The advancement of smartphones and the many new releases that come out every year has led to a faster replacement rate of our phones, so there are many old phones around the house that we don't know how to use but have you ever thought of using them as electronic devices?
Most of us can probably use the same phone for years, but at some point we need to upgrade to get a new version of the operating system and new features that make it easier to perform many tasks on the phone we carry in our pockets. Walk around with a mini computer.
When you buy a new phone, you can save a few dollars by selling your old phone, but sometimes you can't sell your old phone because it costs too little. In this case, you can reuse it and use it at home.
Here are some of the ways you can repurpose your old phone:
1- Turn it into a security camera for your home:
If you have an old phone and don't know what to do with it, you can protect your home by turning it into a security camera.
To turn an old phone into a security camera, all you have to do is install the home security app on both the old and new phone. There are many apps in the App Store that offer the same features like: live streaming, motion detection and instant alerts, provision of wireless units, saving video to any of the cloud services for easier video saving and sharing, etc. Among the most important of these applications:
- Alfred camera app.
- Home camera app.
Once you select the right app for you and set it up on your old phone, you can use your new phone to monitor anywhere and control your security cameras from anywhere.
2- Give your child:
If you are not ready to buy a new phone for your kids, reconnect your old device with them. After wiping data and factory reset, the phone is safe for your kids. Just make sure you have a good screen protector.
3- For video calls:
If you communicate regularly at work via Zoom, FaceTime, or another video conferencing platform, you can use your old phone for video chatting as long as you have enough WiFi coverage.
4- Use it as a webcam:
If you don't have a webcam on your desktop or your laptop's camera resolution isn't suitable for video conferencing, you can turn your old phone into a webcam.
All you have to do is install apps like DroidCam and EpocCam on your phone and PC, connect them together via WiFi or USB cable and start using the camera. The phone as a webcam.
5- Use it to play with games:
If you are a fan of games on your smartphone, you can customize your old phone to play games without worrying about your new phone's storage and battery life.
You can download loads of games on your iOS or Android phone and all you need is a strong internet connection. If your old phone just doesn't have enough storage for a big game, there are plenty of game streaming services out there too.
Xbox Cloud Gaming lets you stream Xbox Game Pass games to your phone, while PC gamers can use the Steam Link app to play Steam games over their phone's WiFi while gaming.
6- Use it as a TV remote control:
Smart TVs usually come with a remote control, but these devices are small and easy to lose. In this case, you can turn your old mobile phone, be it an iPhone or an Android phone, into a remote control for your TV.
Whether you have a Samsung, LG, Roku TV, Fire TV, Apple TV 4K, or Chromecast, each device has its own app that you can download to your phone from the App Store and sync to your device.
Alternatively, you can download the remote control app, eg b. "Universal TV Remote Control" available for free on Google Play Store for Android device users and App Store for iPhone and iPad users. IPAD.
7- Turn it into a voice assistant at home:
Turning your Android phone into a speaker, for example Google Home, is very easy, no app download required, you just need to do the following:
- Make sure your phone is updated to the latest version of the Android operating system.
- Find a Bluetooth speaker that you can pair with your phone and make sure both devices stay connected at all times.
- You can then issue voice commands to the speaker at any time. The best thing about this method is that you don't have to spend more than $100 to buy a smart home voice assistant.
8- Convert it into a wireless mouse:
You can still turn your old mobile phone (no matter it's iPhone or Android phone) into a wireless mouse. All you need to do is download an app, such as Remote Mouse for iOS and Android, and then install the app to connect your phone and computer to Wi-Fi. WiFi itself.
9- Turn it into a Nintendo console:
Turning your old Android device into a Nintendo Game Boy lets you play video games on the go. All you need is the Hyperkin Smartboy, which costs just $50, and your compatible Android phone.
If you have a device (Game Boy cartridge), you need the Game Boy Advance app or download the Game Boy Advance app from the Google Play Store to your phone and start playing right away.