Every year, smartphone manufacturers launch a multitude of new devices. Some of these are flagships, others are midrange and budget offerings. While it’s true that majority of smartphones are capable enough to be used for at least 2-3 years, there are some users who just have to get their hands on the latest and greatest devices, the moment they hit the market. But just because you’ve moved to a shiny new smartphone, doesn’t mean that your old device has been rendered useless. In fact, there are quite a few ways by which old smartphones can be reused. Want to know more? Here are some ways you can repurpose old smartphones.
1. As surveillance devices
Smartphones these days come with pretty decent cameras. So if you have an old smartphone lying around, you can use it to keep an eye on your home, office or anywhere else. All you need is an app like IP Webcam or tinyCam Monitor. These can be used to view live video via web browser, upload recorded videos to cloud storage services and more.
2. In-car GPS
Whether you’re going to a new city or are just stuck in a really bad traffic, having a GPS has become a bit of a necessity these days. And your old smartphone can come in really handy for this. Just install a mapping app like HERE WeGo or Google Maps and you’re good to go. These come with features like turn-by-turn voice navigation and you can even downloaded full maps for offline use.
3. Digital photo frame
Almost everyone of us has one or more photos of our family members, friends etc. displayed in photo frames sitting on our office desks or bedside. So why not give it a technological tang? You can install an app like Digital Photo Frame to turn your old smartphone into a, well, digital photo frame, capable of displaying slideshows of your favorite photos. These have many options such as animation effects, background sounds and can even show battery status and time.
4. Media server
If you want to be able to stream multimedia content (e.g. music, videos) to other devices, simply turn it into a media server. There are apps like Plex or BubbleUPnP that help you do that quite easily. The streaming features can work with majority of DLNA-compatible devices.
5. Universal remote controller
Almost all modern electronic appliances like air conditioners and TVs come with their own remote controllers.
And if your smartphone comes with an IR blaster, you can use it to replace all those as a universal remote controller. Some of these apps are Easy Universal TV Remote and Peel Smart Remote. These are compatible with a variety of home appliances.
6. Dedicated media player/gaming device
Just about everyone of us uses smartphones for listening to songs, watching movies and playing games. So if there’s a spare one lying around, why not turn into a dedicated media player or portable gaming device? Just uninstall all unwanted apps, install a good media player app (e.g. VLC player), load up your media collection and you’re good to go. For gaming, you can install anything from Temple Run 2 to Mortal Kombat based on the device’s hardware specs.
7. Ebook reader
When it comes to reading books digitally, there’s no doubt that dedicated e-readers like Amazon Kindle are the best out there. Their non-reflective e-ink displays are comfortable for extended hours of reading. But if you don’t already have an e-reader, you can use your smartphone as well. All e-reader makers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo have their own apps, which can be used to read ebooks.
8. Wireless hotspot
Given how important staying connected is these days, chances are everyone of you already has internet access (both wired and wireless) in your homes. But in case you don’t, you can get a separate SIM card/number recharged with a 3G/4G data pack, pop it into your old smartphone and enable the wireless hotspot option. This is quite a convenient way of getting Wi-Fi access and repurposing that old phone of yours.
9. For tweaking/development
This point is especially true for Android smartphones. The open-source nature of Android OS makes it a dream come true for geeks and tinkerers. There are many apps, launchers, themes and even complete ROMs available for numerous Android devices. So if have a spare Android device, you can start tweaking it for learning and developing purposes.
10. Give it to your friend/relative
If you don’t like the idea of handing a brand new smartphone to someone whom you know, you can always give your old device to him/her.
What do you prefer to do with your old smartphone? Share with us your views in the comments below.