Ed Sheeran hasn't owned a smartphone since 2015. Seriously. No iPhone 15, no Samsung Galaxy, no endless scrolling through TikTok at 2 AM. While the rest of us were becoming more tethered to our devices, he just... quit. He decided he was done with the 10,000 contacts and the constant pressure to reply to every single ping.
Then, something weird happened.
During a high-stakes copyright lawsuit—the one where he was accused of copying Marvin Gaye—a judge ordered him to dig through his archives. He had to hand over his old devices. So, he went to a box, pulled out a phone that had been dead for nearly a decade, and plugged it in.
What Really Happened When Ed Sheeran Found His Old Phone
When that screen flickered to life, it wasn't just a gadget. It was a time machine. Sheeran has described the experience as "spinning him out." Imagine opening a digital tomb and seeing the names of people who aren't on this planet anymore.
The first message he saw was from Jamal Edwards. Jamal was a legendary British deejay and one of Ed's closest friends who passed away in 2022. Seeing a fresh notification from a dead friend is heavy. It's the kind of thing that makes you want to put the phone back in the box and bury it in the garden.
📖 Related: Why Grand Funk’s Bad Time is Secretly the Best Pop Song of the 1970s
But he kept looking.
The second text? An argument with an ex-girlfriend from years ago. The third was a family member he hadn't spoken to in ten years. It was a visceral, messy collage of his life before the world completely changed for him. This wasn't some polished PR stunt; it was a raw confrontation with his own past that eventually became the hit single Old Phone.
The Psychology of the "Old Phone" Song
The song itself is stripped back. It's nostalgic. It basically captures that feeling of "maybe I should unwrite some wrongs," as the lyrics say. He wrote it at 2 AM while jet-lagged in India, which honestly sounds like the only time you’d be brave enough to look at a 2015 version of yourself.
We’ve all been there, right? You find an old BlackBerry or an iPhone 4 in a drawer. You charge it up just to see the photos. Then you see a text from "The One That Got Away" or a group chat with friends you don't even follow on Instagram anymore. It’s a gut punch. For Sheeran, that gut punch became a track on his 2025 album Play.
👉 See also: Why La Mera Mera Radio is Actually Dominating Local Airwaves Right Now
Why the Ed Sheeran Old Phone Lifestyle Isn't Just for Celebs
People think he’s a Luddite. He's not. He just has boundaries that would make a therapist weep with joy.
He uses an iPad for email. That’s it. If he’s at a dinner, the iPad stays in the hotel room. If he’s in a car on a Thursday or Friday, he "blasts" through his emails and then shuts it down again. He’s found that being bored is actually the secret sauce for his career.
Think about it. When was the last time you were truly bored? Usually, the second there’s a lull in conversation or you're waiting for a bus, the phone comes out. Sheeran argues that nothing creative comes from being "connected" 24/7. Boredom is where the melodies live.
How He Communicates Now
- Email: His primary way of talking to the world.
- Once-a-week check-ins: He doesn't do "instant" replies.
- The "Work" Phone: His team gives him a temporary device for social media at events, but it’s not a "working" phone with a SIM card he keeps.
- FaceTime: He uses the iPad to see his family while on tour.
The Digital Detox Reality Check
It’s easy for a multi-millionaire to say "ditch the phone." He has assistants. He has a team to handle the logistics of his life. For most of us, not having a phone means we can't call an Uber, pay for groceries, or get two-factor authentication codes for our bank accounts.
✨ Don't miss: Why Love Island Season 7 Episode 23 Still Feels Like a Fever Dream
But the old phone Ed Sheeran story isn't necessarily a command to go buy a flip phone and live in a hut. It’s about the "headspace." He realized that having 10,000 people with a direct line to his pocket was making him lose real-life interaction. He was present in the room, but his mind was in 40 different conversations.
When Taylor Swift got engaged to Travis Kelce, Ed found out through the news like a regular fan. Taylor even joked on The Tonight Show that trying to get a hold of him is like trying to reach a child—you have to find someone to give him an iPad.
There is a certain power in being unreachable. It forces people to value your time. If people know you won't reply for four days, they stop sending "u up?" texts and start sending meaningful messages.
Actionable Steps for Your Own Digital Reset
You don't have to delete your life to get a bit of that Sheeran clarity. If the story of his 2015 "time machine" phone resonates with you, try these small shifts:
- The "Box" Method: Pick one night a week where your phone goes into a literal box in another room. See what your brain does when it's forced to be bored.
- Audit Your Contacts: Ed ditched his because of 10,000 contacts. You probably have 500. How many of those people actually need a direct line to your brain?
- The iPad Transition: If you're brave, move your "distraction" apps (social media, news) to a tablet and keep your phone for utility only. It makes the act of scrolling a conscious choice rather than a reflex.
- Charge the Old One: If you have an old phone in a drawer, charge it up. Look at who you were five or ten years ago. It might be depressing, as Ed said, but it also might remind you of how far you've come.
The "Old Phone" era of Ed Sheeran's career marks a shift from the technicolor pop of Azizam to something much more grounded. It's a reminder that while technology moves forward, our human need for quiet and reflection stays exactly the same.
To start your own version of this, try disabling all non-human notifications (apps, news, stores) for the next 24 hours. Notice how many times you reach for your pocket only to find nothing waiting for you—and then see what ideas fill that empty space.