There's a good chance most of us have at least one old phone sitting in a drawer. I know I'm guilty. Sometimes it's for nostalgia reasons (I'm never throwing out my Sony W500i), but sometimes it's just because dealing with them feels too damn hard.
If you're getting sick of old phones taking up space, it might be tempting to just throw out that old phone. There are however better options that won't lead to your device sitting in a landfill.
Attach magnets and slap it on your fridge
If your phone is still working, its easy enough to repurpose it for another task. To start, you could always attach a couple of magnets to the back (or onto the back of a case) and pop it on your fridge. Boom, instant smart fridge.
Why bother? You could use it for making shopping lists that sync to other devices, browsing recipes when cooking, or even as a way to control any smart home appliances you might have.
Given that you probably won't use your fridge-phone as often as you use your primary smartphone, you can probably get away with only charging it once every couple of days.
Turn it into a portable modem
Another simple way to reuse a phone is to turn it into a portable modem.
If you pop a data-only SIM into your old smartphone and turn on tethering, it will essentially work the same was a portable WiFi hotspot. Data-only SIMs also tend to get you far more data than plans with talk and text, so they're not a bad way to get a few extra gigabytes in your life.
Most providers' data-only SIMs will work in a smartphone, but it might be worth double checking before you take the plunge. Here are a few data-only mobile broadband SIM plans with at least 50GB:
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#1
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Vodafone
Editor's Pick
Small Data SIM Only Plan
$20/mth
Min. cost $20
Link not supplied
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#2
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SpinTel
Mobile Broadband 50GB
$28/mth
Min. cost $28
Link not supplied
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#3
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Tangerine Telecom
Editor's Pick
100GB Mobile Broadband Data Plan
$34.90/mth
Min. cost $34.90
Link not supplied
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#4
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Belong
100GB Data SIM Only
$40/mth
Min. cost $40
Link not supplied
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#5
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More
100GB Mobile Broadband Data Plan
$40/mth
Min. cost $40
Link not supplied
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#6
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Aussie Broadband
Large Data Only 5G SIM
$40/mth
Min. cost $40
Link not supplied
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#7
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Yomojo
50GB Data Only
$54.90/mth
Min. cost $54.90
Link not supplied
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#8
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Telstra
Upfront Data Plan Medium
$68/mth
Min. cost $68
Link not supplied
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It is however worth noting that using a phone as a portable hotspot can be very demanding, which might not be ideal if the battery is already on its last legs. At the same time, buying a dongle costs money, whereas using a phone you already own is free.
Turn it into a gaming and or multimedia machine
This one isn't super-creative, but loading up your old phone full of games and streaming apps is a simple yet practical option. Playing games and watching videos are some of the most battery-intensive things you can do with a smartphone, so having a dedicated movie viewing machine for your morning commute isn't a terrible idea. And now that Netflix and Stan let you download videos for offline viewing, you won't even need to put in a SIM.
Hand it down
If you're feeling generous, why not give your phone to someone else, like a friend or relative? You'll just need to make sure you wipe it of your personal data first.
If you’re on an iPhone, you'll first need to turn off Find My Phone and sign out of your Apple ID. You can do this by opening Settings, tapping your name at the top of the menu, and then selecting iCloud. Under the iCloud menu, scroll down to Find My Phone, and toggle it off. After you're done, go back to the previous page (Apple ID) and tap sign out at the bottom. If you don't do this, your Apple ID password will be required to set up the phone after you've wiped it.
If you're on iOS 14.5 or newer, Find My appears as a separate menu option under iCloud after tapping your name. You'll use this menu instead.
After finishing the previous steps, go back to Settings, tap on General, Reset, and then Erase All Content and Settings. This will wipe your phone clean and reset it to its out-of-the-box factory settings.
The process is similar for Android devices, although they can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. On newer Android phones, you'll need to sign out of your Google account. To do this, open Settings, scroll down to Accounts, then tap Google. Select the account you want to sign out of, then tap the "three dot" icon in the top right-hand corner, and choose Remove Account. You'll need to do this for every Google Account on the phone.
When you're done, go back Settings, select Backup & Reset, then choose Factory Data Reset, and then Reset Phone.
If you're handing your old phone down to a child or teenager, there may be additional steps you'll wish to take to bar access to inappropriate content, apps and more. See our guides on parental controls for iPhone or Samsung devices.
Trade it in
Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone now let you trade in your old devices for credit toward a new phone.
Ideally, the phone should be in good working order. This means the screen must be undamaged, the phone must be able to turn on, and the exterior needs to be free from major cosmetic damage. Trade-in value will depend on your device; newer models are understandably worth more. In some cases, you might even be able to get credit for a damaged phone.
All three telcos can give you a quote online.
As with handing down your phone, make sure you wipe it of your personal data first.
Sell it
If you'd prefer to get a make a couple of dollarydoos from your old device, selling it is also an option. In general, your best bets are eBay, Gumtree, or selling it to a friend. As simple as they are, trade-in programs such as that run by Apple tend to undervalue your phone by potentially a couple of hundred dollars.
iPhones on the resale market tend to command higher prices for longer than most Android competitors. Android flagships don't hold their value quite as well, but you can still get a decent amount for a recent top-end Samsung device. Results may vary when it comes to phones from other manufacturers, given the smaller demand.
Once again, make sure you wipe your personal data from your device before you sell it.
Recycle it
If your phone is old and busted to the point where it won't even power up, the best thing you can do is recycle it. We'd recommend using Mobile Muster - a not-for-profit government-accredited mobile recycling program that's super simple to use.
If you want to post Mobile Muster your phone or accessories for recycling, the organisation will send you a satchel for free, or you can pick one up from Australia Post. In some cases, new phones even come with a Mobile Muster bag in the box. Sending your phone into Mobile Muster won't cost you anything. Alternatively, you can drop off your phone for recycling at most Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone stores.
Mobile Muster accepts all phones, phone batteries, chargers and adapters, and mobile broadband dongles. As part of its recycling program, the non-for-profit says it can recover 95% of the components found in a phone.
There’s a litany harmful components in our mobile devices, such as lead, cadmium, sulphur, beryllium, and my personal favourite, brominated flame retardants. If not disposed of properly, these can put human health and the environment at risk.
Smartphones are a growing source of e-waste in Australia, due to the comparatively quick life cycle of devices.
Not only do the potentially dangerous elements found inside a phone not end up in landfill, recycling your device also puts the more useful components - such as gold - back into the supply chain and reduces the need to further extract and process new materials.
Alex Choros
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