Phone stands on drink bottles exist now – when will it end?

It’s getting harder and harder to disconnect

Our phones already interrupt every experience we have. Now we can buy phone stands for our drink bottles so we can stay content-ready even when we’re hiking.

You’ll be hard pressed to find any of us comfortably leaving home without our phones and water bottles. 

Phantom notifications and feeling like we’ve never had a sip of water in our lives are regular experiences for many of us when we try to have an outing with our bags and pockets empty.

While more and more people are trying to train their brains to function without their phones, picking up hobbies that allow them to disconnect like hiking and camping, or even swapping smart phones for dumb phones to remove the temptation of picking up our phones, others are still living life always on the look out for potential content opportunities.

Gym floors are already scattered with propped-up phones as members film their workouts and document their progress, while the mirrors are decorated with even more phones held up by suction pads.

You can’t run along a popular track without seeing several fellow runners almost trip over, arm extended, face turned up to the phone in the sky as they record their daily exercise.

Even swimming laps in the pool – notably hard to do with a phone in hand – is being recorded on a phone tediously resting at the end of the lane and uploaded to TikTok.

Gym floors are already scattered with propped-up phones as members film their workouts and document their progress. Image: iStock

Every facet of our lives, including the hobbies we picked up to limit our screen time, is turned into potential video opportunities thanks to our social media addictions.

Typically taking place in the middle of nowhere and as a result, sans signal, hikes seem to be one of the last activities that force people to disconnect.

There are of course often a few photos of beautiful views uploaded to socials post-hike, but it’s unlikely an avid hiker will have room in their pack for a tripod, so these shots are usually a quick snapshot of the experience.

There are of course often a few photos of beautiful views uploaded to socials post-hike, but it’s unlikely an avid hiker will have room in their pack for a tripod, so these shots are usually a quick snapshot of the experience. Image: iStock

Now there’s even a way for hikers to have all they need for expertly-shot content, with phone stands on drink bottles available for purchase from Journey.

We’ve got mini tripods, portable ring lights, Octobuddies and mini microphones, and now you can even turn your drink bottle into a piece of camera equipment – when will it end? 

I get it, I’m also addicted to my phone and a sucker for videoing a sunset instead of sitting and staring at it, but there’s a neverending supply of tools to keep us forever creating content. 

Now there’s even a way for hikers to have all they need for expertly-shot content, with phone stands on drink bottles available for purchase. Image Journey

Rates of people checking in to phone-free retreats have surged in recent years, with global search interest for "digital detox retreat" increasing by 50 per cent in 2024, according to Business Insider. The 2025 Hilton Trends Report also found that of the 13,000 adults surveyed, a quarter of them said they are working hard to avoid responding to calls, texts or emails while traveling.

We’re downloading apps to force us to stop checking social media, because the app limit settings aren’t enough to break our addictions, and none of us can work out how to revert to experiencing life instead of constantly being on the lookout for photo and video opportunities.

While the product is absolutely a great tool for getting the perfect video while in the gym, at the pool or on a hike, the day when it's commonplace to leave the house with nothing but our keys is looking further and further away.

Originally published as Phone stands on drink bottles exist now – when will it end?