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5 smart applications for your old iPhone or iPad

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5 smart applications for your old iPhone or iPad

Did you get a shiny new Apple device to start the new year? You may be wondering what to do with the old one. Of course, recycling is an option, but there is already a lot of electronic waste in the world. Why not try putting your old phone to work?

After all, your old phone has a lot of parts that are still usable: a camera, a screen, and a decent processor. There’s no reason why you can’t find a use for it. I got through the Popular science archive and the wider internet, collecting smart applications for old phones. Here are a few.

A simpler phone

Your smartphone can be made dumber and it’s easy to do. Screenshot: apple

Maybe you have an aging friend or family member who struggles to use modern smartphones. You may want to use a simpler version of a smartphone every now and then. In either case, a little-known iPhone feature can help. Any iPhone made after 2018 can turn into a simpler phone with the help of Assistive Access, an accessibility feature that provides a much simpler version of the user interface.

This mode offers simplified versions of the phone, camera, messaging, and photo apps, all with large, clear buttons that are impossible to misinterpret. Specifically, there is no access to a web browser, social media, or any app that you don’t specifically add while setting up Assistive Access. This mode essentially turns any old iPhone into a perfect flip phone alternative that’s compatible with iMessage, giving you a compelling reason to keep that older phone.

A digital photo frame

iPad sitting on the table, with photo of a cat in a hammock
We know you forget to print photos, so why not add a digital display? Image: Justin Pot/Popular Science

There’s certainly no shortage of digital photo frames on the market, but why buy something like this when you can just use your old iPhone or iPad? We talked about using an old iPad as a digital photo frame using a special application called Synchronized photo framethat can automatically sync with a shared album in Photos. The application works with any iPad that can run iPadOS 12, including most made after 2017. You could probably do something similar with an iPhone, although they have a much smaller screen.

A retro gaming handheld

screenshots of vintage video games on iPhone screens
Go ahead and play your favorite classic games. Screenshots: Lemuroid, Delta

We’ve talked about how you can use emulators to play retro games on your phone, which is pretty awesome and means your old phone can turn into a dedicated retro gaming device. For best results, you will want to purchase a mobile game controller so that you have physical buttons. The result is that your old phone becomes something like a Nintendo Switch, but can emulate retro games.

The advantage of using your older phone is that you can use all the storage space on the device to fit as many games as possible. You can also leave an older phone in your controller full-time.

A baby or game monitor

You realize that your old phone has a built-in camera. But that means it has all kinds of applications. You could plug it into a charger and have it record as some sort of makeshift security camera. Even better, you can use special apps to get more out of the camera.

Anthony Spadafora of Tom’s Guide wrote about it set up an old iPhone as a video baby monitor using an application called AlfredCamera. This is an application designed to turn an old phone into a purpose-built security camera. Just plug your phone into the charger, point it so the camera covers what you want to record, and leave it there. You can even set this so that you receive a warning if there is movement.

Not only is this great for home security or parenting, it can also be an aid in bird watching.
Ronny Steen, professor of environmental sciences and natural resource management from Norway, wrote about this turn an old smartphone into a bird monitoring app. There’s no reason why you couldn’t use an app like AlfredCamera for that.

In short, there are all kinds of things your old iPhone can be useful for. Consider them before throwing them away.

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