Generally, when a phone runs out, recycle it or replace it with a new one. But with its new up-and-coming recycling program, Samsung is trying to help people turn old Galaxy phones into new IoT devices.
Today, with the expansion of his Galaxy Upcycling service at home (which is still in beta), users in the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea will have access to an experimental feature in the SmartThings app designed to revive an old Galaxy phone as a useful accessory for the smart home.
By using the app to reconfigure the device’s battery usage and optimization, Samsung says even older devices will be able to maintain good longevity, while the phone’s usual assortment of wireless connectivity features makes it easy to pair your phone with other devices in your home.
In the SmartThings app, Samsung provides a number of features that an old smartphone can do, including light sensor features that can automatically turn on smart lights or even the TV when it gets dark. Alternatively, you can also turn an old Galaxy phone into a sound sensor, with the phone using AI to detect common house noises like a barking dog, a crying baby or a knock on the door.
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That way, you can too Reusing an old Samsung phone as a baby monitor, depending on how old the phone is, can save you money compared to the direct trade of the phone and the use you make to buy a new baby monitor.
And of course, even without much play, recycled Samsung phones can also be used as universal remote controls, providing an easy way to control your real-time playback video box, play music on smart speakers , control the lights and more.
Samsung says the goal of its recycling program is to give users another way to do it they extend the life of the devices they already have and, by extension, help reduce the impact that Samsung devices have on the environment. After all, a device that is reused or recycled can be a gadget unless found in a landfill.
That said, the biggest hurdle for most people is that reusing an old smartphone usually takes a while. DIY and some tolerance for DIY solutions, which may require a greater commitment than most people want to do. And that’s before you think about the need to buy additional media or phone holders in order to properly place your new IoT device.
So in the end, the simplest approach may be to get rid of your old device (either by swapping or recycling) before you buy something new. But at the very least, you now have the option to reuse or reuse some of your aged devices, and if you’re already invested in Samsung’s SmartThing ecosystem, the Upcycling at Home program could serve as a small upgrade.