Five useful things to do with your old phone

Almost every household has at least one discarded phone in a drawer. It still works, but it no longer has a job. Here are five that actually hold up in everyday use.

1. Security camera or baby monitor

With the right app, an old phone becomes a camera that streams to your current device. Handy for the nursery, the entrance area or for checking on the flat while you are away. Important: the device needs a permanent power supply and a mount, see mounts.

2. Music and podcast player

An old phone parked next to the kitchen radio, in the bathroom or in the workshop: switch on the WLAN, install a streaming app, done. The advantage over your main device is that you do not have to switch the connection every time, and that damp or dust matters less on an old handset.

3. Navigation and music in the car

Permanently mounted in the car, always on the charger, without calls and messages. That reduces distraction considerably, because your main device can stay in your bag. What to watch out for with mounts and charging is covered in phones in the car.

4. Emergency phone

A charged second device in the car, in your hiking rucksack or in a drawer is worth more than any app. Emergency calls work even without a SIM card. Charge it once or twice a year and it is ready when your main device fails or gets stolen.

5. A first device for children

No SIM card, WLAN only, as an introduction to taking photos, drawing and learning. With parental controls set up, that is a controlled start without having to buy a new device. How to set this up properly is described in tablets for children, and the same steps apply to a phone.

When passing it on is the better choice

Honestly: most of the time. A device lying in a drawer loses value every month, and the battery is damaged by deep discharge. If none of the five ideas meets a real need of yours, selling or trading in is the more sensible decision, both ecologically and financially. Why this also matters for the CO2 balance is explained in refurbished and CO2.

And when a device really is at the end of its life, it belongs at an electronic waste collection point, not in the household rubbish. In Switzerland, returning it at the point of sale is free of charge.

Conclusion

Second use is a good idea when there is a real need behind it. Without that need, the drawer is just a slow form of throwing things away. In that case the device is worth more to someone else, and it gives you a contribution towards your next phone.