Details regarding Daryl Dixon suggest the series is in a good position to help explain the significance of Rick's phone in The Walking Dead. Introduced as the plot device that clued in Michonne to Rick's survival, the phone seen in The Walking Dead season 10 is the subject of one of several mysteries related to Rick's disappearance. Since it's been spotted twice now, it's been speculated that the phone plays a secret role in the story.
The moment that Michonne discovered that Rick is still alive was revisited in a surprising way in The Walking Dead series finale. Rick's cameo revealed the event that led to Michonne stumbling upon his belongings on the boat. As it turned out, Rick quickly stashed his bag (along with the phone) on the boat shortly before being surrounded by CRM soldiers. His hasty attempt to hide his things further builds evidence for the phone having something to do with the larger story the franchise has planned for Andrew Lincoln's character.
Daryl's Spinoff Can Explain How Useful Rick's Phone Could Be
Whether or not it holds a greater level of importance that's what's already known may not be clearly articulated in The Walking Dead franchise until Rick and Michonne's untitled spinoff, but a chance to make sense of it early will come with Daryl Dixon. In a post-apocalyptic setting, an iPhone would normally seem useless due to the absence of technology and working cell towers. However, it's become apparent that Daryl's show will be much more advanced than what viewers have become accustomed to in Walking Dead shows set in North America. A character in Daryl Dixon reportedly runs an underground nightclub and a black market. These are both social structures that would feel out of place in any of the existing Walking Dead shows, which says a lot about how different the world is in Europe where Daryl is heading.
If there are still places where technological conveniences like phones aren't completely pointless, Rick leaving an iPhone behind wouldn't feel so bizarre anymore. The long-distance communication capabilities that come with this idea would be a game-changer for so many people, given that this represents one of the biggest pieces of civilization that was lost when the zombie apocalypse happened. Loss of communication has a lot to do with how disconnected everyone is. Most characters in The Walking Dead universe understand very little about what goes on outside their own community.
How Rick's Phone Sets Up A Walking Dead Cast Reunion
Having access to such a high form of communication can put a long-awaited The Walking Dead reunion on the table. Daryl's mission in his upcoming series may or may not be about Rick, but finding him is still one of his goals. Developments made in Daryl Dixon and Rick and Michonne's spinoff could lay the groundwork for the characters to cross paths once more and give them a way to find a way back to each other. Since Daryl is the current guardian of Rick's children and is also one of the people most affected by Rick's abduction, it feels necessary for these characters to reunite before either of their stories end.