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Tech founder builds landline-style phone to reduce screen time, makes $120,000 in just 3 days
A tech founder's DIY retro landline-style phone, designed to reduce screen time, has turned into a business success, raking in $120,000 in sales within 3 days.
A tech founder’s nostalgic attempt to reduce her own screen time has turned into a viral business success, earning $120,000 (approximately ₹1 crore) in sales within just 3 days.
Two years ago, Cat Goetze, who is known online as CatGPT, grew tired of constant smartphone use and wished for the simplicity of old-school landline conversations.
“I was kind of just sitting around [thinking] it’d be so cute if we still had landline phones and you could twirl the cord and talk with your friends. That just felt nostalgic and chic to me,” she told CNBC Make It.
Goetze said that when she realised getting a landline required a new number and paid connection, she decided to build her own version. Then, using a thrifted pink clamshell handset, she “hijacked” the device and made it Bluetooth-compatible. It became the quirky centrepiece of her apartment. Whenever someone buzzed into her building’s security system, Goetze said that she would let them in from her landline, and she could even place outgoing calls from the set.
Then, in July 2025, she revealed the device online. She said that the response was instant, with hundreds of users commenting that they wanted it. This prompted her to launch an online shop, expecting maybe 15–20 preorders.
Instead, her project, now called Physical Phones, hit $120,000 in sales within 3 days, she shared. And by the end of October, she had sold more than 3,000 units, with total revenue crossing $280,000, the techie revealed.
“It literally felt like we had captured lightning in a bottle,” she said.
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How do Physical Phones work?
Today, Physical Phones offers five handset styles priced between $90 and $110. According to CNBC Make It, Goetze has partnered with an electronics manufacturer to scale production, with the first batches shipping from December.
The techie shared that the devices connect to iPhones and Android phones via Bluetooth and ring when users receive calls from platforms like WhatsApp, FaceTime, Instagram and Snapchat. Outgoing calls can also be made by dialling numbers manually or by pressing the star (*) key to activate a phone’s voice assistant, she explained.
Goetze believes the product’s success reflects a rising pushback against excessive screen time and digital overload. She says the pandemic accelerated smartphone dependency, but now many people are actively seeking ways to disconnect.
“Our attention spans are shorter. We feel more anxious. We’re less present and unable to enjoy our lives. We’re going through a total loneliness epidemic,” she said. People are now “starting to put their foot down and realize, ’You know what, I actually don’t want this, and I’m going to go ahead and choose a different future,” she added.
While she didn’t dismiss technology, Goetze said that the goal is balance. “What brings us sustainable forms of energy and vaccines and a bunch of really good things for the world, but it’s like, OK, how do we live in harmony with it?” she said.
