13 Things to Do With an Old Android Phone

If you have an old Android phone or two lying around your house collecting dust, this article is for you. Phones are versatile devices that can do just about anything, so there's no need to buy specialized gadgets when an old phone does the trick.

1 Repurpose It as a Storage Device

One of the most versatile ways to use a phone is as a storage device in place of an external drive. Sure, USB sticks are small and inexpensive, and external SSDs can reach insanely fast transfer speeds, but they also cost money to buy, whereas you already have an old phone. Plus, they don't usually support Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for wireless transfers or screens and speakers to show and play your stored media.

You probably won't get a lot of mileage from a 16GB phone, but even a 32GB phone can store 26,786 12MP photos, 10,417 songs that are 3MB each, or 168 minutes of 1080p video. The real-world numbers would be slightly lower since the operating system takes up a few gigabytes, but those are still substantial numbers. Not to mention that many old Android phones have SD card slots, allowing you to expand the storage significantly.

2 Use It as a Mini Smart Speaker

An old Android phone that supports Google Assistant is the perfect smart home speaker; in a way, it's even better because you can use it unplugged. You just have to enable all of Assistant's hands-free features so that you can use it even when the phone is locked, and you're all set.

You could permanently connect it to a Bluetooth speaker if you want it to be as loud as a real smart speaker, but it's not necessary. Plus, you'd have to keep both devices plugged in or charged, so it's too much of a bother if you ask me.

3 Give It to Your Kid

If you don't want to buy your child a phone because phones are an expensive commodity or for parenting reasons, I hear you. Thankfully, Android phones give you plenty of ways to manage a device other than enabling Kids Mode on your own Samsung phone.

There are tools and apps you can use to manage what your kids can do on their phones and how much they can use it. This way, your child can have a way to contact you without getting glued to their screen. Old phones also make for pretty decent cameras for kids.

4 Use It as a TV Remote and Streaming Device

Many old Android phones have IR blasters, meaning you can use them as a traditional remote for devices with IR sensors, like TVs. If your old phone doesn't have one, you can still connect it to your smart TV and use screen mirroring to watch a TV show.

Granted, you can do this with your main phone as well, but I like to immerse myself when I watch content. It's better to have a dedicated phone remote that isn't logged in to anything, especially with an easily distracted family.

5 Use It as a Mini Car Multimedia and Dash Cam

I'm all in favor of retrofitting touchscreens in old cars to get modern features like Android Auto, Google Maps, and Spotify. However, if you don't want to spend money on a car stereo and spend several hours figuring out the wiring, just hook up an old phone to the stereo. The phone can double as a dash cam, so if it's plugged in, it can act as a permanent multimedia solution for your car that doesn't rely on your main phone.

6 Strap It to Your Bicycle

If you want the Android Auto experience on your bicycle, just use your old Android phone. This way, you won't damage your main phone in the case of an accident, and the constant vibrations won't break your camera's optical image stabilization (OIS).

7 Leave It in Your Kitchen

A kitchen tablet or phone left permanently on a phone holder above your counter is the best way to find and follow recipes or just watch YouTube. Simply set the screen timeout to 30 minutes and create a home screen dedicated to your favorite cooking apps and websites. You'll always have a device ready to go in an instant, and the best part is that you won't even care if you get tomato sauce all over the screen.

8 将其用作 PC 网络摄像头

便宜的网络摄像头很糟糕。更糟糕的是，带有某些摄像头（例如我的）的驱动程序安装起来简直是一场噩梦。由于即使是老式智能手机也具有相当好的摄像头，因此它们可以成为可靠的网络摄像头。只需拿起一个简单的显示器手机支架并使用备用 USB 端口为手机充电即可。

最新的 Pixel 和 Motorola 手机实际上有一个原生网络摄像头选项； Windows 11 中还提供了通用无线网络摄像头解决方案。您还可以尝试一些第三方解决方案。

9 将其变成安全摄像头或婴儿监视器

您的旧手机已经具备安全摄像头所需的一切 — 坚固的摄像头、麦克风、Wi-Fi 和存储空间。智能安全摄像头价格昂贵，而且可以说比智能手机更容易受到黑客攻击，但您也不应该完全信任运行过时 Android 版本的手机，因此请务必谨慎。按照我们的指南将您的旧手机变成安全摄像头。

10 将其用作廉价手持设备

如果您不想花钱购买专用手持设备，那么旧手机就可以解决问题。诚然，有一个强有力的论据支持将主手机用作手持设备，但如果您想将游戏控制器永久连接到手机上，旧手机可能会更方便。您的旧手机可能更小，因此更便于携带，并且在旅行时您可以更小心地使用它。

将一些游戏和模拟器卸载到旧手机上也可以节省存储空间。不在主手机上玩游戏也意味着更长的电池寿命，并且没有烦人的通知。

11 将其用作 PC 媒体或 DAW 控制器

统一远程应用程序允许您通过手机控制您的 PC。一项有用的功能是您可以将手机用作通用媒体遥控器。如果您的键盘上没有专用媒体键，它本质上会为您提供媒体键。曾经有一个更高级的应用程序称为 PCVolumeControl，但该项目似乎已被放弃。

如果您是音乐制作人，您可以将旧手机永久放在手机支架上，将其用作 DAW 控制器。触摸屏构成了完美的 DAW 控制界面，如以下视频所示：

12 将其转换为相框或日历

速度极慢的 Android 手机和平板电脑是完美的数码相框。如果您的旧手机又旧又落后，以至于您无法将其用于任何功能，您至少可以将其用作装饰品，因为它不需要任何高级处理。将其放在支架上，插入充电，然后打开支持幻灯片放映（来自云端或设备存储）的照片库应用程序，例如 Fotoo。

13 卖掉它

无论您的旧 Android 手机有多旧或多坏，都没关系；它必须具有一定的货币价值。只需拍几张照片并在 Facebook Marketplace 和 eBay 等在线市场上描述其状况，就可以开始了。

检查类似的列表以查看市场价值，以确定是否值得您花时间，因为您将需要花几分钟来回复消息和运送手机。如果只是 5 美元或 10 美元，可能不值得。我有几个朋友和家人从不卖掉他们的旧手机。他们将它们保留为备用设备，错过了赚几百美元的机会。

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