{"id":916548,"date":"2026-06-30T19:12:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T00:12:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/30\/i-didnt-expect-to-love-this-phone-accessory-but-now-i-cant-live-without-it\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T19:12:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T00:12:48","slug":"i-didnt-expect-to-love-this-phone-accessory-but-now-i-cant-live-without-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/30\/i-didnt-expect-to-love-this-phone-accessory-but-now-i-cant-live-without-it\/","title":{"rendered":"I didn’t expect to love this phone accessory, but now I can’t live without it"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \n \"4\"\n <\/picture>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n

Joe Fedewa has been writing about technology for over a decade. Android and the rest of the Google ecosystem have been a focus for years, as well as reviewing devices, hosting podcasts, filming videos, and writing tutorials.<\/p>\n

\nJoe loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer and food blogger<\/a>. He has written thousands of articles, hundreds of tutorials, and dozens of reviews.<\/p>\n

\nBefore joining How-To Geek<\/em>, Joe worked at XDA-Developers<\/em><\/a> as Managing Editor and covered news from the Google ecosystem. He got his start in the industry covering Windows Phone on a small blog, and later moved to Phandroid<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>where he covered Android news, reviewed devices, wrote tutorials, created YouTube videos, and hosted a podcast.<\/p>\n

\nFrom smartphones to Bluetooth earbuds to Z-Wave switches, Joe is interested in all kinds of technology. After several years of jailbreaking and heavily modifying an iPod Touch, he moved on to his first smartphone, the HTC DROID Eris. He’s been hooked ever since. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\n

I\u2019m admittedly very much a Phone Guy, but my love for smartphones hasn\u2019t translated to a love for accessories. However, there\u2019s one particular accessory that I\u2019ve become very attached to, and I never would have expected it.<\/p>\n

I started using a magnetic wallet on my Galaxy S22 back in 2022. It was one of only two accessories I purchased that year, the other being a MagSafe-compatible case. The magnetic wallet was never intended to replace my \u201creal\u201d wallet, but four years later, it\u2019s nearly a dealbreaker if I can\u2019t use it with a phone.<\/p>\n

\n I\u2019m more minimalist than I thought
\n <\/h2>\n

\n Started small\u2014went even smaller
\n <\/h3>\n
\n
\"Magnetic\n <\/picture>Credit:\u00a0Joe Fedewa \/ How-To Geek<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally, I bought the magnetic wallet<\/a> as a more compact alternative to my regular wallet to keep in my SPIbelt<\/a> while running. I already needed to carry my phone and car keys, so the magnetic wallet just simplified things. It was more organized than loose cards and easier than slipping them inside a tight-fitting phone case.<\/p>\n

I should mention that my regular wallet at the time was already pretty minimal. It was the same wallet I use today\u2014a Herschel Charlie<\/a>. At max capacity, I\u2019ll have maybe five cards and some cash in my wallet. When I first started using the magnetic wallet, I would swap in my primary credit card and driver\u2019s license from my main wallet, then return them after my run. That was the plan, at least.<\/p>\n

Pretty quickly, I realized that I didn\u2019t really need more than those two cards in my daily life. Very rarely do I leave the house and use cash or some specialty card. I\u2019ve been able to move almost all of those secondary cards\u2014Costco membership, library card, loyalty cards, etc\u2014to Google Wallet. If I really wanted to push it, I could probably leave the house with only my driver\u2019s license.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"ESR\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n

\n \t\t\t\t\t\tESR Magnetic Wallet (HaloLock)
\n\t\t\t<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n Making life easier for my ADHD brain
\n <\/h2>\n

\n Fewer things to remember is always a bonus
\n <\/h3>\n
\n
\"Magnetic\n <\/picture>Credit:\u00a0Joe Fedewa \/ How-To Geek<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The magnetic wallet made me realize how little I truly needed to carry, but that\u2019s not why it\u2019s so important to me. Having my wallet on my phone means that my daily essentials are always together and can fit in one pocket.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s nearly impossible for me to leave the house and forget my phone\u2014can\u2019t say the same for my wallet. My phone is almost always with me, and if it\u2019s not, it\u2019s probably on a charger. In other words, I always know where it is.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, my wallet doesn\u2019t have a \u201cfinal resting place,\u201d if you will. I might take it out of my pocket as soon as I enter the front door. Maybe I put it on the nightstand before getting in bed. Or the end table in the living room when I was getting comfy for a movie. I don\u2019t want to be frantically checking all these spots when I\u2019m heading out the door.<\/p>\n

Literally sticking those two things together means I never have to worry about where they are. Even if I do happen to lose my phone, I can find it much easier than I can find my wallet (thanks, Find Hub<\/a>). It\u2019s simply one less variable, and I need fewer variables in my life.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Pixel\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n \t\t\t\t\t\tGoogle Pixel 10
\n\t\t\t<\/h5>\n

$729
\n $799<\/span>
\n Save $70\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBrand<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGoogle<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSoC<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGoogle Tensor G5<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDisplay<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t6.3-inch Actua OLED, 20:9<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRAM<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t12 GB RAM<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tStorage<\/strong> \t\t\t\t\t<\/dt>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t128 GB \/ 256 GB<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n Why can\u2019t I always use it?
\n <\/h2>\n

\n Deviating from standard phones comes with unintended consequences
\n <\/h3>\n

With all this lovey-dovey talk about magnetic wallets, you\u2019re probably wondering why I can\u2019t use one all the time. You\u2019d be right in thinking most phones these days either have a MagSafe-equivalent built-in or MagSafe-compatible cases. However, some of the most interesting phones these days are smaller than a credit card.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been experimenting with a few different Android phones lately. First, I returned to the Moto Razr 2025<\/a>\u2014even spent a weekend only using the external display<\/a>. After that, I wielded a physical keyboard<\/a> with the Unihertz Titan 2 Elite<\/a> for a while. Now, I\u2019m back to the flip phone life, but this time with the Samsung Galaxy Flip 7<\/a>. All three of these devices are too small for my magnetic wallet.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an unfortunate situation because I truly enjoy these smaller form factors. We all have our own quirks and preferences when it comes to phones, and this is just one of mine. I\u2019m fully aware that this is a very small, somewhat silly problem to have. I never thought a wallet would matter this much to me.<\/p>\n

\n


\n \"MagSafe<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Joe Fedewa
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published Jun 7, 2026, 1:45\u202fPM EDT Joe Fedewa has been writing about technology for over a decade. Android and the rest of the Google ecosystem have been a focus for years, as well as reviewing devices, hosting podcasts, filming videos, and writing tutorials. Joe loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":916549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23888,978],"tags":[6113,8164],"class_list":["post-916548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-didnt","category-phone","tag-didnt","tag-phone"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/916549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}