Now you can turn your old Galaxy phone into a smart home sensor

Samsung has expanded its Galaxy Upcycling Program so you can repurpose Galaxy smartphones into smart home devices. Explore how and the capabilities on offer in today's blog.

Repurposed Galaxy phone used as a smart home device

Did you know that around 1.5 billion smartphones are sold every year? Unwrapping your new shiny box is exciting, but have you ever considered what happens to your unused device once you’ve sold it to a supplier or thrown it in the trash? Before you think of disposing of your old device, consider this: electronics account for 70 percent of landfills’ toxic waste.

In honor of Earth Day, we’re excited to see that Samsung has launched some ways you can repurpose and recycle your old devices. But that’s not the only exciting advice they have to improve your carbon footprint. They’ve also introduced Galaxy Upcycling at Home that enables you to convert an older Galaxy smartphone and into a variety of IoT devices. There’s no installation or extra cost involved—just a simple software update. This program is currently available in the US, UK, and Korea. This update allows you to turn your old device into a smart home sensor to use at a childcare monitor, pet detection device, and light sensor.

What features does this software update offer?

Turn your old Galaxy phone into a light and sound sensor. Using AI technology, your old Galaxy devices can distinguish sounds in your natural environment. For example, your Galaxy phone can detect a dog barking, a knock at your door, and a baby crying. Once your device detects a sound, it’ll immediately send an alert to your smartphone. You can then listen to the recorded sound to see if it’s worth assessing the situation.

Additionally, use old devices at a light sensor to measure and adjust the brightness level in a room. In particular, you can set your Galaxy phone to automatically switch on lights. Or use it to power on the TV through SmartThings if the room gets gradually darker than the room’s lighting.

Overall, this expansion of Galaxy’s Upcycling program is a great way to breathe life into your unused, yet workable devices. Instead of throwing yours away where it will contribute to your carbon footprint, invest in a cheap, quick solution for a smarter home.

Will you be searching your drawers for an old Galaxy smartphone? Let us know your thoughts, along with any other uses you have for your old smartphone(s), in the comments.