Old Samsung phones can now turn your homes into 'smart-homes', here's how

Samsung Electronics has taken the initiative to promote upcycling old electronics as a creative solution to combat electronic waste. The Galaxy Upcycling Program involves converting the old phones into a variety of IoT (Internet of Things) devices. This shall be done through a simple software update which will enable the old phones to be used as childcare monitor, pet care and other home tools.

Old Samsung phones can now be used to make your homes 'smart-homes'

In January 2021, Samsung had announced about Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021. Finally, earlier today, Samsung Electronics announced on its official website that the Beta services for Galaxy Upcycling at home has been rolled out in the US, The UK and Korea. The older versions of Galaxy phones that are running on Android 9 and above can be transformed into smart home devices.

How to transform old Galaxy phones into smart devices?

It has been revealed by the company that users can transform their old phones through SmartThings Labs. SmartThings Labs is a feature within the SmartThings App which functions as light and sound sensors. The devices can be used as a light sensor to measure the brightness level of the room as well.

That further implies that users can simply set the device to automatically turn on the lights or the TV through SmartThings if the room becomes darker than the preset standard of light. Apart from that, old Samsung Galaxy smartphones can also determine sounds in everyday surroundings. This feature shall enable users to save certain sound recordings and through improved artificial intelligence solution, this feature will work.

Sung-Koo Kim, the VP of the Sustainability Management Office at Samsung Electronics stated that through Galaxy Upcycling at Home, they aim to make users to be mindful of the impact humans have on the environment. He also talked about Shaping a Sustainable Future with Repurposed Technology. Here is what he said in the official blog post published on the official website:

We are rethinking how we use existing resources, and we believe the key to upcycling is to enable solutions that transform old technology into something new by adding value. We are committed to integrating sustainable practices into our day-to-day lives, and through Galaxy Upcycling at Home, users can join our journey toward a more sustainable future.

Image credits: Samsung Mobile IG