What started as one woman’s search for a break from her smartphone has now become a full-blown business sensation. Cat Goetze, a tech founder known online as CatGPT, created a landline-style Bluetooth phone to reduce screen time.
Within days of posting it online, the internet went wild, and her DIY nostalgia project turned into a six-figure startup almost overnight. How one nostalgic idea sparked a business Two years ago, Goetze was tired of being glued to her smartphone. She wanted the slow, relaxed feeling of old-school landline chats, twirling the cord, sitting back, and talking without notifications buzzing constantly. As she told CNBC Make It: It’d be so cute if we still had landline phones… That just felt nostalgic and chic to me. When she realised getting a real landline required paying for a new number and installation, she decided to make her own version instead. She took a thrifted pink clamshell handset, modified its hardware, and turned it into a Bluetooth-enabled landline-style phone. For two years, this DIY device became her main home phone. She even used it to buzz guests into her building and make calls without touching her smartphone. When the internet discovered it, everything exploded In July 2025, Goetze finally showed the device on social media. Expecting 15 to 20 preorders, she launched a small online shop.
Instead, the response was instant. She said: It literally felt like we had captured lightning in a bottle. Her project is now officially a startup called ‘Physical Phones.’ How the Bluetooth ‘landline’ actually works Physical Phones now come in five retro-inspired styles, priced between $90 (₹8,100) and $110 (₹9,900). After the viral boom, she partnered with an electronics manufacturer, and the first large batches are being shipped starting this December.
The device works as an extension of your smartphone: Connectivity Incoming calls Outgoing calls Essentially, it looks and feels like a landline but works like a modern wireless handset, minus the screen. Why people are loving it Goetze believes the craze is part of a bigger trend: people wanting to disconnect from constant screen time. As she explained: Our attention spans are shorter. We feel more anxious… We’re going through a total loneliness epidemic. She says more people are now pushing back against endless scrolling and choosing simpler, healthier habits. Goetze doesn’t reject technology — she just wants balance: Tech brings so many good things to the world… but it’s like, OK, how do we live in harmony with it? A cultural moment wrapped in a retro phone CatGPT’s landline-style phone is more than a cute throwback; it taps into a rising desire for slower, calmer, screen-free moments. And with over $280,000 (₹2.52 crore) in sales in a few months, the internet clearly agrees.
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