A classic feature phone on your Android screen. Green monochrome display, a real keypad, text messages typed with multi-tap, contacts, a call log, Snake and more. It works fully offline and needs no account.
- Messages: write with the old-style multi-tap keypad (press 2 once for A, twice for B), keep drafts, read inbox and sent
- Contacts: add, edit, delete, search, call or message a contact
- Calls: dial a number, see the calling screen, try incoming and missed calls, browse the call log
- Games: Snake (Easy / Medium / Hard levels, top-5 high scores per level saved with your name) and a Reaction test with a saved best time
- Tools: Calculator, Clock with stopwatch and countdown timer, Alarm, Calendar
- Two languages: English and Bengali (বাংলা), including Bengali typing on the keypad. Menu, Settings, Language
- Settings: 3 colour themes (Classic Green, Monochrome, Dark Retro), sound and vibration, 12 or 24 hour time, Profiles (General, Silent, Vibrate only)
- Remembers everything: contacts, messages, call log, alarms, settings and high scores stay after you close the app
By default calls and messages are simulations: nothing is sent and no permission is needed. Turn on Real mode to place real calls and send real SMS (see below).
Only in the -real.apk file. Menu, Settings, Real mode, then confirm. Android asks for permission to make calls and send SMS.
- Calls: dialling a number places a real phone call using your SIM. The normal phone call screen opens.
- SMS: messages you send go out as real text messages. Your carrier's SMS charges apply.
- If a permission is denied, calls open the phone dialer instead and sending shows "Send failed" and keeps the text in Drafts.
- Turn Real mode off at any time to go back to the simulation.
If Android will not show the SMS permission (Android 13 and newer, apps installed from a file): open Android Settings, Apps, Retro Phone Simulator, tap the three dots at the top right and choose Allow restricted settings. Then turn Real mode on again.
Real mode works inside the app only. The app does not read your existing texts, and incoming real calls and texts are not shown.
Each release has two files. Pick one:
...-lite.apk: the phone simulator only. Recommended. It asks for no call or SMS permission and installs on every phone....-real.apk: the same app, and it can also place real calls and send real SMS. Google Play Protect may block this one.
- Open the latest release in your phone browser.
- Under Assets, tap the file ending in -lite.apk to download it.
- Open the downloaded file. If Android says installing from this source is blocked, tap Settings, allow it for your browser or file manager, then go back and tap Install.
- If Play Protect shows a warning, tap More details and then Install anyway. The app is not on the Play Store, which is why the warning appears.
- Open Retro Phone Simulator from your app list.
To update, download the newest APK and install it over the old one. Your data stays.
- ফোনের ব্রাউজারে সর্বশেষ release খুলুন।
- Assets-এর নিচে -lite.apk দিয়ে শেষ হওয়া ফাইলে ট্যাপ করে ডাউনলোড করুন। (আসল কল ও এসএমএস চাইলে -real.apk, তবে Play Protect আটকাতে পারে।)
- ডাউনলোড হওয়া ফাইল খুলুন। Android বাধা দিলে Settings চেপে ব্রাউজার বা ফাইল ম্যানেজারের জন্য অনুমতি দিন, তারপর Install চাপুন।
- Play Protect সতর্কতা দিলে More details চেপে Install anyway দিন।
- অ্যাপ লিস্ট থেকে Retro Phone Simulator খুলুন।
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Left / right soft key (top row) | Does what the label at the bottom of the screen says |
| Arrow keys and the square middle key | Move and select (square = OK) |
| Number keys | Type, dial, or jump to menu items 1 to 9 |
# while typing |
Switch between Abc, abc, ABC and 123 |
| CALL | Dialled numbers on the home screen, accept an incoming call |
| END | Back to the home screen from anywhere |
| Android Back button | Go back one screen, exit from the home screen |
Press any number on the home screen to start dialling. Press the left soft key (Menu) to see everything the phone can do.
Try a call or message: Menu, Call Log, Simulate incoming. For a message: Menu, Messages, Simulate incoming.
- Alarms and the timer ring only while the app is open. Android pauses apps in the background.
- Incoming real calls and SMS are not shown yet.
- To erase everything: Menu, Settings, Reset app.
- Privacy: the app does not collect or send any data. Everything stays on your phone. In Real mode the app only uses the call and send SMS permissions you allow.
Build, Termux and GitHub Actions instructions are in DEVELOPING.md.
Retro Phone Simulator is an original design inspired by early feature phones. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nokia or any phone maker, and it contains no logos, fonts, sounds or software from them.