Your old Samsung phone can now be used as a smart home device

Smartphones have been around for over a decade and as such, we imagine that many of us have a number of old phones lying around collecting dust. These phones aren’t really worth that much anymore, but instead of just letting them collect dust, why not put them to good use, especially if you have some Samsung phones lying around?

Samsung has started to roll out software updates for its phones in the US, UK, and South Korea as part of the Galaxy Upcycling program. Basically what this does is that it gives old phones a new lease on life by allowing them to be used as a smart home device, like a baby monitor, a home security camera, and so on.

Granted, there are already plenty of third-party software that lets you use your phone the same way, but this is a more “official” method for those who prefer it. Plus in some cases, it might actually work out better as the update will take advantage of the AI that Samsung is introducing in its SmartThings app.

For example, users can record certain sounds that they want the app to keep an ear out for, like a baby crying, and will be able to notify the user when it does. It can also be used as a light sensor so that if the device detects that the room has become darker, it can turn on smart lights connected through its SmartThings platform.

At the moment, the feature will be available for Samsung’s Galaxy S, Note, Z models released in 2018 or later and are running Android 9 and above.

Source: SamMobile