicroSD up to 2TB+
Battery	2,000 mAh removable (> iPhone 8: 1821 mAh)
Battery Life	Up to 12 hours talk time, 312 hours (13 days) standby
Ports	USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack

Camera Specifications:

Feature	Main Camera	Front Camera
Resolution	5 megapixel	2 megapixel
Video	1080p HD	-
Features	Auto-focus, LED flash, timer, face detection	Basic selfies
Zoom	Basic digital zoom up to ~4x	-

Note: Camera quality is roughly equivalent to the 2013 iPhone 4. Suitable for QR codes and basic documentation.

Physical Specifications:

Dimension	Measurement
Size	4.7 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches (119 x 61 x 22.9 mm)
Weight	7.8 oz (221g)
Controls	Programmable shortcut/PTT button (left), Volume controls (right)

The Cat S22 Flip has WiFi (<=2.4Ghz), Bluetooth (4.2: HSP, HFP, A2DP, etc.) and supports most carrier networks:

Band	Frequency	Region	Provider/Notes
1	2100 MHz	Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania	IMT Standard (All major carriers)
2	1900 MHz	Americas	PCS (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon)
3	1800 MHz	Europe, Asia, Africa	DCS (All major carriers)
4	1700 MHz	Americas	AWS (AT&T, T-Mobile)
5	850 MHz	Americas, Oceania	Cellular (AT&T, Verizon)
7	2600 MHz	Canada, South America, Europe, Asia	IMT-E (Rogers, Bell, Telus)
12	700 MHz	USA	Lower 700 (AT&T, T-Mobile)
13	750 MHz	USA	Verizon
20	800 MHz	Europe	EU Digital Dividend (All major EU carriers)
25	1900 MHz	USA	T-Mobile (PCS+G)
26	850 MHz	USA	T-Mobile (Extended)
28	700 MHz	Oceania, Asia, Central America	APT (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone)
38	2600 MHz	Europe, Latin America, Asia	IMT-E (Various regional carriers)
39	1900 MHz	China	DCS-IMT Gap (China Mobile)
40	2300 MHz	Asia, Africa, Oceania	(Various regional carriers)
41	2500 MHz	USA	T-Mobile (BRS/EBS)
66	1700 MHz	Americas	AWS-3 (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon)
71	600 MHz	USA	T-Mobile

Additional Features:
- FM Radio
- Built-in barometer
- Hearing Aid Compatible (M3, T3 rating - mostly tele-coil compatible)
- Push-To-Talk capability
- HD Voice support