Justin G.
Great idea, needs a little more love
The Good: - Vision and mission - brilliant! - Technical implementation - I've worked on custom Android builds myself, and i can see that there's a LOT of clever technical work going on under the hood here to make this all happen. - I was skeptical of the decision to exclude email apps at first, but after using it for a few weeks, I see that it was the right call. Well done! The Not-so-good: - I was never able to get the Techless carrier plan working. SIM card was good, IMEI etc. were all configured correctly, good network signal, but no calls/text/data. Customer service was polite but ultimately unable to help. After two weeks without any working phone, I ported my number to a Google Fi SIM and was up and running in 5 minutes. This is aggravating because now I'm paying separately for the WiseOS subscription. - Support from the biz side seems to be fading. Tool drawer (app store) submissions, which were already opaque, have now been paused, and there are bugs with the portal website login that still aren't quite fixed. And the WiseOS (homescreen) app has crashed and frozen a few times on me. All of this gives me anxiety about whether these guys are in it for the long haul, or are already chasing the next shiny object. Will I be stuck with an unsupported brick two years from now? - The app switcher button is disabled. Maybe there's a good reason, but I can't think of one. Makes it hard to do things like auth flows. - The phone is a little too big, I would prefer something maybe 30% smaller. Smaller screens are less attention-sucking, not to mention easier to operate with one hand, and they are easier to pocket. In summary: I love the concept and technical implementation behind this phone, and I would happily recommend it to my friends. The only thing holding me back is my concern about long-term support.
Response from TechlessJul 25, 2025
Hi Justin, Thank you so much for the thoughtful and well-articulated review. We truly appreciate your detailed insights and your support of our mission. The Good: Your recognition of the technical effort behind WiseOS means a lot—especially coming from someone with hands-on experience in custom Android builds. We're also glad the decision around email started to make more sense with time; it's always encouraging to hear that the design choices we agonize over end up delivering on their deeper intent. ✅ The Not-so-good: You’re right to be frustrated about the trouble with your Wisephone SIM. Our goal is always for the setup to be seamless, and we clearly fell short in your case. Thank you for giving us two weeks to try to resolve it—it means a lot that you gave it that much room. Regarding Tool Drawer submissions, portal bugs, and long-term support concerns—we hear you loud and clear. We’re actively addressing internal processes and support systems to strengthen trust and transparency. As a small team with a big vision, we know communication is key, and we’re working hard to build better rhythms there. The app switcher point is a great callout—there are design reasons behind that choice, but your use case is valid and we’ll be revisiting this kind of feedback in upcoming builds. As for phone size, totally fair. We’ve heard this from others too and are factoring it into future hardware conversations. In summary: Thanks for seeing the heart and hard work behind the product. Your encouragement and your caution are both deeply respected. We’d love to keep you in the loop as we grow—and hope we can earn back your full confidence in the journey ahead. Warmly, The Wisephone Team