11 Ways to Repurpose Old Phones

by Marlon Altenwerth
9 minutes read

11 Ways to Repurpose Old Phones


Jumble of old mobile phones on a table.

We sporadically replace our mobile phones every couple of years, which fallen vacates quite couple of old ones lying around. You could recycle, donate, or trade them in for a small quantity, or repurpose old mobile phones to prolong their lives. You can even recover years of earn capitalize of out of these outdated mobile phones.

What to Execute Before Repurposing

It’s repeatedly a pleasant tip to render sure you donned’t have any kind of perpetuating to be unique data fled on your phone, such as photographs or data. Once every little thing’s backed up that you yearn to preserve, perform a manufacturing facility reset on your phone (you can locate instructions for iPhone under).

After that, uninstall or cripple any kind of apps you donned’t necessitate. Offered that old mobile phones oftentimes donned’t recover gizmo updates, it’s not practicable to earn capitalize of an old phone by means of plenty of contemporary apps, such as social media or more existent arcades, as they can not be compatible by means of senior phone operating mechanisms.

1. Bedside Clock or Traveling Perturb Clock

Transform your old phone applicable into your brand name-gimmicky beside clock or earn capitalize of it as a taking a trek frustrate clock. There’s zero need to buy an additional clock once your phone has one constructed in. Gain capitalize of your phone’s constructed-in clock app or download an app that’s compatible by means of your existent iterations of iOS or Android. Flip Clock (iOS | Android) jobs nicely and also transactions inconsonant clock architectures, schedule, timers, alarm systems, and also even background melee to help you sleep.

Clock app on a phone brandish.
Image resource: Unsplash

2. Offline Tracks Player

When your phone doesn’t recover safety and also security updates any kind of much longer, it’s not remarkable to vacate it addicted to the Net 24/7. So, simply repurpose old mobile phones applicable into offline music gamers. Bunches up your phone by means of music routes you currently truly own, download a music gamer app, and also appreciate your music wherever, anytime. Zero Wi-Fi essential.

For Android, it’s earned complex to miss Musicolet. For iOS, dare Flacbox instead. If you donned’t have any kind of music data, dare these separate music download apps.

3. TV Remote

Who hasn’t lost their TV remote at some time? Merely selection up your old phone and also turn it applicable into your brand name-gimmicky TV remote. If you have a smart TV or a flowing equipment, such as Roku or Firestick, dare downloading and also install the remote app for that information fitter. For instance, many Android mobile phones and also iPhones currently job by means of Android TVs and also Apple TVs.

TV remote on sofa arm.
Image resource: Unsplash

Or, dare TV Remote (for iOS) to fluctuation many smart TV brands in one app. For Android, dare International TV Remote that jobs by means of both smart TVs and also typical TVs by means of IR mode.

4. Infant, Pet canine, or Counterclaim Camera

To repurpose old mobile phones as baby, pet, or safety and also security cameras, you necessitate two machines. Ordinarily, your old phone jobs as the web camerata and also your brand name-gimmicky phone checks in to sight the feed. While there are many apps accessible to lug out this, Alfred Domicile Counterclaim Camera has been one of the elevation-rated volitions for years. It’s separate to earn capitalize of or upgrade to recover added services.

5. Camera

Hearkened-in web cams on laptops aren’t repeatedly the remarkable. Yet, smartphone cameras simply preserve receiving much more detailed. Skip receiving a brand name-gimmicky web camerata and also repurpose your old phone instead. I prescribe investings in a small tripod simply to make sure your phone keeps stable while in earn capitalize of. You can earn capitalize of both Android and also iOS machines as web cams.

6. Offline Ebook Tourist

Phone displays are remarkable for reading. And also, by means of an offline ebook reader app, your old phone comes to be the remarkable offline reading close friend. Fill it full of ebooks, download an ebook reader app (my favored is Readest), and also overture reading. Outdoor of syncing to dissimilar other machines if you yearn or downloading and also install an ebook virtual, you donned’t have to affix to the Net.

Hand clutching a phone by means of an ebook laden.
Image resource: Unsplash

7. Dashcam

Dashcams are lifesavers in proving culpability during an collision or making certain you never ever miss a once in a vigor time sunrise while driving. But, why spend coinage coinage on dashcam once you can repurpose old mobile phones as dashcams? You’ll necessitate a address recognize and also a dashcam app. That’s it. Droid Dashcam jobs nicely for both iOS and also Android.

8. Offline GPS

Offline GPS apps are valuable once you’re in an locale without Net availability. They also job nicely by means of old mobile phones. Download the maps you necessitate and also earn capitalize of your old phone to peruse. This help preserve battery vigor on your existent phone.

9. Document Scanner

Ultimata digital fallbacks of physical records or photographs? Gain capitalize of your old phone as a file scanner. This jobs nicely for unique or sensitive data you can not yearn to upload virtual. Download a scanning app (iOS | Android), turn off your phone’s Wi-Fi, and also appreciate unique scanning. You can comfortably deed the weighed data to your computer system or an external storage drive.

10. Stark Wi-Fi Phone

Merely because you zero much longer have countless message and also file doesn’t median you can’t render phone calls. This jobs great for any guy that can simply need to render and also recover calls without having with one voice the added bells and also whistles of a brand name-gimmicky phone. Or, earn capitalize of it as the family phone in your residence. Multiple contacting apps let you render countless separate calls over Wi-Fi. But, render sure you’re earning earn capitalize of of a address Wi-Fi network to preserve your calls unique.

Lady talking on iPhone.
Image resource: Unsplash

11. Ago-up Storage

USB drives and also external earned complex drives are pleasant, but they donned’t let you scroll by means of your data without being addicted to an additional equipment. Repurpose old mobile phones as previously-up storage or simply for transmitting data. Merely affix your phone to your computer system, plagiarize the data to a folder on the phone, and also you’re toted out.

Merely donned’t earn capitalize of your old phone as your lone previously-up. Ratty mobile phones can die at any kind of minute, so repeatedly have a second previously-up of any kind of inestimable data.

You paid hundreds for your old mobile phones. Gain sure you recover every single small of vigor out of those mobile phones as probable.

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