In My Phone or On My Phone – Which is the correct one?

In the modern world, not only are smartphones ubiquitous and indispensable, but they have become a virtual extension of our hands. Visioning our lives without a phone is inconceivable. An unrelenting dilemma we face is, should we say “on my phone” or “in my phone”? Well, both prepositions “on” and “in” are correct, pivoting on the context. Let's demystify the perplexing world of prepositions.

In my phone - 

• describes physical things that are inside the phone itself (sim card, other electronics).

• things stored inside the phone (stored photos, files), and currently not in use.

Examples:

In my phone there’s a camera and a SIM card slot.

I have many saved pictures in my phone.  (presently I am not looking/using the photos)

On my phone - 

• interacting with a software/app. 

• things being used inside a phone (stored photos, files).

Examples:

I called you on my cell phone two hours ago.  (interacting with the dialer app, a software)

There’s a photo on my phone that I don’t remember taking last week.  (you are presently looking at the photo)

To encapsulate, both prepositions “in” and “on” are correct, riding on the context. For any physical items inside the phone, the preposition “in” will steal the limelight; for any software/file interactions, “on” will be at the vanguard.