There are hundreds of old mobile phones sitting in drawers around the UK. If you are one of them any people that do have a spare phone. You could choose to keep it there or you could do something more creative. There are many different uses for your old smartphone – as you well know – because whilst you were using it it’s guaranteed you did more than just text and make phone calls with it.
Whether you want to sell Samsung Galaxy 2 or HTC Sensation devices or you want to think of something more creative to do with them then we have some ideas here. You could pop it into the post to a recycling company and make some cash or a charity donation or you could use it in your own home in the following ways.
Kids’ Toy
If you have children then you already know how desperate they are to get their hands on your phone. Of course getting them their own would be nonsensical, not to mention costly, but giving them your old handsets when you’ve upgraded is a great compromise. They can still access their favourite games that you’ve already downloaded and connecting to your household Wi-Fi means you can download new ones when they get bored.
Security Monitor
This is a fantastic, quick to do idea that any parent could take advantage of. Rather than buying an expensive video monitor for your baby’s bedroom, why not make one yourself? All you need is a simple motorised WiFi security camera and then download an app onto your old phone and use it as the second part of your monitoring system. There are many simple apps which can tap into the IP of the camera and there you go, a video and audio monitor of your sleeping child.
Kitchen Helper
A cheap stand, access to the web browser, Google Tasks and your old Android phone is all you need to have your very own personal kitchen assistant on hand. Use Google Tasks to build your shopping list, synchronise it with your new smartphone and buy your ingredients. You can then place your old phone on its stand in the kitchen and use it to follow recipes and even alarm you when things should be cooked. The touchscreen can be wiped clean in seconds so you don’t have to ruin any of your cookery books with stains and spills.
Smart Remote
It’s becoming normal to have a PC-connected television yet still use their regular but limited remote control. A better option is the Unified Remote application which supports mouse and keyboard control across a range of devices through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It has built in remotes for tons of other services including Netflix and Spotify. You can find a full range of different remotes in the Google Play Store and instead of using your new smartphone for yet another task, turn your old handset into a handy helper.
There’s nothing wrong with presenting your old phone to a friend as a gift or cashing in by recycling it but perhaps consider one of this innovative home uses too.