Old smartphones can be reused in many ingenious ways
Your old smartphone is getting older by the day and you have bought a new one for yourself. So what would you with your old smartphone …
Sell it? Give it to a friend? Throw it away? There are various uses for an old smartphone to be helpful in making the lives of others and yourself easier. To name a few uses for your old smartphone are:
In-car GPS:
Stuck in the city traffic? Find the fastest route to get to your destination by using your old smartphone as a GPS device for your vehicle. Turn-by-Turn voice navigation features are available in Google Maps and Here WeGo applications. This way you can reuse your old smartphone for navigation purposes.
As surveillance devices:
An old camera phone can be reused as a surveillance device to monitor your home, office, shop or factory. You would require to download and install an application called IP Webcam or tinyCam monitor. The user can view live video via web browser, upload recorded videos to cloud storage devices and more.
Universal remote controller:
Applications like Easy Universal Remote TV and Peel Smart Remote are compatible with a variety of home appliances if your smartphone comes with an IR blaster. Electrical home appliances like Air Conditioners and TV’s come with their own remote controllers but you can replace all these with the universal remote controller through your smartphone.
Wireless hotspot:
In case you don’t have an internet connection at home, you can use the old smartphone and insert a separate sim card and with a 3G/4G data pack. Enable the wireless hotpsot option and you’re good to go. Cheap and convenient Internet browsing by your side. Voila!
Music Player:
The best part about your old phone is that you can fill it full of music and use it in your car, or while you’re working out, or walking home. Hence, save your current phone battery for calling purposes. Since smartphones support Bluetooth, they can also be used with wireless headphones.
Media Center:
Buy yourself a Chromecast streaming device (or a micro USB-to-HDMI cable), reformat your old phone, and fill it with apps like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Spotify and Pandora. You’ve now got a dedicated TV top-box with a living room media center.
Kids first smartphone:
Every child now wants a smartphone when they become teenagers. If you’re unsure about buying them a new smartphone then hand them your old smartphone. So even if they lose or damage it, you can stall giving them a new phone until they become an adult or ask them to buy one with their own money.
