There are ways to secure and protect a phone from water that doesn’t require it being stowed away.
There are ways Im sure. In my case a camera with a zoom lense and a strap alound my neck is the better option. I dont use the phone for photography in the canoe. I only use it for emergencies and if its important to send a message or recieve one and I would try to be very carefull when handling it.
Have floaty on mine too.
If there’s an emergency requiring a phone call, you’re most likely not going to be able to concentrate on being super careful to not drop your phone, nevermind having to dig it out of a drybag. You’re creating a lot of needless steps to have to go through in the event of an emergency. Adrenaline does strange things to the body, fine motor skills can suffer significantly, and can likely result in you dropping your phone. Get a waterproof pouch with a lanyard you can secure to your PFD so it’s quickly accessible and you don’t have to worry about it slipping from your hands into the water.
Point and shoot waterproof cameras have gotten reasonably good and that’s what I use kayaking. I have an old Canon D10 from 2009 that just won’t break or flood. There are much better ones out there now.
I have a Canon 5D MK IV that I’ve put in a Pelican case in a hatch to transport it to somewhere where I wanted to do some land photography, but I’d never use that to take pictures while on the water, especially on open salt water in a sea kayak. They make waterproof housings but they make the camera even bulkier and cost as much as the camera as well.
I shoot with Canon DSLR cameras; either my old 7D or an 8 year old 5D MKIII, neither of which are my newest (R6). I have a variety of lenses that I might use, but only one for each outing. I usually take it out of the drybag at the beginning of the journey and if the water gets too rough or if I think I won’t be shooting for a while, I’ll put it back in the drybag. Otherwise, it sits on the floor with a towel over it to catch any minor splashing. Granted, if I go over, I’m going to lose my gear, but I don’t paddle in the open ocean either. Just the chance I take, as I’m not satisfied with cell phone images.
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I found this nifty little thing called “Nite Ize”, it’s a bit stretchy, silicone band that you can put around your phone or camera. Adjustable with the silver band to the tightness needed for whichever device you’re using it on. It has a small clip at one end which locks so it can’t come unclipped.(the clip can be entirely removed as well if wishing to change it for one that works better for your needs). I forgot where I found it but I’m sure a Google search would bring it up. Perhaps there are other sizes as well?? I thought it could be clipped to one of those retractable work ID badge things for quick and easy access without the worry of dropping it. Hope this helps?? Happy paddling!!!
Scuba shops are a great source of all manner of equipment clips and straps that are rated for immersion, even in salt water.
Leave it home 
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If your camera falls overboard, don’t assume it’s ruined if if can be retrieved. That happened to me once and I bought a new camera because the wet one didn’t work. A few months later I tried it again and it worked fine. It just had to dry out.
I can’t believe how many people lose GoPro’s because they don’t have a tether on them.
I lost my GoPro once. It had a tether on it. To be fair, I set it on top of a rock next to a boat launch, and when I lifted my kayak to carry it to the car, I hit it with the kayak and knocked it into the water. I didn’t realize it until I was home, because I thought I had put it in my bag.
I did get it back though. Shortly after I had left the lake, someone went fishing there and saw the tether sticking up through some leaves at the shore. He didn’t need the GoPro, so he listed for sale it in the local Facebook marketplace. I explained the situation to him, and showed him pictures of my camera on my boat with the same tether and base. I got lucky that he was a good guy and was honest about it, and we met the next day.
Tethers help, but if a person is dumb enough, they can still lose their camera 
What happen that tether failed? Or it was knocked before tethering?
I set the camera on a rock instead of putting it in my bag when I was packing up to leave. It then got knocked off the rock into the water and I didn’t realize it until I was home. Lesson learned, if I take the camera off the boat or my helmet, don’t set it down, just put it straight in the bag.
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Stuck mine on the hull at my floating dock. Then almost bobbled it. Now Scotty Clip first then suction cup it.
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I never take my phone out of its dry bag. When I’m on the water the phone is just a phone, not a gps or a camera in my world. It stays in airplane mode, charged and ready to call for help (if there is service). I use inexpensive digital cameras so if I drop it and it gets wet (or worse) I’m not out much I keep it in the pocket of my PFD. My Go Pro is of course in a water tight case and attached to me, so provided I stay sunny side up I probably won’t lose it.