Top 10 Creative Ways To Reuse Your Old Smartphone

In today’s day and age, a new smartphone doesn’t remain new for very long. Companies such as Realme, Xiaomi and Oppo continue to launch smartphones at a glorious pace. With the numbers touching as high as 20 new launches in one month, no smartphone remains new for more than 2 days! This provokes millennials to switch to newer models sooner than ever. But, what do we do with our old smartphones? Most of the functions still work and it’s in pretty good condition. Do you just want it to sit in a cupboard and die? Or do you want to read up about 10 creative ways how to reuse your old smartphone? Well, we thought as much. Let’s get to it! 

Top 10 Ways To Reuse Your Old Smartphone 

Security Camera 

All smartphones come with a camera, microphone and speaker, right? If these three things are working in your old smartphone, you can use it as a security camera and even talk out of it. On your old smartphone, you can dim the brightness to a minimum so that it prolongs battery life. Also, go to the Settings and make screen timeout to the maximum. Now, all there’s left to do is set it up using any of the security apps freely available. We used the Alfred Home Security App in our testing and it got the job done very well.

Your setup can also double as a 24×7 baby monitor if you are a parent. This way, you will have access to the live feed whether you are in the next room or halfway across the globe.

Mobile Reader 

Another way to reuse your old smartphone is by converting it into an e-reader via the Amazon Kindle App. Granted that it is not the same as the e-ink display used in the actual Kindle; but if you lower the brightness, turn on Night Mode, it will definitely help reduce eye strain while reading. To everyone whose New Year’s resolution was to read more, try this trick!

Convert Your Smartphone Into A Mini Laptop 

Ever thought you could reuse your old smartphone by converting it into a mini laptop? Well, that sounds like an upgrade for sure. All you need is a wireless keyboard and mouse accessory to connect to your old smartphone. You can propel your smartphone on a stand and use it for typing and stuff, giving you the feel of a mini, portable laptop. This works best if your old smartphone has a big display. 

Use As A TV/AC Remote 

Let’s face it, AC remotes and TV remotes disappear exactly when you need them. So, if your old smartphone has an IR blaster in-built, then you can use it as an AC remote seamlessly. Similarly, through supported apps, you can even control your TV through your smartphone. Thus, it replaces both the remotes and is likely to not get misplaced so easily. 

Find My Phone- GPS Tracker 

The Find My Phone feature on Android can be used as a GPS tracker to track anything from your backpack to your car. All you need to do is set it up and you can even ring it from your current smartphone. It replaces the need for you to buy a GPS tracker or Apple’s AirTag. If you leave it in your car in a huge parking lot, you’ll know exactly where to find it through this nifty feature. 

Dedicated Gaming Device 

You can turn your old smartphone into a dedicated gaming console with a few tips and tricks. You will need a compatible controller that works with smartphones. With this trick, you can easily enjoy old classics such as Contra, Mario and Tekken right on your smartphone. Here is the link to our dedicated video on the same- 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOJ6tbcNkqU&ab_channel=TechBurner

Reuse Your Old Smartphone As A Secondary Webcam 

It’s no secret that laptop webcams straight up suck, especially if it’s a Windows laptop. It doesn’t matter if you purchase a laptop for Rs.50,000 or Rs.1,00,000; there really isn’t much difference. Considering work from home, all of us could use a decent webcam, right? Well, if you go and purchase a decent, external webcam it will easily cost you around Rs.2,000. With our trick, not only will it cost you nothing, it will deliver better video quality than an external webcam. 

The Android app DroidCam lets you use your smartphone camera as an external webcam from your laptop. How cool is that? We all know smartphone cameras are far superior to any external webcam. So, if you have an old Android smartphone lying around, it’s time you step up your Zoom call quality. 

Can Use As A Laptop Trackpad 

If your laptop trackpad has become unresponsive or doesn’t work very well, you can even use your old smartphone as a laptop trackpad. There are many free apps in the Play Store that let you do this wirelessly and work well. Although buying an external mouse isn’t that expensive, it’s a cool little trick in case of an emergency.

Gaming Controller 

We have already talked about using an old smartphone as a gaming device but what if you like to game on your laptop? Well, in that case, you can use your old phone as a wireless gaming controller. If you are a casual gamer who doesn’t want to invest in a controller, you can use this simple hack for your casual gaming sessions! 

Navigation Device 

When traveling by Uber or Ola, you must have noticed how drivers have a smartphone for Google Maps. It is usually mounted on a stand that gets attached to the windshield. Now, if you are someone who is into traveling, you can get yourself a similar setup. Using your old smartphone for navigation can come in handy since your main phone is now free. All you need to do is plug it in directly into the car charger so it never runs out of charge. 

Now, let’s say you have an old smartphone whose camera, wifi, and buttons don’t work well so you can’t use it for navigation. But, if not anything else, it can at least come in handy as the substitute for a compass.

So, that brings us to the end of this one. Did you enjoy our hacks on how to reuse your old smartphone? Check out our full website for more amazing content!