What Can I Do With my Old Cell Phone?

Although the frenzy for the newest and greatest cell phone available is no longer a shopping must-have, plenty of users are still upgrading their cell phone. Whether the age of the phone is a problem, or a user wants a new one, it’s worth keeping an old cell in good repair.

Some people become upset because they can no longer download the operating system to support the apps they need.

“How am I supposed to feel?” said one senior. “I can’t get the Uber or Lyft app. My cell phone won’t upgrade to what (the operating system) they need. But my phone is still good. What am I supposed to do, throw it away?”

We’re glad you asked because we’d like to give you some ideas and suggestions for ways you can use or recycle your old cellphone.

Get Ting

Ting is a low-cost, pay per use cell phone program. With Ting, you pay a flat rate per phone, which is currently $6 and then pay for the number of minutes, texts, and data you need per month. If you’re a heavy data user, this isn’t a plan for you. But if you only use your phone once in a while, Ting might be perfect as an emergency backup phone or a phone for someone who doesn’t use it much.

Dedicate it

You can dedicate your old phone to turn it into an alarm clock, e-reader, game console, music player, baby monitor, home security device, monitor for asteroids or aliens, IBM’s community grid, or a host of other fun things. Read here for more great uses!

These websites have some overlap, but there are some great ideas

Donate it

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You can donate your phone to a variety of worthy causes who will make excellent use of it to help others. Here are some examples:

  • Medic Mobile uses donated cell phones to register pregnancies, track disease outbreaks faster, monitor essential medicine stock and communicate about emergencies.

  • Secure the Call helps the elderly, abused, and police or sheriff departments. 

  • Sprint uses them to help low-income high school students have internet access for school assignments.

Recycle it

This moving company describes some electronic recycling programs in the Valley, but it’s very easy to find one which is in close proximity to your home. 

Sell it

You can sell your old cell phone on a local buy and trade platform, through eBay, or a dedicated cell phone recycling sales website, such as Sell Cell. 


As you can see, because there are so many options for old cell phones, it’s well worthwhile to keep an older cell phone in good working order. If your old cell phone or tablet needs repair, don’t hesitate! We will have it working again in no time!

Call us at 480-435-9330 if you need a highly-rated, expert cell phone repair company to repair your iPhone, Samsung, PS4, XBox, iPad or tablet.