# How / Do you use your old cellphone(s)?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 3, 2018, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498 "2018-05-03T06:26:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2018, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/1 "2018-05-03T06:26:45Z")
I’m kinda chuffed that I have found uses for my old cellphones.
I don’t want to throw them away (and I’m not sure how to recycle them where I live).
Old tracphone: Standalone chinese dictionary. It’s useful when studying to have a device just for that one purpose, that I can leave with screen locked on, without worrying about my “real” phone’s battery. Also similarly a standalone map.
Xiao mi 4: I use this to test out new apps so I’m not always cluttering my main phone. It’s also always at home, charging, so if I need to charge my main phone I switch to using this one for a bit.
Windows phone: Actually this isn’t an old phone: I deliberately got a windows phone to try out some windows apps and do some dev work (easier platform for me to code than android).
---
### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2018, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/2 "2018-05-03T06:40:03Z")
Most of them just act as random electronics box filler.
---
### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/3 "2018-05-03T14:43:53Z")
I use an old cell phone for my alarm clock. It is perfect, it is small and can have 3 different alarms.
---
### Author:  [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/4 "2018-05-03T15:03:57Z")
I have an iPhone 5 with a shattered screen, and I have it set up as a security camera inside my house, looking at the front door, using an app called Manything.
---
### Author:  [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/5 "2018-05-03T15:13:05Z")
I donate mine to the domestic abuse shelter. They can still be used to call emergency services.
---
### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2018, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/6 "2018-05-03T15:16:50Z")
There are many options to properly rid yourself of old phones (and other electronics) if you don’t want to store it or find another use: [How to recycle your phone no matter where you live | Popular Science](https://www.popsci.com/recycle-your-phone)
To summarize, you can:
[ul]
[li]send them back to the manufacturer[/li][li]send them back to your carrier[/li][li]drop them at Best Buy or Staples[/li][li]donate them to charity[/li][li]check with your state to see if they have an electronics recycling program[/li][li]check this website ([Greener Gadgets](https://www.cta.tech/Consumer-Resources/Greener-Gadgets.aspx)) to get a list and map of places to recycle electronics[/li][/ul]
---
### Author:  [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/7 "2018-05-03T19:09:11Z")
Media players. I have two that I use this way. They sit in the cars on brackets mounted to the vents, plugged into a power supply for charging when the cars are running. One uses BT and the other is hardwired to an AUX input.
I used to use cheap standalone media players for this purpose, but the cheap ones have crummy buttons and UIs. On my smartphones, I get a nice big touchscreen and can use whatever player apps I want. When I park in the carport, they log onto my wi-fi and actually continue to receive updates for the Android OS and my apps.
The biggest expense was adding a 64GB micro-SD to each one. If one gets stolen, I just lose an old phone and a cheap SD card (as long as nobody breaks my window to get at it).
---
### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/8 "2018-05-03T19:18:14Z")
Alarm clock. Timer. Game apps. Grandkids play with them.
---
### Author:  [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/9 "2018-05-03T20:56:21Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#):
>
> I use an old cell phone for my alarm clock. It is perfect, it is small and can have 3 different alarms.
I have done this for years in two bedrooms - mostly to listen to internet radio or podcasts. Much, much cheaper than a real internet clock/radio.
However, these days an Echo Dot can replace both the clock radio/dock and cellphone for a lot less money.
---
### Author:  [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2018, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/10 "2018-05-05T00:43:35Z")
I just stumbled across my old original iPhone today and was amazed at how stylish it still looks after all these years, even if it looks absolutely minimalist next to my iPhone 7 Plus. Other phones from 2007 did not age well, but the iPhone was an instant classic. The small size felt nice in my hand.
It probably won’t even turn on, and I can’t imagine if it would be usable at all.
---
### Author:  [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2018, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/11 "2018-05-06T21:16:11Z")
I just throw them in the regular kitchen garbage bag. I figure the effect that they will have on the landfill is insignificant so why fret…
---
### Author:  [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/12 "2018-05-06T21:49:51Z")
I “don’t” use them but I’m still on my first smart phone. (Well the first one I owned. I had several years where I carried both my personal phone and a government-issued Blackberry.) My last feature phone didn’t have as much flexibility to use as a small portable computer so it got donated. There hasn’t been a compelling reason to replace my Galaxy S3 given how I use it. Likely it won’t be in great shape for repurposing at the point I do retire it unless that compelling reason comes along first.
---
### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-use-your-old-cellphone-s/813498/13 "2018-05-06T21:55:56Z")
I’m on my fourth iPhone and have handed down the older ones to my parents for their use. (My father barely uses or knows how to use a smartphone, so he gets the older one, while my mother gets the newer one. The oldest one is an iPhone 3G and I don’t think anyone is using it at this point.)