According to the rough estimates, a common user upgrades his/her phone after every 29 months. So what happens to the old ones? Sometimes they are passed onto the kids or someone else who might find them useful, else, they are just left to fade away in the legacy of their glorious past; just like when Andy forgot about BuzzLight Year and Sheriff Woody in Toy Story.
To avoid your old phone chasing you to be reconnected with his old friend, we have assimilated a list of 7 cool uses you can put your old phone to. Many of them don’t require breaking the casing open, some operating system updates and app downloads will be sufficient for them to work.
1. Fire Alarm
Why spend extra money on some fancy fire alarm system when you can use the free app called CleverLoop Smokey. This app turns your old phone into a fire alarm that will go off as soon as it hears your smoke detector beeping. It can be used to send you an emergency text, thus alerting you in case of any mishap.
2. Remote Control
Using another free app called Peel, you can turn your old phone into a remote control. With this app, you would also require a Wi-Fi connection. Some phone models might not be able to pull this off, and for such mobiles, an extra piece of equipment called “the Peel” or “Peel Pronto” can be bought for $50.
3. Picture Frame
This might seem a little over the board considering the need to charge your picture frame constantly. But if you want to flaunt a slideshow or your favorite photo in style, this might be the thing for you. If your old smart phone or iPad still has a pretty decent display, it is time for you to put that to use. Hang it on a wall or prop it on your desk, you can have your very own digital picture frame without even spending a penny.
4. Portfolio or Photo Album
Similarly, you can keep your portfolio or art album with you. You can keep it for an interview without having to carry your expensive laptop or paper album and prints with you all the time. You can use your old phone to keep a slick display for your digital images that you might want to share with someone.
5. International Travel Phone
Roaming charges are one of the greatest headaches when you are looking to travel internationally. So here’s a hack on how to cut down on that expense; you can use an old phone and purchase a new SIM card from a local franchise. This could save you lots of money, for example, you can buy local service with 100 minutes plus 1 GB of data for $13 with a new SIM card in the UK. This could also help you to keep your new or expensive phone safe from getting lost or stolen while traveling.
6. Backup Phone
We all know what a hassle it is when you lose your phone or break it without keeping your precious data safe somewhere else. You can use your old phone as a backup for your photos, contacts, and messages, and use its memory as a safety net in case of any mishap.
7. Alarm Clock
Some people don’t like to keep their phone in their bedrooms as it is too distracting for them. They often prefer to keep it off or silent at night. In this case, using your old phone as an alarm clock makes perfect sense. It can give you the functionality of a cool alarm clock minus all the distractions and disturbances that are possible if you use your current phone. You can also install a fancy app to manage your waking-up needs, and even track down your sleep cycles like a Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock.
Have more suggestions on what you can do with your old phones? Share them in the comments’ section below!