Smart phones are a major part of society at this point. Almost everyone has them, and new ones are being produced all the time. But when it comes time for a new one, what should you do with your old phone? If you ask us, we’d say to keep it. Here’s why.
Most people will get a new phone every few years. Some buy the new phone outright, which can be expensive. Others will utilize interest free loans from cellular providers and the “upgrade” plans they offer. Some just sell them online or to retailers for a small sum of cash. While these are more common, they’re not ideal. But there are plenty of other reasons why we believe that holding onto your last-generation smartphone is a better idea than getting rid of it.
Reason 1: In Case Yours Breaks
The most common reason people might hold on to their phone is to use it as a backup should something bad happen to your current phone, but you still need a way to stay connected. Accidents happen, and having to answer a call on an old Samsung Galaxy is better than missing whatever important news you might be expecting.
Reason 2: Give to Friends or Family
Maybe YOU don’t need the phone. Maybe a friend or family member does. Whether they got theirs stolen, broken, or otherwise out of action, you could be the hero of the day by offering your older phone as a substitute until they get a new one. Just be prepared to possibly not get it back.
Reason 3: Sacrificial Decoy
Sometimes when traveling somewhere urban, and less safe than average, people will encounter dangerous scenarios like muggings or hotel burglaries. If you’re expecting to travel, you can carry your old phone with you. Should you be mugged and told to hand over your phone, you can give the older, decoy phone, saving your current phone from theft.
Reason 4: GPS
Not many people realize that GPS service is completely separate from both cellular signal and data signal. Phones without any cell plans or data service can still access GPS tracking. This means old phones can be used as backup GPS trackers on wilderness excursions
Reason 5: a Bug Out/SHTF Encyclopedia
Did you know you can download the entirety of Wikipedia in only about 20GB? Granted, this doesn’t include media, and when uncompressed, reached about 80GB of data storage. Even so, many phones are capable of holding that kind of information. Dump all that info onto an old smart phone, maybe download some e-books on survival, and throw it into your bug out back along with a hand crank phone charger, you could have a wellspring of information available, no matter what happens.
Let’s be real. There are countless better things you can do with a phone than giving it to a large corporation for less than it’s worth. If you aren’t going to keep it, you can always sell it to a third party directly, donate to the homeless (yes, they can really benefit from having one), or recycle into parts.
Either way, the choice is always yours. But us, we’ll hold on to our old phone for now.