8 Fresh Uses for Your Old iPhone

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uses for your old iphone

So your contract is up and you’re ready to buy a shiny, new iPhone, but your current iPhone still works fine, it’s just not new. Most of us toss our old iPhones in a drawer in case our new one meets an untimely death and we need a backup, but we rarely use them, so they sit and collect dust.

While there might be a new iPhone that’s faster and has more features, your old iPhone still has some life in it. Don’t let a device that cost hundreds of dollars go to waste, get some use out of it with these 8 uses for your old iPhone. Have a use we didn’t mention? Leave yours in the comments below.

 

SEE ALSO: 5 of the Worst iPhone Features That Need To Hit The Road

 

1. Sell it!

Believe it or not, there’s a pretty big market out there for used iPhones. With companies like AT&T allowing you to unlock your device after your contract runs out, you can easily make the money you want to spend on your new iPhone back out of your old one.

For example, a quick search on eBay shows a white 16GB unlocked iPhone 5 going for $320 and a black 16GB unlocked iPhone 5 going for $390. You can even sell an iPhone 4S for around $200. If your phone is in even moderately good condition, selling it is probably your best option.

2. Awesome Remote Control and Media Center

uses-for-old-iphone-remote

If you use an Apple TV to get your television fix, keeping an old iPhone around with the Remote app installed is a great way to control it. Best of all, your remote will have access to the Internet to look up IMDB information.

Plug in an IR sender and now you can use your old iPhone to control your entire entertainment system!

Go a step further and if you use services that aren’t on Apple TV like Amazon Instant Video, you can stream them using AirPlay from the old iPhone over to your Apple TV. Stream your Spotify and Google Play music the same way, too.

3. Digital Camera

While nobody will claim that the iPhone has the best camera on the market, it’s still great for around the house picture taking for online auctions and sending emails to mom.

 

RELATED: 3 Professional iPhone Camera Features that You Probably Don’t Know About

 

With Photo Stream, flickr, or Google + photo syncing enabled your pictures can show up on your computer right after you take them, no cables required.

4. Alarm Clock and Sleep Tracker

old iphone alarm clock

All you need to do is get yourself a dock and you’ll have a smart alarm clock that can use your music to wake you up. Turn on iCloud sync for appointments and reminders you set on your computer or new iPhone will sync over and wake you up on your new alarm clock.

Better still, get a sleep-tracking app like Sleep Cycle and now you’ve got a dedicated sleep lab. Now you can leave your new iPhone out and next to your bed for the alarm and the old one for tracking your sleep.

5. Wi-Fi Phone

Services like Skype allow you to make phone calls using Wi-Fi, so why not use your old iPhone as a home phone that can make and receive calls? Just like a home phone it can’t leave the general area of your house, but unlike a landline this is a lot cheaper and probably more reliable.

6. In-Car Entertainment

Load your old iPhone up with music and Podcasts and use it as an in-car entertainment system. Instead of paying for services like Spotify or satellite radio, load up your phone and randomize a playlist. Battery life doesn’t matter because it’ll be plugged in and charging all the time.

7. Handheld Gaming Device

uses-for-old-iphone-gaming

Tired of killing your iPhone’s battery when you’re just sitting on the couch playing Angry Birds or Infinity Blade III? Keep your old phone around for gaming at home or on vacation and your new iPhone will always have a charge.

If you’re not worried about storage space, load it up with all the games you’ve played before and now you can pick it up and play whenever you want.

8. Let the Kids Inherit It

Finally, if you’re a parent, this is a perfect way to get your kids accustomed to using an iPhone without the risk of your shiny new toy landing in the toilet or catching a glassful of milk.

Lock it up with parental controls and turn off Wi-Fi so only what you load on it can be used. If your kid or kids are older, let them have this as their iPhone instead of buying them a new one. It’ll save you money and teach them that they need to work for what they want if they expect something shiny and new.

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Picture of Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

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