Don’t Throw that Old Cell Phone Away, 5 Things to Do with Your Old Android or iPhone
We all probably have a drawer full of “useless” technology by now. Old Android devices, iPhones, even Windows Phones, among tablets and probably laptops etc. What to do with that technology is a challenge we all will face at some point in our lives. This challenge is made tougher when you realize many communities are no longer allowing electronics to be thrown into the landfill. Some even have stiff fines if you are caught throwing away anything that is considered “electronics” and the definition is often very vague.
Before you write off that drawer, or for some of us worse that closet, full of old tech let me open your mind to the possibilities.
1)You can do is turn that old tech into a bit of money by selling it on eBay. Admittedly, this is not a great option for many because of the shipping and packaging involved. It can be harder than you may be imagining to sell that old Android cell phone to only make a few bucks after fees to eBay and PayPal. Selling your old tech on eBay, Amazon
2)Turn that old device into a security camera. This is my favorite use for an old Android phone. With certain software such as Alfred or Wardencam you can set the phone to start recording whenever it senses movement. The reason this beats out similar options available on eBay or Amazon is simple. No subscription fees, no expensive hardware, and no additional fees to access your security system over the Internet.
The apps mentioned above do offer paid upgrades that allow more users to access the cameras, more storage space, and other “premium” options. Out of the box though, for free, Alfred wins hands down. I believe the biggest thing they keep behind a paywall is zooming the video.
With either of those apps you can turn on night vision, the flash light (if the device has one), and even communicate through the speaker (great if you have voice activated devices within range of the phone).
3)Media player. Have you ever been on a road trip with kids and they get antsy because they don’t enjoy being cooped up in a car for long road trips? Well, whip out that old cell phone, download some videos or music to it, or even some kid friendly games, and let them go to town. If you have a Wi-Fi option available then you can obviously expand this to streaming services and games that require Internet.
There are a lot of games available on both iPhone and Android that do not require Internet connections to enjoy them. Videos can be downloaded even if you don’t have a YouTube Premium account thanks to services that allow downloading YouTube videos.
4)Flash drives. Okay, stay with me here. Instead of buying those little flash drives, take a look at your old cell phones. Odds are, you have some that are 16 gig and higher memory. These make awesome flash drives because you can download apps that will allow you to share the files on those devices over the Internet.
By installing the right apps you can make almost anything on the device available over the Internet. That means no more “forgetting” a file at home and not having it during your day, simply load the app up, access your device at home and grab the file. How cool is that? You won’t be able to do that with a flash drive sitting on your desk, or in a drawer somewhere.
5)GPS device and diagnostics. Yep, even without service, your phone can be used as a GPS device. This can mean a few things for you. One, you can just use it as a GPS device with maps. Take it on hikes, traveling, etc. If you lose it, you are not out much, it was an old phone anyhow.
Also, you can use an old device in conjunction with an OBD2 device in your vehicle to get diagnostics on the go including speed, RPMs, etc. Great for making sure your car is running as well as it could. Many vehicles will allow you to adjust settings in the computer in the car to get better gas mileage, more horsepower, and more. Bet you didn’t know you could diagnose, and possibly improve, your car with that old phone did you?
What have you used an old cell phone for? Tell me in the comments.
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They make good dash cams too. I use an app called DailyRoads Voyager on Android. I've also played around with old phones as security cameras though I don't think I've tried the apps you mention. I tried one called IP Cam Pro or something like that (paid version but cheap) that works pretty well. You can also install BOINC (at least on android), run seti@home, Rosetta, World Community Grid or the distributed computing project of your choice and earn a few Gridcoin while your phone is charging.
Excellent idea about using them as a dash cam. I didn't think about that. Depending on the app they should make good ones for sure.
I thought about adding the mining angle to the list but everything I tried, admittedly not the apps you mentioned, earned so little it was not worth doing. Mainly crypto earning mining apps that used more electricity than you were going to get from the apps (pennies a month in earnings for instance). Plus those apps seem to push the battery hard and heat the phone up.
I will have to look into the ones you mentioned, they may be better than others I have tried so far.
Alfred allows more than one user to access the live, and motion detected, video and saves to your Google Drive for later access (you can also download vids to your phone right then if you need them).
I am all about reusing old tech to do new things and save money, even make money if possible.
Using BOINC isn't going to make you a profit on a phone either but at least it's doing useful work. The cryptocurrency angle by combining it with Gridcoin is just a bonus.
I'm definitely going to try out Alfred when I get a chance.
Sometimes doing something that helps others is a better reward than just a few pennies in Bitcoin or Ethereum. I am definitely going to check it out. Maybe I can run it in the background of my Alfred security phones.