5 Ways To Reuse Your Old Mobile Phones

When you’ve got a new smartphone, what do you do with your old mobile phones? You could exchange it or sell it to get a few bucks. But you might be getting the bad end of that deal. Repurposing your phone is a much better idea. Think about it. That old phone, whether it’s an archaic Nokia or a recent Android or iPhone, has some sophisticated circuitry inside. As we move into a world of smart homes and connected devices, your phone’s technology is more useful than ever before.

* Turn It Into a Smartwatch

Do you have an old Nokia or some such candybar device with a number pad? Get ready for the geekiest DIY project of your life.

* Recycle It Into a Wallet or Piggy Bank

Most of these tricks are useful if you have a functional old phone. But what if it’s a busted old clamshell phone or a broken iPhone? Roll up your sleeves and turn it into the coolest wallet around.

* Turn It Into a Security Cam Network

Instead of spending good money to buy a bunch of security cameras, why not just use old smartphones? They work brilliantly, and it’s easy too.There are two ways you can go about this. First, you use apps on popular mobile platforms, if your old phones are smartphones. Second, you set things up manually so that the operating system doesn’t matter.

* Make a Universal Remote Control

This is one of the most popular ways to reuse an old smartphone. Whether it’s running Android or iOS, you’ll be able to control almost anything in your smart home.What you need to check is if your Android phone has an infrared (IR) blaster. This will let it connect to TVs, air conditioners, and other devices that normally use a remote control. The iPhone does not have an IR blaster.

* Dedicated Portable Gaming Device

Hopefully, your old phone is an Android with an expandable memory card slot, or with plenty of internal memory. If so, turn that into a portable gaming device for your kids (or yourself).