Tech founder builds landline-like phone to reduce her screentime, makes Rs 1 crore in 3 days

Physical Phones founder Cat Goetze. These phones are fitted with Bluetooth and the prices range from about Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,800. (Image credit: Physical Phones)

A tech founder’s nostalgic idea to reduce screen time turned into a viral business, raking in over Rs 1 crore in sales within three days.

Two years ago, Cat Goetze, who goes by CatGPT on social media, wanted to swap her smartphone for something more low-tech. “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,” she told CNBC Make It. “That just felt nostalgic and chic to me.”

Unable to get a traditional landline without paying for a new number, Goetze thrifted a phone and hacked it: “I literally just hijacked a landline phone and made it Bluetooth compatible.”

Goetze says the trend reflects a growing push to curb screen time: “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.” 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.’”

Physical Phones connect to iPhone and Android via Bluetooth. They ring for calls from apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Instagram, routing audio to the handset. Users can dial numbers or press * to activate voice assistants.

In July 2025, Goetze unveiled the device online, expecting 15–20 pre-orders. Instead, hundreds flooded in. “It literally felt like we had captured lightning in a bottle,” she said.

Her company made over Rs 1 crore in sales in three days and hit Rs 2.5 crore by October, selling over 3,000 units. Prices range from about Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,800. Goetze partnered with a manufacturer, and the first batches ship in December.