I'm not dead yet
Alex Washburn/WiredYour new iPhone may be faster, more colourful, or have a few new features. But that doesn't mean you should banish your old one to the back of the junk drawer. A two-year-old iPhone -- or any smartphone -- is still a powerful device that likely has years of use left in it. Now's your chance to make some money, help someone else out, or repurpose your trusty ol' companion.
Sell it
According to a recent Ask.com survey, 46 percent of current iPhone owners will
be upgrading to the new iPhone 5S or 5C. If true, that's going to
mean a lot of perfectly good phones are going to get sold. If
you've kept your old iPhone in decent condition, chances are it
still has quite a bit of value. How much depends a lot on how (and
to an extent, when) you choose to sell it.
If you don't feel like boxing up and shipping your phone, you can head out to a retail store to trade your old phone in for a new one -- or grab some easy store credit. The amount of money (or credit) you'll get from each store obviously depends on the model and the condition of the trade-in iPhone. The Apple Store will give you up to $280 (£175), but you'll have to use that money to buy a new iPhone. Electronics giant Best Buy will give you a gift card worth up to $346 (£215) for a mint condition iPhone 5. The home of batteries and remote control cars, Radio Shack, will give you up to $300 (£187) trade-in credit for a perfect phone. Not as nice as Best Buy, but you can get up to $72 (£45) for a dead iPhone 5 there.
Like Radio Shack, Walmart will give you money for your broken phone. Unlike Radio Shack, that broken phone can only be an iPhone 4 or 4S. The retail chain tops out its store credit for a phone in amazing shape at $300 (£187). In general, in-store trade-ins are great for those who want to walk in with an old phone and walk out with a new one. Plus, there are no quote surprises. What they quote you, is what you get. Of course, if the iPhone you want is sold out, you might end up waiting longer than if you had simply ordered it online.
If you don't mind a little delayed-gratification, offerings from online programs might be the way to go. Gazelle has built a thriving business around taking your old tech and giving you money for it. The company will give you $320 (£200) for a mint condition iPhone 5 and $125 (£78) for a busted iPhone 5. Online mega-retailer Amazon will give you up to $441 (£275) for 64GB iPhone 5 in perfect condition. It doesn't accept any broken iPhones, however, so you're better off sending that brick to Gazelle. Networth will part with up to $320 (£200) for a perfect iPhone 5. Like Gazelle, it'll still give you money for a busted iPhone 5.
UK customers are not so spoiled for choice. O2's Recycle scheme offers £263.50 for a mint condition 16GB iPhone 5. The company offers to pay you in O2 credit, a same day bank transfer, a cheque, or an Amazon voucher, which offers you slightly more at £284.58. Similarly Vodafone's Buyback scheme offers a £243 same day bank transfer, a £267 Argos voucher or a £281 Debenhams voucher. Sell My Mobile will take your iPhone off you for a generous £300, whilst ASDA can offer £206. Apple's Reuse and Recycling option will give you £220.
The biggest downside with online services is that the quote can change (sometimes significantly) if the company determines the phone you shipped them is in worst shape than they expected. In these cases, you either end up taking less cash, or waiting to have your phone shipped back.
If you don't mind dealing with people, there's always Craigslist and Ebay. You're chances of getting more money are a lot better with these options, but you'll have to wade through a sea of Craigslist and Ebay flakes before you get any cold hard cash.
Donate it to a good cause
If you really don't foresee using your old phone and don't have
the time or inclination to sell it, at least be decent human being
and donate your old iPhone to a good cause. Local schools might be
able to put that "old" tech to work in the classroom. Check with
your local school district to see if they're looking for
iPhones.
Domestic abuse shelters also accept phones, smart or otherwise. The National Coalition against Domestic Violence will take any of your old phones and sell them to help fund the program. But before you send yours off, check with your local shelter too. Some give used phones to victims of domestic abuse as a means to call 911.
If you're still not sure how your old iPhone can help others, use the American Cell Phone Drive site to find local organisations that are looking for phones. Just type in your zip code and see who is in need.
UK users can donate thier phones to the British Red Cross, Recycle 4 Charity, Scope, Donate Mobile and even the Guide Dogs Recycling Appeal.
Sound system
Chances are, your old iPhone is still one of the best music
delivery devices in your home. It connects to both your local
iTunes library and to whatever streaming music service you may be
part of via Wi-Fi. Either shove it in the nearest dock or connect
via the headphone jack to speakers and keep the music going. This
is also your chance to be extra crafty like Gadget Lab Editor
Michael Calore, "I velcro'd my iPhone 3G to the wall in the kitchen
and mini-plugged it into an old JBL sound donut. Then I deleted
everything except for NPR, Rdio, TuneIn, Podcast Player, and iTunes
(which I filled with MP3s)."
An old iPhone is also perfect for enjoying tunes in your garage. Plus, it's a great way to quickly look up how-to videos and manuals when your working on the car or bike without getting your new iPhone all greasy.
Camera
All generations of iPhone have at least serviceable camera
quality. Put that camera to work as a home photo booth or security
camera. Apps like Pocketbooth will help you create your own in-home photo
booth for parties or just for fun. If you're paranoid or just want
a nice web cam of your neighborhood, Presence can stream video over Wi-Fi or a mobile network.
You can even set it up to start up when it detects motion.
Car entertainment system
Your commute just got a bit better. Load all your favorite music
and playlists onto your old iPhone and connect it to your car's
dash for in-the-go entertainment. For the easy-to-implement system,
grab a USB
charger for your cigarette lighter and use your existing
iPhone cable. If your car stereo has an auxiliary audio port, grab
a mini-jack audio cable for the tunes and use the Ram X-Grip to
keep your phone from sliding around the interior when you take a
turn.
If you're really looking to step up your game, a car stereo that supports the iPhone is a great way to go. Sony has a good selection of stereos that support both USB input and Bluetooth. The USB port not only lets the head unit control the music on your phone, it also charges your phone so you only have one extra wire in the car.
At night, take the iPhone inside (a good practice to deter a smashed window) to update your song list or podcasts. If you download an app that stores maps like Forever Map, it can also be used as a GPS device without worrying about pesky carrier charges.
Kids
Little kids love taking off with your gadgets. So why not donate
your old iPhone to a member of your brood? Before handing it over,
wrap it in a tough case. Incipio and Otterbox both have options that should keep the iPhone
alive at least until the end of the week.
Next, grab some fun, kid-friendly apps from the same people that taught you your ABCs. Sesame Street Fun Play is great for kids five and under. Beemo from Adventure Time has an app. And Disney has an entire library of them to choose from.
And if your kid is creative, giving them a camera to unlock that creativity is always a plus. Wouldn't you rather they make movies all day then watch them?
This story originally appeared on Wired.com
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