5 Undiscovered ways to make use of your outdated Android phone

All software in the market is continuously evolving. They are a new update for every application either monthly or at least once per 6 months.

The growing competition is responsible for these changes. These changes are also a result of growing security issues, which need to be fixed now and then.

Operating systems are one of the largest and one of the most complex structured software out there in the market.

An Operating System is the father software which manages the working of other software and coordinates with the device's hardware.

Android, owned by Google, is one of the largest Operating systems out there in the market. It too like other software undergo various updates which are necessary to keep pace with time and to ensure its users' safety.

What do you mean by an Android version?

Android, simply, is an operating system on which many of the smartphones and few PCs work. It was developed by Andy Rubin, Nick Sears and Rich Miner.

It was officially overtaken by Google on July 11, 2005. From then it is being managed by Google LLC.

When Android was started it was it did not follow the code pattern (such as Pie, Nougat, etc.) as it is prevalent today. It was simply known as Android 1.0.

From the time it has been launched, it had undergone various minor as well as major updates.

The company keeps updating the software for the ease and security of its users. But sometimes, it can work a little against them.

And it is because some applications stop supporting older versions of Android. These enable the user of that version from downloading or using those apps.

Your Android version may be updated to the newer one if your handset is not old enough which would prevent it from happening. Or you have to keep using the older versions because Android stops providing you with updates for your Android version once your handset gets sufficiently outdated.

So, what happens once your phone's stops receiving updates from Android?

One thing to be remembered is that this situation will not occur with if your phone is 2-3 years old. This situation is usually faced by users who are still using the smartphones launched 5-6 years ago.

Once Android stops sending you updates for your Android version, you will not notice any significant change till 6-8 months. After that, some apps which you are currently using may stop functioning on your smartphone.

You may not be able to download freshly launched apps because those apps may not support the version of Android you are using.

You may face issues in using apps which are still supported for your Android version because probably you won't get the updates for those apps.

Most of us have that one or two outdated phones at our homes which are lying useless at your home. If you are thinking to sell them then, you should change your mind.

It is so because you will not get the money in return for your phone that it is worthy of. You can make better use of your phone through the ways I have mentioned later in this article.

So, in this post I'll tell you 5 ways in which you can make the best use of your outdated Android phone.

So has your phone turned useless now?

If your phone continues to support some of the basic apps that you need, then well and good but if not, then you can still make use of it in the best way possible through the ways I am going to mention in this article.

This article will be helpful to you even if your Android version stops supporting almost every app out there on the Play Store.

5 Incredible ways to make use of your outdated Android phone

So before we dive into the details of these ways, the minimum Android version which you need for these ways to work for you is Android 2.2.1. So let's get over to them...

1. 
   
   

   For listening to music or radio

   Have you ever noticed that how much data is consumed by you for listening to music daily? Huh! you might be thinking how much it can be. But if you start saving your data you can make better use of it and indirectly save your precious money.
   
   Or if you download them on your device then you now and then keep falling short of storage on your phone. So if you can save your money why should you avoid it, right?
   
   Therefore, if your phone still has so much support for applications so that you can download the songs directly on your phone then you should do it directly there. But if you cannot do that then you can follow the below methods to transfer songs to your 'alternate' phone.
   Method 1
   This method can be employed if your device can be connected to your PC and files can be successfully shared between them.
   
   
   1. Dowload the songs that you listen from the internet to your PC.
   2. Connect your phone with your PC with the help of a cable.
   3. Your phone name should show up on your PC's screen
   4. Now head over to the folder in your PC in which you have stored your songs.
   5. Now either copy and paste the song files or drag and drop them in a folder in your phone.
   6. After you have completed the process you should find your songs in the folder in which you have pasted them.
   Method 2
   You can follow this method if you face any issue in connecting your PC with your phone. For this method, you will be needing an SD card for the transfer of your songs.
   1. Insert your SD card on your working phone or a phone which supports at least basic applications.
   2. Download the songs on that phone and place them in a folder in your SD card.
   3. Remove the SD card from that phone and place it in your outdated Android phone.
   4. Now transfer the songs from the SD card to the internal memory of your phone.
   5. You can either keep the SD card inserted or remove it from your phone if you want.
   6. After that you should be able to listen to your favourite music using your 'useless' Android phone.
   You can even transfer the songs using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth if your songs are successfully transferred and are in working condition after you have transferred them.
2. 
   
   

   As a back up device

   Today your data don't seem to be safe if it is stored at one place only. You need to keep backing up your data in a Pendrive, other devices or in cloud storage.
   
   Pendrives and cloud storage services come for prices which are high enough (assuming that you have used up your free 15 GB limit on Google Drive).
   
   So, why not use an extra space which you have for free in the form of your Android phone which you no longer seemed to be using.
   
   You can transfer the files to your phone using the method mentioned prior in this article.
   
   By backing up your files in your phone which you no longer use for your day-to-day work will keep your important files safe.
   
   It is so because a phone with some supported applications will have little to no fear for hacking and now it cannot be deleted accidentally as you do not carry out much work using that phone.
3. 
   
   

   As a webcam for your PC

   Many a time you need to carry out online meeting whether for professional or educational purpose especially after the Covid-19 pandemic break out.
   
   You might be having a PC at your home but may not have a webcam for it and for this reason you might be thinking to buy a webcam.
   
   You can convert your phone into you a webcam when you want to use it and reconvert it to its normal state once your work is done.
   
   For converting a phone into a webcam the most famous service is Droid Cam. For using this service you need to download its software on the PC to which you want to connect your phone as a webcam.
   
   After that you need to download an application on the phone as well. You need to make sure that your phone supports the download for this application. If it does not support your Android version then you can download the APK version but make sure that the version works well on your phone.
4. 
   
   

   As an alarm clock

   You can use your phone as an alarm clock as well. It can be useful to you if you don't have an alarm clock for waking up in the morning or any other purpose.
   
   It is so because your outdated phone is usually disconnected to any mobile network and hence, you can keep it near you while you are asleep.
   
   You should not use your working phone which you use in your day-to-day life because it is usually connected to several networks which can cause your phone to emit radiations which would be harmful to your health.
5. 
   
   

   As a virtual diary for your passwords

   You can even use your outdated Android phone to store your important details for which you doubt that you can forget them. From this, you access them at any time.
   
   Moreover, no one can guess that you have stored your passwords in such a location and there is little to no chance of that phone getting hacked as it is almost disconnected from any network.
   
   You can employ the memo or notes app for this work as most of the old android phones come with these apps in the system apps bundle.

Conclusion

So concluding the article I would suggest that an Android phone has a lot of useful features. Some of its features can still be accessed even if Android has stopped sending the support for that particular version.

In my opinion, you should give these ways a try at least for a month and then judge whether they have benefitted you or not. Nevertheless, a phone which is lying useless at your home will now be at work for you ;).