Why don't cell phones have lanyard holes?

They used to, just like pagers, carrying straps and the hole for them was a feature has all but disappeared though.

Some still do. I bought my daughter a cheap PAYGO phone and it has a lanyard hole.

The cheaper the phone, the more likely it is to have a lanyard hole. Expensive glass-screen smartphones really don't like to be swung around on the end of a string.

I'd extend the question to "why are there so few tough phones that are waterproof?

Yeah, that too!

As long as your phone folds, carrying is easy -- I do it all the time. (ADD and loose cell phones do not work well together.)

Get some heavy duty nylon thread, cut a chunk about 38" long, knot the ends together using several knots and put a drop of Locktite on them. Put over head, flip your phone over it. Cheap, simple, easily replaceable.

Sue

How do you secure the thread to the phone so that just opening the phone does not allow it to drop away?

Unless the lanyard is too long for comfort (like waist-length), it's easier to talk on the phone by opening the phone and removing it from the thread, talking on it, then closing it over the thread again. Trust me, I've been doing this for over 3 years. It works fine. I also get a lot of comments in public of "Why didn't I think of that?"

Sue

Thanks. I am worried about the slippery little devil deciding to go on its own adventure when I am chasing the wily mushroom on steep hillsides covered in dark, quiet forest duff - or arising from a deeply cushioned chair, couch, or restaurant booth. There have been several close calls.

What you need is a deep holster with a good latch, or else a shirt with securely fastened flap pockets. Maxpedition makes some good pouches that hold cell phones quite securely - no close calls whatever.