So, while admittedly not anything game-breaking, the frequency of the idle phone-tapping animations in this game is quite disruptive to a sense of immersion, and also just extremely annoying. This is...
My Sim who lives off the grid frequently autonomously plays videogames on their phone when they are off their home lot. I have also had Sims use their phones in the ocean in Sulani, with the same off the grid challenge.