Everything you need to repurpose, donate, or recycle your old device responsibly — all in one place.
These are the apps we use in our tutorials. All tested, all free or near-free.
Security camera and baby monitor with live streaming, motion alerts, and two-way talk. Used in 3 of our tutorials.
Lock your tablet into a full-screen kiosk mode for smart home dashboards. Incredibly powerful for the price.
Turn your old phone into a wireless trackpad and keyboard for your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.
The best offline music player for Android. Plays MP3, FLAC, AAC — no internet, no account, no ads.
Borrow ebooks and audiobooks for free with your library card. Thousands of titles available, works offline.
Use your old phone's camera as a webcam for Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet. Genuinely better than most laptop cams.
Download maps of your city or region for use without mobile data — perfect for a dedicated car GPS device.
Full remote parental controls for kids' Android devices — approve apps, set screen limits, see location.
Clean, fast EPUB and PDF reader for dedicated e-reader use. Also works great with free books from Project Gutenberg.
Save recipes from any website with one tap. Perfect for a kitchen tablet — includes a built-in cooking timer.
Free emulator frontend for classic console games (NES, SNES, GBA). Pair with a Bluetooth controller for a handheld console.
Donate your old phone's idle computing power to real scientific research — cancer, climate, astrophysics.
A working old phone is a gift to someone who needs it. These programmes make it easy.
Provides refurbished devices to low-income students and families. Accepts phones, tablets, and laptops. Great option for schools too.
Visit Site ↗Accepts old devices and refurbishes them for nonprofits and low-income individuals. Free data wiping included. US-wide drop-off.
Visit Site ↗Income-qualified individuals and nonprofits can receive refurbished tech. They accept smartphones and tablets alongside computers.
Visit Site ↗Many schools and public libraries actively need device donations. Call ahead to ask — they often have specific requirements but are very grateful.
Find Local Options ↗Women's shelters and refugee programmes often need phones for residents. Contact local charities to ask if they accept device donations.
Search Near You ↗Donates prepaid phone cards to deployed US troops. Accepts used devices as trade-in value to fund the programme.
Visit Site ↗If the device is too old or broken to reuse, please recycle it — never throw electronics in the bin.
Apple accepts any Apple device. Working devices get trade-in value; broken ones are recycled for free.
Apple Trade-In ↗Accepts all brands at their stores. Non-functional devices accepted for responsible recycling at no cost.
Best Buy ↗Samsung accepts any Samsung device — even old ones with no trade-in value — for responsible recycling.
Samsung ↗Find certified e-waste drop-off locations near you. Specialises in battery recycling from devices.
Find Drop-Off ↗Automated kiosks in malls and supermarkets that buy or recycle your old phone on the spot. Instant cash offer.
Find Kiosk ↗AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon accept old phones in-store. Drop off any brand, any condition, for free recycling.
Learn More ↗