Here's how I reuse old phones

OnePlus 7T next to other OnePlus phones
(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)
Hardwired

Android Central's LLoyd with a bionic eye

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

In Hardwired, AC Senior Editor Harish Jonnalagadda delves into all things hardware, including phones, storage servers, and routers.

Modern phones are designed to last; most devices will get at least three Android updates, allowing them to be relevant for several years after they've launched, and in the case of the latest Google and Samsung devices, you will get seven years of software updates.

It will be interesting to see if these devices are able to hold up to the rigors of extended use — battery degradation continues to be a real issue that affects long-term use — but with features like optimized charging and slow charging available, you can reasonably get several years worth of use out of these devices.

And if you have an older phone that isn't getting much use, there are a lot of things you can do with it. I'm sharing a few ways I reuse older phones that aren't quite capable of being daily drivers, but still have decent hardware.

Turn it into a security camera or baby monitor

OnePlus 7T security

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

Most security camera brands take a lackadaisical attitude toward customer data — just look at what Eufy got up to — so I'm picky about the brands I trust. I used Nest cameras in the past, and while they're reliable and have a lot of useful features, they don't record any footage locally. Ubiquiti's UniFi Protect cameras are still the best choice if you need local storage, and I use them as outdoor cameras. The main issue is that it's a hassle to set up the network, as you'll need to use the cameras with Ubiquiti's UniFi network gear.

That's why I use an old phone if I need to record footage indoors. AlfredCamera is the best utility in this regard, and you can easily turn an old device into a security camera or baby monitor. Obviously, you can't use it as an outdoor camera, but if you want an indoor camera, you can reliably use your phone. AlfredCamera has a free tier lets you set up the camera and view footage, but any event-based recordings, zooming into the image, and HD video is locked behind a private tier that costs $5.99 a month or $29 annually.

I've been using AlfredCamera in conjunction with an old phone for just over two months as a baby monitor, and it does everything I need. It has activity detection, two-way mic, continuously records footage up to eight hours, and stores events on the cloud.

Create a dedicated media player

Playing music on OnePlus 7T

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

If you have an older phone with a 3.5mm jack, you can turn it into a dedicated music player. Most music streaming services have a lossless tier, and while there are dedicated music players like the Fiio M11S, they're basically phones without the cellular connectivity and additional DAC hardware.

Even if your phone doesn't have a 3.5mm jack, you can get a USB-C dongle — like the $30 Fiio KA11 — and pair it with IEMs to get much better sound. Music streaming isn't resource intensive, and an old phone holds up well as a media player. LG devices in particular had decent DACs built in, so if you have the LG G6, G7, or any of the V series models, you can easily use them to play media.

This is  a good route to take if you have a large offline music library and want to stream songs on a dedicated device. 

Use it to read e-books

OnePlus 7T Reading Mode

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

The Boox Palma may just be the best choice if you want a pocket-sized e-reader, but you can also use an older phone. This is a particularly good choice if you have a phone that's older than five years — device makers cared about usability back then.

Bonus points if you have an old OnePlus phone; legacy OxygenOS versions have a Reading Mode that turn the screen monochrome, making these devices a terrific choice to read. I got a lot of utility out of that feature in the past, and it is annoying that OnePlus doesn't have anything as good in the current iteration of ColorOS.

This is just the start

Obviously, there are plenty of other things you can do with an older phone; you can set up an emulator and play retro games, use it as an alarm clock on your nightstand, or set it up as a smart home dashboard. I set up older devices with all of these use cases in mind, and at the end of the day, it's down to what you're looking to get out of your phone.

Harish Jonnalagadda
Senior Editor - Asia

Harish Jonnalagadda is Android Central's Senior Editor of Asia. In his current role, he oversees the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, networking products, and AV gear. He has been testing phones for over a decade, and has extensive experience in mobile hardware and the global semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.

  • spARTacus
    If one really wants to get away from online services/subscriptions/accounts for security camera needs, then something like the IP Webcam app on an old Android phone/device could perhaps be more worthwhile, in terms of being able to turn the old device into truly just a local broadcasting IP Camera.

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam
    Reply
  • Peter Wood2
    I keep an old phone by my bed as my alarm clock. Mainly because I like to have an alarm automatically set for my work shifts (still nursing along the dead AlarmPad app to turn calendar events into alarms) but also dislike having the "alarm is active" icon permanently occupying space on my taskbar. I've been thinking about replacing it with an ESP32-based project though. I just have to learn everything about developing for ESP32 boards.
    Reply
  • spARTacus
    Peter Wood2 said:
    I keep an old phone by my bed as my alarm clock....
    For sure. I've got an old Z10 as my alarm clock.
    Reply
  • tube517
    spARTacus said:
    If one really wants to get away from online services/subscriptions/accounts for security camera needs, then something like the IP Webcam app on an old Android phone/device could perhaps be more worthwhile, in terms of being able to turn the old device into truly just a local broadcasting IP Camera.

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pas.webcam
    I might try this to use as an indoor webcam for my dog. Just curious what he does during the day when we are gone. He doesn't chew things but sometimes I see some couch pillows on the floor. He has some separation anxiety but not too serious.
    Reply
  • spARTacus
    tube517 said:
    I might try this to use as an indoor webcam for my dog. Just curious what he does during the day when we are gone. He doesn't chew things but sometimes I see some couch pillows on the floor. He has some separation anxiety but not too serious.
    You might need to setup a local software NVR server for such, if you're going to get really serious and via any truly local only IP cameras (or the IP Webcam App). There are some limited free versions that run on simple PCs. Most of those however have some strings attached, just like most "cameras"also do for what one can get from Amazon or elsewhere. Most people prefer to just buy an inexpensive camera from Amazon and then be tired to whatever online account/services come with such. Some of those work fine. Others are more akward then one would think. From what I can tell, almost all of them involve network traffic up and down from the cloud, and whatever the companies have for terms of service and how they get something from you for what they offer to you for "free".

    I think the IP Webcam App also permits for local (on the host old phone) recording of pics/videos based on motion detection. I don't now specifically remember anymore. If so, it could probably serve well as a limited local only monitoring and recording device for that scenario of yours. When you are on your local home network using another device, you can also browse to the host old phone running the IP Webcam App, to see in real time what the camera sees. There are ways to setup port forwarding or open dns, to then also be able to do that from anywhere on the internet when you are not at home on your local network. However, I don't suggest doing that unless you know what you're doing (opening up publicly facing ports or port forwarding or such, that could then also end-up as security risks).
    Reply