Key Takeaways
- Older telephones will not be ineffective, and even when they really feel sluggish to make use of on an on a regular basis foundation, you possibly can nonetheless use them in a large number of how.
- You possibly can flip your previous telephone into a sensible house distant, house safety digicam, or video calling system. It’s also possible to 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 at all times promote or donate your previous telephone to offer it a second life.
So, after a longtime along with your trusty Android telephone, you have lastly pulled the set off and purchased your self a brand new system. The best smartphones of 2024 have a lot to supply, from glorious digicam programs to refined software features.
That stated, although your new telephone is quicker and has some cool options that the old one lacks, the previous remains to be no slouch both. So, although it is tempting to chuck the previous one right into a drawer someplace, there are a lot better makes use of for an previous system.
9 ways to repurpose your old iPhone
Your previous iPhone does not simply must turn into a extremely costly paperweight.
Because of a few apps, you may give your telephone a brand new lease on life. Listed here are the very best methods to repurpose your Android system.
1 New infotainment system
Give your automobile a glow-up
The wonderful thing about vehicles is that, so long as they drive, you do not really want that rather more from them. In fact, some creature comforts are good, however is it actually value shopping for a dearer mannequin simply because your present trip does not embrace a touchscreen display screen with Android Auto?
Happily, you may give virtually any automobile all of the options of a contemporary infotainment system along with your previous telephone. Simply discover a respectable automobile mount to your telephone, and you may proceed utilizing your previous system as a devoted Android Auto hub. Join it to your audio system, arrange Google Maps, and it does mainly every part a brand new stereo does, however with out the expensive 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 effort out of getting the very best out of your related automobile apps.
2 Do-it-yourself dashcam
All the time 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 wish to be caught with out one. Happily, when you’ve got an older telephone, you need not spend something to equip your automobile with this excellent emergency feature.
As soon as once more, all you want hardware-wise is an inexpensive telephone mount and your smartphone. Nevertheless, this time you may additionally have to get a specialised app. Happily, the one we would advocate, Droid Dashcam, is totally free as an ad-supported model. Now simply mount your telephone, ensure that your digicam has a transparent view of the highway, 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 definitely probably the greatest dashcams you should purchase.
3 Retro console show
Lastly, play via all of the classics
Regardless that your outgoing smartphone is perhaps a bit lengthy within the tooth, it nonetheless has greater than sufficient energy to emulate older video games. The issue with enjoying on the go along with your predominant telephone is battery life. If you happen to get a bit too invested, a sport can shortly drain your battery and go away you with nothing for the remainder of the day. That is why preserving a dedicated emulation machine is a wonderful use for an older telephone.
Whether or not you wish to play when commuting to work, flying on a airplane, or when stress-free on the sofa, your previous system can allow you to play via your favourite retro titles. There are numerous emulators on the Google Play Retailer, and (in fact, offered you deliver your personal ROMs) you possibly can even play video games from the PS2 technology. Listed here are a few of our favourite emulators organized by console:
8 Delta emulator games to play on your iPhone
You possibly can relive all of your childhood favorites with Delta, however begin with these classics.
4 Devoted music participant
Stage up your music listening
These days, preserving observe of all of your music-playing gadgets is perhaps a bit complicated. You may have your own home stereo, your Sonos devices, your Bluetooth audio system and your headphones, and every part is preventing for a connection along with your telephone. That is why turning your previous smartphone right into a devoted music streaming heart is a superb concept.
You should use your previous telephone as a music supply for all of your audio system.
You should use your previous telephone 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 quick access 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 into 100 million at our fingertips.
5 Common sensible house distant
A hub for all of your sensible house wants
Equipping your own home with sensible tech is thrilling and undoubtedly handy, but it surely additionally could be a bit complicated once you keep in mind all of the smart home apps that you could juggle. You do not normally 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 possibly can lastly eliminate the junk apps out of your predominant telephone and preserve all of the sensible house widgets energetic on the previous one.
That is why utilizing your older telephone as a distant for all these apps is a superb concept. You possibly can lastly eliminate the junk apps out of your predominant telephone and preserve all of the sensible house widgets energetic on the previous one. That manner, you possibly can at all times simply and shortly change your sensible house settings with a devoted distant, and unencumber some house from the storage and the house display screen of your predominant telephone.
How to use your phone as a Roku TV remote
Whether or not you misplaced your distant or desire a extra streamlined navigation expertise, utilizing your telephone to manage your Roku TV is a game-changer.
6 DIY house safety digicam
Enhance your own home safety
If you wish to stage up your own home safety, getting a security camera is a superb begin. Nevertheless, the very best internet-connected cameras might be dear, and when you’ve got a telephone mendacity round, you may make your personal for utterly free. It’s going to work nice each as a everlasting resolution, in addition to an occasional factor to arrange if you wish to watch your canine whilst you’re at work.
As soon as once more, the setup for this use case is extremely simple. You will have to obtain a free app. We might advocate IP Webcam, as it really works nice, and you may unlock all the extra options for only a flat charge of $5 when you just like the software program. It allows you to preview your system’s digicam from anyplace utilizing an online 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 telephone is a superb various to a devoted webcam and it is simpler than ever to get it related and able to go to 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 when you’ve got an previous telephone round. It’s going to do a wonderful job at waking you up within the morning.
All you could flip your smartphone right into a smart alarm clock is a telephone stand, and even an inexpensive one will do exactly nice. Then, arrange your clock app as a screensaver within the settings, and also you’re all set.
That stated, if you wish to make the expertise a bit extra superior, you can too add a clock widget, a climate widget, and perhaps a calendar widget to the house display screen. Then, flip off the display screen timeout and use that as your alarm clock to have all of the useful info at all times 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 that will have simply turn into my nightstand staple.
8 Video calling system
Save your predominant telephone’s battery
Video calling is an unimaginable software to keep up a correspondence along with your family and friends, and particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been an extremely well-liked useful resource for companies as effectively. Sadly, if you wish to video call someone in your telephone, you may shortly notice that it is a fast technique to kill your battery.
That is why preserving a devoted telephone, ideally with a pleasant stand, to do all of your video calling on is a superb concept. You do not have to fret about carrying out the cell in your predominant system, and the spare telephone is at all times prepared for the following dialog along with your grandma.
Have an old iPhone or Android phone? Set it up as a security camera
In case you have an previous telephone gathering mud in a drawer, you possibly can shortly and simply flip it right into a safety digicam to your house.
9 Assist scientific analysis initiatives
Citizen scientist processing energy put to work
Getting your previous telephone working as one other form of system in your house is just not the one manner of constructing essentially the most out of that system. If you happen to do not actually have the necessity for any of the above use circumstances, you should use the processing energy of your previous telephone to assist researchers and scientists.
There are a number of apps and web sites that mean you can lend the computational energy of your system to teachers. This methodology of crowdsourcing processing energy permits them to finish visualizations or calculations a lot quicker and inside strict tutorial budgets. So, if you wish to be a small a part of a undertaking involved with the exploration of house or tough mathematical equations, that is a simple manner to assist out. If you happen to’re , Zooniverse might be essentially 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 telephone or simply clear it to hurry it up? Resetting it is perhaps the reply.
10 Promote or donate it
You may not want it anymore, however another person may nonetheless use it
Lastly, when you actually do not know what to do along with your previous telephone, letting it sit inside a drawer someplace remains to be not the very best plan of action. If you cannot discover any various use for the previous telephone, you possibly can nonetheless promote it to get a few of your a refund. Even gadgets which might be a few years previous might be value 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 assist you pay for part of the following new telephone.
If you cannot discover any various use for the previous telephone, you possibly can nonetheless promote it to get a few of your a refund.
Alternatively, when you do not wish to cope with the patrons, transport, and all the opposite potential issues of promoting a telephone on-line, you possibly can simply donate it as effectively. It is a a lot better alternative than letting it sit idly in a drawer, as one thing that is not that helpful for you is perhaps a game-changer for somebody much less lucky, so giving your telephone a second life that manner is a wonderful manner of repurposing your previous system.
How to get your Android phone ready to sell
Trending Merchandise
