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Many times I go to the bathroom only for a quick pee, while in the middle of something, hence my mind is occupied, and I don't pay much attention.

I take my phone out of my pocket and place it somewhere else since I once had it fall into the toilet water. (While taking my pants down with my phone in my pocket)

So, the end result is that many times (about once a week), I forget the phone in the bathroom, and realize that I've done so minutes later. So far nothing bad has happened, but I'm afraid one day someone might take the phone while it's there.

Are there any tricks to help me remember to take the phone when I'm done?

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Shadow Wizard Love Zelda
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    Not a reply (the best answer is IMO to get working pockets), but an alternative: Any kind of bluetooth gadget that warns you on disconnect. Bluetooth earpiece, earphone, fitness bands, whatever. They usually beep, vibrate if you disconnect. You go too far from your phone (ie.: it's not with you), it will notice you. – Apache Feb 18 '19 at 21:49
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    @Shiki nice idea, actually worth an answer of its own IMO. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 21:55
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    Not a lifehack answer, but I always remind myself my "personal triangle" everytime I leave a room by tapping physically: phone in the left pocket, wallet in the right pocket, and glasses on my face... – Andrew T. Feb 19 '19 at 04:56
  • Isn't there some kind of phone necklace. You can just have it hanging off you. – fja3omega Feb 19 '19 at 05:47
  • @AndrewT. well that works when going out, but in that case it's about a quick visit to toilets, the whole thing is couple of minutes so I don't even take wallet. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 07:34
  • @fja3omega phone necklace? First I hear about such a thing, lol. If the other options will fail, will take a look. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 07:35
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    "I once had it fall into the toilet water. (While taking my pants down with my phone in my pocket)" sounds like a sequencing problem. Take your pants down before you lift the lid of the toilet and whatever falls out of your pockets can't end up in the water. – Peter Taylor Feb 19 '19 at 16:35
  • @Peter easier said than done... when in a rush can't remember the order of things. Plus, it became an instinct, will be hard to change it now. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 16:38
  • @PeterTaylor Given this seems to be about public toilets one cannot know if the lid will be open or closed when they enter. I usually find it open. – Vality Feb 19 '19 at 19:17
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    I use my front pocket and the phone will not fall out. – Joe Feb 19 '19 at 20:19
  • Are you keeping your phone in your back pocket? – Acccumulation Feb 19 '19 at 21:07
  • @Acccumulation yes, always in back pocket of jeans, but taking it out when taking the pants down. (explained in question.) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 23:28
  • May I ask why you are in so much of a hurry? You've commented a few times that things which only add half a minute at the absolute maximum take too long, but I feel like the best and most efficient solution is just to slow down. But since that seems to be out, I won't write that as an answer. – Aethenosity Feb 20 '19 at 06:25
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    @Aethenosity in the middle of something urgent, e.g. fixing production bug. It's not happening a lot, maybe once or twice a day. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 20 '19 at 08:37
  • @ShadowWizard woah! once or twice a day where something like 30 seconds makes that big of a difference would be what I would call too often. Once or twice a month seems too often. But that's just me. In my mind, 30 seconds max to check the seat, clean it, put down paper, and sit wouldn't really slow things down at all (well, i guess it would slow things by 30 seconds haha). But of course, that's a very subjective opinion. I just feel like killing yourself to spare seconds isn't great for your mental or physical health. Thanks for the response! I hope that didn't come off as flippant or rude! – Aethenosity Feb 20 '19 at 08:51
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    @Aethenosity heh, all good. Taking a side look on my actions I see you're right, but as I told in comment to some answer, I also fear that sitting down will be too tempting and I'll just stay there longer than I want. Something I didn't tell here is that I also take long bathroom breaks during the day (usually two, sometimes three) so turning a short visit into a long visit would feel as "too much" in that respect, putting the production bugs aside. So I'm using that bug as "self excuse" of sorts. Hope you understand my point, kind of messed up lol. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 20 '19 at 10:19
  • If you are doing this at work, consider leaving your phone at your desk. – Artelius Feb 20 '19 at 11:20
  • @AndrewT. there's an old joke where it looks like someone is crossing themselves in the Catholic Christian tradition but actually they are checking their watch, wallet, spectacles, and testicles. :) – Boggin Feb 20 '19 at 11:51
  • @Artelius good point, but see this other comment to know why not a good option in my case. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 20 '19 at 12:14
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    @ShadowWizard that's actually a really good point on staying there. I catch myself doing that too. – Aethenosity Feb 20 '19 at 15:52
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    @Aethenosity yup, I sit down, take the phone, open something and.... before I notice five minutes passed. :O – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 20 '19 at 15:55
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    The classic "phone in the back pocket" invitation for pickpocketing? Honestly, your phone is much safer in the bathroom! – Klaws Feb 20 '19 at 16:33
  • Superglue the charger into the port on the phone(or the headphones, either way) and then tie it in a knot around your belt loop. Bam, youll never forget your phone again! – Dylan Feb 20 '19 at 16:44
  • @Klaws pickpocketing at work place? Somehow I doubt it will happen. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 21 '19 at 08:35
  • @Dylan and risk busting the phone charging? No thanks. :-) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 21 '19 at 08:35
  • Is this what the world has come up to ...:| anyways .. make sure u dnt use it .. just seed fear of toilet germs in ur mind.. to avoid using phone in toilet. .. alternatively u can have a wallpaper of something that reminds u to stop using phone in toilet. – Vikash Feb 21 '19 at 10:09
  • @Vikash you totally misunderstood the question. Please, read it again. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 21 '19 at 10:13
  • @Shadow Wizard many years ago, my work places would include discotheques, train stations, hotels, open air festivals. Among others. I do however agree that in a lot of these places, this problem would not arise, simply because I would try to avoid the, erm, less than pristine bathroom at all cost. – Klaws Feb 22 '19 at 14:49
  • @Klaws holding pee for whole day is admirable, but not something I can (or want to) do. ;) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 22 '19 at 16:35

13 Answers13

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If I'm sitting down to pee, I put the phone inside my pants. Perhaps crude for some people, but I don't forget it and i can use it without dropping it, too.

  • Well, when I'm in a hurry I don't have time to sit down, so less relevant. When I sit down I always hold the phone in my hand until I'm done, so I don't forget it. Problem is only when I pee standing up, and phone is away. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 15:44
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    @ShadowWizard No pockets? – Luris Feb 18 '19 at 15:55
  • @Luris I have pockets, but like I said in the question, it once fell from the pocket into the water and ever since I never leave it inside the pocket, it became an instinct. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 15:59
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    Yeah, I'm starting to get the feeling that the solution could be better pockets, your phone really shouldn't be falling out of them. I wear skinny work trousers and have never had a problem of my phone even jutting out of them. Do you not have back pockets? –  Feb 18 '19 at 15:59
  • Sorry, I should have been clearer, I meant while you're standing up. "Butt pockets" should be far enough for the phone not to fall in the water. – Luris Feb 18 '19 at 16:03
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    glad to know I'm not the only one! – osuka_ Feb 18 '19 at 21:12
  • @Luris it fell from rear pocket, in ordinary jeans, not skinny. The rear pockets are deep and wide so the phone can easily fall. While in skinny jeans it doesn't fall indeed, I won't go only with skinny jeans just to solve this problem. :-) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 21:58
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    @JTPenguin storing your phone in back pockets is an easy way to crush it when sitting on it – d33tah Feb 18 '19 at 23:22
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    @d33tah but we are referring specifically to when OP is peeing standing up. Ideally you'd just keep them in your front pocket but if OP is really intent on not having them there this really seems like the only other temporary holding place that makes sense IMO. –  Feb 18 '19 at 23:25
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    @ShadowWizard I'm having trouble picturing your phone falling if you're doing it standing. I've never had this problem. I can only suggest to either not let the back part of your pants fall by pulling forwards a bit as you do your stuff or put your phone in a pocket where it actually fits whole. I always put mine in my side pocket. – JoL Feb 19 '19 at 03:18
  • @JoL maybe I wasn't clear enough, sorry... I take the pants down because messing with the buttons (most of my jeans don't have zipper) takes me too much time. So yes, the phone fall in that stage of taking the pants down when it's in the rear pocket. What is a "side pocket"? My jeans all have two front pockets and two rear pockets. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 07:38
  • @d33tah Penguin is correct, if I'm about to sit down I always take the phone out of the pockets, it's an instinct. So no risk of crushing it. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 07:41
  • To avoid abgiguity, please update your answer to make clear whether you mean "pants" (American word for trousers) or "pants" (British word for underwear) – JBentley Feb 19 '19 at 10:52
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    I'm not sure it really matters. I left it ambiguous because you can do either for the same outcome. –  Feb 19 '19 at 10:59
  • @ShadowWizard Side pockets are what you refer to as front pockets, I guess. Only they're more to the side than to the front. Even my jeans' pockets are more to the side than to the front, so it's a little odd they seem to be called front pockets. – JoL Feb 19 '19 at 15:44
  • @ShadowWizard Right now, I'm thinking the design of your pants suck, man. My pants are cheap and my phone is big and they never give me these problems. New suggestion: get less troublesome pants, testing out how well your phone fits, in the process. – JoL Feb 19 '19 at 15:49
  • @JoL lol well, checked my jeans now just to be sure, pockets are obviously in the front only, e.g. when I sit down the pockets are 100% visible. Found a picture online of very similar jeans,so you have something different?? – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 15:53
  • @JBentley well, Penguin is correct, one can either put the phone in a pocket of the trousers while you sit down, or directly on the underwear while it's down. Anyway, had no idea pants means underwear in British English, so thanks! :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 15:57
  • @d33tah Almost everyone I know puts their phone in their back pocket, it's never crushed - it's upright when you sit. – corsiKa Feb 19 '19 at 16:07
  • @corsiKa don't you remember the issues with iPhones a good few years back? They do try and make them more resilient these days, but it still happens. and I don't know about your rear, but for my trousers, the pockets extend down under my rear. – Baldrickk Feb 19 '19 at 16:42
  • @corsiKa I sit on my phone on purpose only in car, the seat is soft so phone is safe. Taking it out before sitting on something hard, better not test how resilient the phone is. ;) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 23:31
  • @ShadowWizard I'm having trouble resolving the statement: "I take the pants down ... because messing with the buttons takes too much time" You are able to remove your pants without undoing the buttons? What lifehack do you use to keep them up while walking around? – Mr.Mindor Feb 20 '19 at 16:02
  • @Mr.Mindor belt. My jeans aren't very wide, so belt is enough to hold them on me. So I just have to open the belt and the one "main" button. :-) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 20 '19 at 16:06
  • @ShadowWizard I'm still trying to figure out this whole pants thing. You have enough time to undo your belt but not enough time to unzip and "whip it out"? Do you pull your pants down below your butt? Not trying to ridicule, just trying to understand the situation – Kevin Feb 22 '19 at 20:27
  • @Kevin valid question. Well, due to past "trauma" I never pull it out through a zipper (you can imagine what is the trauma ;)) so by now most my jeans have only buttons, and due to having "two left hands" fumbling with the buttons take way too much time. So bottom line (pun intended) yes, I pull my pants below the butt as you said. And undoing/redoing the belt is really quick for me. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 23 '19 at 14:12
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I keep my phone in my front pocket, and don't remove it in the bathroom. Even when I sit. In this position it does not have a danger of falling into the toilet, nor will I forget it when I leave.

Michael Hampton
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  • Tried it several times but the phone is too big for the front pocket, so it's not comfortable. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 16:14
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    My phone has only a 5.5" display, so this isn't a big problem for me. – Michael Hampton Feb 18 '19 at 18:04
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    Transfer it to your front pocket just before you pull your pants down. You don't have to keep it there all the time. – chepner Feb 18 '19 at 18:04
  • @chepner that's an interesting idea. Thanks! – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 19:31
  • If you let your pants drop to your ankles, and your pants are heavy enough at the top (e.g. a belt), I find that the phone (in the inside of my front pocket) rests on my foot and the pants drape down further, thus "pushing" the phone out. This is exactly why I take my phone out of my pocket when sitting down on a toilet. – Flater Feb 21 '19 at 12:25
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Remind you with the phone itself in your way

Get a small loop, strap, or lanyard which can attach to your phone or otherwise hold it (such as in a small bag). When you enter the stall, hang or clip the phone/bag onto the lock, handle, or knob that you must use to exit.

  1. Forget phone.
  2. Exit restroom.
  3. Whoa, what's that thing on the door handle? Oh yeah, my phone.
  4. Leave with phone, not without.

Attach the phone to you securely

Get such a loop, strap, or lanyard, that can clip onto your pants or belt loop or attach to your wrist. Attach it before you sit down, either holding the phone to the side of your pants or in your pants pocket or in your hand, as convenient per attachment location.

You may also place the phone in a location that is secure from the perspective of being safe from falling into the toilet or onto the floor and not something easily missed, but which location wouldn't work in normal carrying/holding—for example, you can put it in your front pocket even if this is normally uncomfortable for you, or you could just place it inside your bunched up pants near your ankles. You could place it on your shirt and roll your shirt up around it (perhaps).

Remind you with something else in your way

Tie a string from your pants to the door handle or put any object in your way that would prevent you from leaving: a string hanging down across your path or any object at all hanging from the knob/latch.

I do this when I need to get gas in the car, but I can't do it right that moment: I place some random object behind my steering wheel, in front of my speedometer and other dials, such as an empty soda can. Anything that will make me go "what the heck is that doing there?" and suddenly remember... oh yeah, get gas. Whew, I'm so glad I remembered!

Get a bluetooth device that alerts when your phone leaves your presence

Many of the bluetooth fob-style devices that are intended to alert you when you left your wallet or keys behind, can also alert you (through the device itself making a tone) when your phone goes away from you.

I don't have time to really research this to give you a solid recommendation, but check out bluetooth tracking devices for an introduction to these kind of devices. I don't know if any on that page actually support this use case, but you can search for some.

I have read that they can be a little unreliable and make an alert when they shouldn't, or that they can have an unacceptable lag, but perhaps you can find a good one that fits your use case or you can live with any down sides because of the up side of not leaving your phone behind for very long or getting very far.

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  • Similar lanyard idea: attach your phone to your wrist. Then you can check it, without any chance of it falling into the toilet or onto the not-very-clean floor. – BrettFromLA Feb 18 '19 at 20:44
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    @BrettFromLA Added to my answer. – ErikE Feb 18 '19 at 21:04
  • Interesting suggestions, though most require putting extra time which I just don't have when going to those quick pee sessions. I'm bad at clips and strips, always mess around with them. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 22:04
  • @ShadowWizard I've added another option for you to consider. – ErikE Feb 18 '19 at 22:27
  • Heh, yeah, such device would be cool. I'm not a big fan of gadgets (yeah I know, not the typical geek ;)) but that's something worth looking into. Thanks! – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 07:43
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    Upvoted for the last suggestion. I bought a BT headset torque years ago for hands-free talking while supporting customers, and was quite pleasantly surprised to discover I'd gotten a "you're leaving your phone behind" warning device for free in the bargain! Its saved my bacon (phone) so many times. You can even use it to triangulate roughly where you left it, if you've forgotten. If you're someone who is apt to put down and forget a phone, I can't recommend this highly enough. – T.E.D. Feb 20 '19 at 15:37
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Place the phone somewhere where you have to see it on your way out.

One such place is the door handle of the cubicle / toilet. If there's an old-fashioned handle there, you can carefully lay the phone on top. Now it's impossible to forget your phone.

But not all toilets are build that way. You can:

  • Lay the phone on top of the toilet paper dispenser (if it has a horizontal top)
  • Lay the phone over (or right next to) the button to flush the toilet
  • Lay the phone on the floor right in front of the door (if the floor is clean). If you have a booklet-style phone case, you can stand it up like an open book to minimize the area that comes into contact with the floor.
  • Balance the phone on the top of your shoe or put it in your shoe like an ankle knife.
  • Just hold it in your non-dominant hand
Elmy
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  • Interesting suggestions. I do place it on the toilet paper dispenser, and forget it's there when done. Floor is usually wet (not from water) or just not clean, so not an option either. Placing it inside the shoe sounds like the best option, will give it a try, thanks! Next question here is going to be "How to remove sock smell from my phone?".... ;-) (but hey, better have a smelly phone than no phone at all...) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 14:36
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    @ShadowWizard Well, my next best suggestion is to keep some brain cells dedicated to remembering your phone ;-) – Elmy Feb 18 '19 at 14:42
  • Hehe, that would be really awesome. :P – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 14:45
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    Excuse me, but how do you literally stumble over something that's on a door handle? And even if we assume figurative stumbling, this is a great way to develop a nasty crack across the the entire screen. Unless you have a fluffy bathroom floor, which is totally not recommended... – John Dvorak Feb 18 '19 at 16:43
  • Update: tried placing the phone in the shoe or sock and got mixed results. Yesterday it failed, phone just didn't fit, and today it worked, as I had different brand of socks. Still better than nothing, so thanks again! – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 20 '19 at 16:21
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When traveling, such as on a plane or train, I take my phone with me in case I have to wait for the bathroom. When I go into the bathroom I tuck the phone into my bra strap.

Oh, you're not wearing a bra? Well perhaps you have a shirt pocket. Or you can put it under your arm if you're using both hands for whatever you're doing. Or hold it in one hand and only use the other hand. If you're sitting down and planning to do a lot of leaning and twisting, put the phone in your sock. Lots of options.

Don't put it down on any surface in the bathroom. Germs aside, you can forget it, as you mentioned in the question.

Kate Gregory
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  • I do this exact thing. I take the phone out of my back pocket when I go to take my pants off, for fear of it falling out into the toilet, and then hold it until I need to flush. It stays safely tucked into my bra strap until I've finished washing my hands, which keeps it safe from my germy hands, too. – Cooper Feb 19 '19 at 15:38
  • The sock, exactly. You may need to bend down a bit, which can be uncomfortable in a tiny bathroom, but it should be safe there until you start jogging around. In any case, if the phone accidentally removes itself from it's sock, it will, most probably, survive the drop. Don't play association football in the bathroom, though. – Klaws Feb 20 '19 at 16:40
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Would it work to take your phone out of your pocket before you even walk to the bathroom? For example, if you are at a desk or table, put your phone on the desk or table and then walk over to the bathroom. It will be where you left it when you return (provided someone else hasn't swiped it; I'm not sure if this is an issue at home or in school / work).

BrettFromLA
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  • Issue is only at work, and since the office has a door that can auto-lock when closed, I always take the phone in case the door get locked and I'm without keys. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 14:39
  • @ShadowWizard You can remember to take your phone with you but not your keys? – JAB Feb 18 '19 at 18:44
  • @JAB keys are cumbersome, lots of them together, very uncomfortable in pocket, and I leave only for couple of minutes, so I don't take them on purpose when there's someone in office. So in case I'm locked out, I can call someone inside to come and open. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 18 '19 at 22:02
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    @ShadowWizard Get a belt or external holder for your keys! Very useful unless the keys are sensitive enough to actually worry about someone taking them while inside wherever you work. You still have to deal with the noise they make, though. :( – JAB Feb 18 '19 at 22:05
  • Just take the one key that opens the bathroom door. – Dawood ibn Kareem Feb 20 '19 at 09:26
  • @Daw you mean office door, but it's a headache to take out a single key, they're all tied up together. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 20 '19 at 10:25
  • Have two keyrings, the super important keys, and the less important keys. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Feb 21 '19 at 14:42
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****Get A NECK BAND**** Cheap and failproof solution Neckband

user26984
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I almost always have a shirt pocket to slip my phone in whilst visiting the loo. Alternatively, I just slip it into my pants pocket before I get up.

If you just get into the habit of putting your phone in your purse, pocket, or wherever you took it from right before you begin the paperwork then won't have to worry about leaving it behind.

TheWolfEmperor
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Smartwatch

A smartwatch was my solution to this (as well as for leaving my phone anywhere else). As Shadow Wizard and ErikE pointed out, most Bluetooth devices include this functionality by design or accidentally (since some beep simply because they are out of range), but most smartwatches will specifically notify you that you are leaving your phone and/or cause your phone to alert you with an alarm.

I believe this shouldn't depend on the make of the two devices too much, but some have more tightly intertwined ecosystems of apps.

For example: I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 Frontier, which runs on Tizen OS. The apps on it can communicate with some Android apps provided they are designed to communicate. Beyond that, the interoperability is very rudimentary, so if you are thinking about going this route educate yourself on this topic with the device you are considering. Another industry standard is Google's "Wear OS", and my limited knowledge of it leads me to believe it offers a bit more interactivity. I know this seems a bit much info, but it directly affects the ultimate usefulness to the original query.

Dedicated Bluetooth "Tracker"

A dedicated Bluetooth tracking device is another solution, as ErikE also mentioned. They are getting extremely inexpensive (TrackR, which I have used personally for some time, is selling them for $9.99 US). Also, they can be used in the opposite fashion: they can be used to find other items from your phone (keys, camera, etc).

An added benefit: TrackR (and other companies with similar products, I assume) devices can also anonymously report their locations to other users of their app, which means that if you drop your keys when your phone is dead then realize it later your app can still find its exact location if other TrackR users have come into its proximity.

Aside: If you have one of the new Samsung Galaxy Note phones, the stylus (only models with Bluetooth stylus) will also cause the phone to buzz should it lose the signal.

AVLien
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Try a "Cell Phone Holster" (not sure that's the right word) that you can attach to your belt and where the phone is secured with a strap.

George
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Puth the phone in a closable pocket

If possible, I always put my phone in a pocket having a zipper, button or at least a clasp, so I'm sure that it's content would not fall out.

If you don't have closable pockets on you wear, you can bring it to a sewing workshop and ask them to sew a stylish button onto it ;-)

However, this solution might be not applicable for modern "spadephones", as they often don't fit completely even in large pockets.

bodqhrohro
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  • No such pockets in any of my jeans, so less relevant for me, but even so, still helpful for others who do have such pockets, so thanks. :) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 14:38
  • My work trousers and my activity trousers (most I use these days) have a special pocket which is big enough for a phone, mid thigh, very useful for not forgetting phone. – Willeke Feb 20 '19 at 16:48
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    I have a lightweight jacket I wear when traveling; one reason I like this jacket in particular is because of its zippered pockets. While this might not work for the OP's situation, this is a good option for many others with similar conundrums. – J.R. Feb 20 '19 at 22:55
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Add a button / popper / Velcro or similar fastener to whatever your preferred pocket is for your phone, so that your phone can be pocketed and then the button done up, reducing the size of the pocket hole to something the phone cannot come out of

Sew a line of stitching into the pocket to create a portion of pocket that is more phone sized / a better fit for the shape of your phone

Sew some elasticated material around the pocket to form a region where the pocket is squeezed to a size smaller than the phone. Pushing the phone into the pocket will cause the elastic to grip it. You may also need to attach the bottom of the pocket to the trouser leg to prevent the pocket material being pulled out when the phone is removed

Replace the material that forms the pocket with one that is deeper and better shaped to hold a phone. if it's a front pocket, which is better to avoid damaging a phone by sitting in it/bending it, have it angled so it points downwards when you're sitting. The problem with most front pockets is that they point towards the crotch and things slide out easily when you're sitting - as anyone with a pocket full of change who sat in a car seat and had it all pour out and down the side of the seat will confirm

Get a sticky/grippy rubber case to encourage your phone to stay in your pocket via friction

Tuck your phone into the top of your sock temporarily

Set some audio/music playing before you put your phone down. It should be harder to leave behind if it's constantly making a noise

Caius Jard
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  • The last part is the most simple, might give it a try, though being public bathroom (for all the employees in the building floor) it's bit embarrassing to put music in the toilets. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 07:46
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I have a solution to this that works every time, and I notice that no one has posted it yet.

I sit down when I pee!

I see that you wrote in a comment that you sometimes don't have time to do that, but seriously, it takes at most three seconds to flip the lid up and sit down, and then stand up and flip the lid back. You can save that time by not having to aim!

pipe
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  • Actually top answer mention this: "If I'm sitting down to pee, I put the phone inside my pant" hence the answer is relevant only for those sitting down. Anyway, when I sit down (and usually I do, when not in a hurry), I do exactly this, so the phone is safe. Problem is only when I'm in a rush and it's more than "flip the lid up and sit down" because: 1) Need to check if the seat is clean, 2) Usually not clean so have to clean it, 3) when sitting down it's too tempting to stay there longer than I need, 4) after sitting down I use toilet paper to clean the last drops, when standing up I don't. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 16:36
  • (Guess #4 needs a separate discussion lol but that's just how it is. :)) – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 16:36
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    @ShadowWizard Yeah, I'll just ignore #4 because I'm a civilized human being in the 21st century. :P I can sympathize with #2 though but I guess it never happens to me which is why I don't tend to factor it in. – pipe Feb 19 '19 at 16:37
  • Lucky you then for having a good workplace, lol. – Shadow Wizard Love Zelda Feb 19 '19 at 16:48