IF YOU'RE READING THIS, SOMEONE SENT YOU HERE.

They put their phone in a drawer.
On purpose.

Gridless is an off-grid companion device. The person you texted uses it to stay reachable without being constantly connected. They'll see your message when they check in. If it's urgent, their setup will let it through.

Need them right now? Reply URGENT to your text.

How it works ↓

What is Gridless

Gridless is two pieces of hardware. A pocket-sized e-ink screen that goes where you go, and a base station that stays home with your phone.

The base station does the filtering. You set the rules, and anything that matters (a text from your mom, a 2FA code, a calendar reminder) reaches the screen in your pocket right away. Everything else waits in the queue.

Then, at a time you schedule, the queue arrives as a single digest. You sit down and go through it on purpose: reply to what deserves a reply, skip what doesn't, get back to your day. Nothing is lost. Nothing gets to interrupt.

The result is a day that belongs to you again, with the safety net of real reachability still intact.

The device

09:41 · TUESDAY

MESSAGES · 3 NEW

Mom → Call when free

2FA → 847291

Dr. Chen → Appt 2pm

Display: 3.7" e-ink, 300 DPINo backlight. No glow.
Size: 3.5 × 5.5 × 0.6 inFits in a shirt pocket.
Battery: 2-3 weeksUSB-C charging.
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2Wifi, IOT sim card (4g service).
Material: ASA Plastic, canvas back

The base station

QUEUE HELD · NEXT DIGEST 6:00PM

Compute: Raspberry Pi 5Your rules run at home. Not in a cloud.
Connects: Plugs into your phoneThe phone stays. You go.
Footprint: Desk, nightstand, or drawerQuiet enough to sit out.
Status: One soft LEDNo screen. Nothing to check.
Enclosure: Two OptionsEither a lockbox version for those who want extra help keeping the phone until they set their digest time. Or a standard box enclosure.

What gets through

→ Gets through

× Held back

Why this exists

Gridless started as a personal experiment. I was tired of feeling tethered to a device that was designed, at every layer of its software, to make me more dependent on it.

I tried going phoneless, but in this world it's nearly impossible to not have some of the things technology adds.

App timers didn't help. Greyscale mode didn't help. Leaving my phone in another room created anxiety rather than relief. The problem wasn't willpower. The problem was infrastructure.

Gridless is for people who've already decided they want less, but who still have responsibilities, relationships, and lives that require genuine availability.

It's deliberately unsexy. No gamification. No streaks. No dashboard showing how many hours you saved. Just a quiet device that holds back the noise so you don't have to.

"Gridless optimizes for intentionality, not convenience."

Be a beta tester

We're looking for a small group of people who feel their relationship to their phone is not working for them. And people who are willing to try something new.

FAQ

Can I still make and receive calls?: Not through the device itself. Gridless is text and notification focused. The base station plugged into your phone handles call routing based on your contact rules. So you can get a voicemail as a notification if you've greenlit the contact.
What if someone has a real emergency?: Emergency contacts can be set to always pass through immediately. You can also configure a keyword like "URGENT" that bypasses queuing and triggers an immediate alert.
When will hardware ship?: We're targeting a small beta run in late 2026. Beta testers will receive devices before general availability. Nothing is guaranteed. This is early stage.
What does it cost?: We haven't set final pricing. Beta units will be heavily subsidized (possibly free) in exchange for detailed feedback.
Is this a phone replacement?: No. You've already bought a phone that probably cost you over $1,000. There are also things you probably still want from your smartphone. Gridless is meant to be a companion device that filters your smartphone's notifications and messages. It does have small IoT cellular service you can add (costs are generally less than $3 a month). It's a tool to help you in the moment out in the world, but then set aside time for your phone digest at night.
Would this be something I would like?: Read about the Gridless philosophy. If it resonates with you, then you should give it a try.