Key Takeaways
- Older telephones aren’t ineffective, and even when they really feel gradual to make use of on an on a regular basis foundation, you possibly can nonetheless get some critical use out of them.
- You may flip your previous cellphone into a sensible house distant, house safety digicam, or video calling machine. You can too use it as a multimedia heart in your house or your automobile, or dedicate it to emulating your favourite retro video games.
- It could additionally assist scientific analysis initiatives or — when you’re not concerned about any of those makes use of — you possibly can all the time promote or donate your previous cellphone to present it a second life.
So, after a longtime along with your trusty Android cellphone, you’ve got lastly pulled the set off and purchased your self a brand new machine. The best smartphones of 2024 have a lot to supply, from wonderful digicam techniques to refined software features.
That mentioned, regardless that your new cellphone is quicker and has some cool options the old one lacks, the previous did not lose all its use to you. So, regardless that it is tempting to chuck the previous one right into a drawer someplace, there are significantly better alternate options for an previous machine.
9 ways to repurpose your old iPhone
Your previous iPhone does not simply need to turn out to be a very costly paperweight.
Because of a few apps, you can provide your cellphone a brand new lease on life. However listed below are the most effective methods to repurpose your Android machine.
1 New infotainment system
Give your automobile a glow-up
The wonderful thing about automobiles is that, so long as they drive, you do not actually need that rather more from them. After all, some creature comforts are good, however is it actually price shopping for a dearer mannequin simply because your present journey does not embrace a touchscreen display with Android Auto?
Thankfully, you can provide virtually any automobile all of the options of a contemporary infotainment system along with your previous cellphone. Simply discover a first rate automobile mount in your cellphone, and you’ll proceed utilizing your previous machine as a devoted Android Auto hub. Join it to your audio system, arrange Google Maps, and it does principally every little thing a brand new stereo does, however with out the pricey funding.
This dongle gave my car wireless Android Auto and I can’t go back
The AA Wi-fi Dongle for Android Auto takes the trouble out of getting the most effective out of your related automobile apps.
2 Do-it-yourself dashcam
At all times be prepared for motion
Dashcams appear to be a little bit of an extravagant piece of substances for a automobile — till one thing occurs, after which you do not need to be caught with out one. Thankfully, you probably have an older cellphone, you needn’t spend something to equip your automobile with this excellent emergency feature.
As soon as once more, all you want hardware-wise is an inexpensive cellphone mount and your smartphone. Nevertheless, this time you will additionally have to get a specialised app. Thankfully, the one we might advocate, Droid Dashcam, is totally free as an ad-supported model. Now, simply mount your cellphone, make it possible for your digicam has a transparent view of the street, and drive to your coronary heart’s content material.
The Rove R3 is my go-to for a safe and secure dashcam
The Rove R3 is well top-of-the-line dashcams you should buy.
3 Retro console show
Lastly, play by means of all of the classics
Despite the fact that your outgoing smartphone could be a bit lengthy within the tooth, it nonetheless has greater than sufficient energy to emulate older video games. The issue with taking part in on the go along with your essential cellphone is battery life. For those who get a bit too invested, a recreation can rapidly drain your battery and depart you with nothing for the remainder of the day. That is why holding a dedicated emulation machine is a wonderful use for an older cellphone.
Whether or not you need to play when commuting to work, flying on a airplane, or when stress-free on the sofa, your previous machine can allow you to play by means of your favourite retro titles. There are numerous emulators on the Google Play Retailer, and (in fact, supplied you convey your individual ROMs) you possibly can even play video games from the PS2 technology. Listed below are a few of our favourite emulators organized by console:
8 Delta emulator games to play on your iPhone
You may relive all of your childhood favorites with Delta, however begin with these classics.
4 Devoted music participant
Degree up your music listening
These days, holding observe of all of your music-playing units could be a bit complicated. You have got your house stereo, your Sonos devices, your Bluetooth audio system and your headphones, and every little thing is combating for a connection along with your cellphone. That is why turning your previous smartphone right into a devoted music streaming heart is a superb concept.
You should utilize your previous cellphone as a music supply for all of your audio system.
You should utilize your previous cellphone as a music supply for all of your audio system. Join it through Bluetooth or headphone jack to your go-to speaker, and obtain all of the music streaming providers you need. You then have a devoted place to play all of your music with handy controls and easy accessibility to all of the libraries.
From iPod to streaming era: What we’ve gained — and lost
What began as iPod’s dream for “1000 songs in your pocket” has turn out to be 100 million at our fingertips.
5 Common sensible house distant
A hub for all of your sensible house wants
Equipping your house with sensible tech is thrilling and undoubtedly handy, but it surely additionally could be a bit complicated while you consider all of the smart home apps that you have to juggle. You do not often get all of your sensible home equipment from the identical producer, so you possibly can find yourself with dozens of various apps simply to function your sensible house.
You may lastly eliminate the junk apps out of your essential cellphone and hold all of the sensible house widgets energetic on the previous one.
That is why utilizing your older cellphone as a distant for all these apps is a superb concept. You may lastly eliminate the junk apps out of your essential cellphone and hold all of the sensible house widgets energetic on the previous one. That means, you possibly can all the time simply and rapidly change your sensible house settings with a devoted distant, and release some area from the storage and the house display of your essential cellphone.
I use my iPhone as a remote for my Roku TV — here’s how
Whether or not you misplaced your distant or need a extra streamlined navigation expertise, utilizing your cellphone to regulate your Roku TV is simple.
6 DIY house safety digicam
Enhance your house safety
If you wish to stage up your house safety, getting a security camera is a superb begin. Nevertheless, the most effective internet-connected cameras could be expensive, and you probably have a cellphone mendacity round, you may make your individual for utterly free. It will work nice each as a everlasting resolution, in addition to an occasional factor to arrange if you wish to watch your canine when you’re at work.
As soon as once more, the setup for this use-case is extremely simple. You may have to obtain a free app. We might advocate IP Webcam, as it really works nice, and you’ll unlock all the extra options for only a flat price of $5 when you just like the software program. It helps you to preview your machine’s digicam from anyplace utilizing an internet browser, and even helps movement detection and, in fact, video recording as effectively.
How to use your Pixel phone as a webcam on your PC or Mac
Your Pixel cellphone is a superb various to a devoted webcam and it is simpler than ever to get it related and able to go in your subsequent name.
7 Good alarm clock
Make your mornings simpler
One of many methods to start out your day effectively is getting your self a pleasant, practical alarm clock. There are numerous sensible variations available on the market, however you possibly can overlook about all of them you probably have an previous cellphone round. It will do a superb job at waking you up within the morning.
All you have to flip your smartphone right into a smart alarm clock is a cellphone stand, and even an inexpensive one will just do high quality. Then, arrange your clock app as a screensaver within the settings, and also you’re all set.
You can too add a clock widget, a climate widget, and possibly a calendar widget to the house display.
That mentioned, if you wish to make the expertise a bit extra superior, it’s also possible to add a clock widget, a climate widget, and possibly a calendar widget to the house display. Then, flip off the display timeout and use that as your alarm clock to have all of the helpful data all the time in your sight.
How I turned my Sonos speaker into an alarm clock
Sonos’ in-app alarm characteristic turned my Sonos Roam right into a easy, but satisfying alarm clock which will have simply turn out to be my nightstand staple.
8 Video calling machine
Save your essential cellphone’s battery
Video calling is an unbelievable instrument to be in contact along with your family and friends, and particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been an extremely standard useful resource for companies as effectively. Sadly, if you wish to video call someone in your cellphone, you will rapidly understand that it is a positive method to kill your battery.
That is why holding a devoted cellphone, ideally with a pleasant stand, to do all of your video calling on is a superb concept. You do not have to fret about sporting out the juice in your essential machine, and the spare cellphone is all the time prepared for the subsequent dialog along with your grandma.
Have an old iPhone or Android phone? Set it up as a security camera
You probably have an previous cellphone gathering mud in a drawer, you possibly can rapidly and simply flip it right into a safety digicam in your house.
9 Assist scientific analysis initiatives
Citizen scientist processing energy put to work
Getting your previous cellphone working as one other form of machine in your house is just not the one means of creating probably the most out of that machine. For those who do not actually have the necessity for any of the above instances, you should utilize the processing energy of your previous cellphone to assist researchers and scientists.
There are a number of apps and web sites that will let you lend the computational energy of your machine to lecturers. This technique of crowdsourcing processing energy permits them to finish visualizations or calculations a lot sooner and inside strict tutorial budgets.
So, if you wish to be a small a part of a undertaking involved with the exploration of area or troublesome mathematical equations, that is a simple means to assist out. For those who’re , Zooniverse might be probably the most well-known app that allows you to assist out in quite a lot of fields.
How to factory reset your Android phone and erase all your data
Trying to promote your cellphone or simply clear it to hurry it up? Resetting it could be the reply.
10 Promote or donate it
You won’t want it anymore, however another person might
Lastly, when you actually do not know what to do along with your previous cellphone, letting it sit inside a drawer someplace nonetheless is not the most effective plan of action. If you cannot discover any various use for the previous cellphone, you possibly can nonetheless promote it to get a few of your a refund. Even units which can be a few years previous could be price a bit of cash, so getting them prepared for a sale and itemizing at an public sale is only a little bit of a trouble that may aid you pay for part of the subsequent new cellphone.
If you cannot discover any various use for the previous cellphone, you possibly can nonetheless promote it to get a few of your a refund.
Alternatively, when you do not need to take care of the consumers, transport, and all the opposite potential issues of promoting a cellphone on-line, you possibly can simply donate it as effectively. It is a significantly better alternative than letting it sit idly in a drawer, as one thing that is not that helpful for you could be a game-changer for somebody much less lucky, so giving your cellphone a second life that means is a wonderful means of repurposing your previous machine.
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