Avoid “text claw” with this rubber band smartphone hack

I don’t know about you, but after a long day of staring at a medium-sized screen, I like to wind down by staring at a small one. Relaxing!

Between my Kindle app, various online publications and a few social platforms, I spend quite a lot of time reading on my phone.

But all the time I’m scrolling and relaxing (absolutely no contradiction there), I’m also gripping my phone like my life depends on it. Well, maybe my life does depend on it. What if I missed one of Zendaya’s red carpet outfits?

But holding your phone in a frozen grip for hours is how you wind up with “text claw”, a colloquial term for the pain or numbness you might get in your fingers, hand or elbow from holding a phone and texting or scrolling for long periods of time. These actions are associated with cubital tunnel syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome.

You may have already figured out a workaround, such as using a stand or pop socket. But in an emergency, or if you need to rest your fingers and you can’t bear to put down the phone, all you need is a rubber band.

Take the case off your phone and pull the rubber band over it. Now pop your phone back in the case. The rubber band won’t do anything to protect your scrolling hand, but you can read or watch video content for hours without having to grip your phone or assume the claw pose.

Looking for a phone to attach to your rubber band? For our top recommendations, see our round-ups of the best phones and the best budget phones we’ve tested.