Got an old Android phone that you think you won’t be using anymore? Instead of throwing it away, repurpose it into something like a dashboard clock or a photo frame. I’ll show you how to do that.

Prepare Your Old Phone

The first thing to do is to prepare your old phone so it works fine when you turn it into a clock or a photo frame. Here’s what to do.

Factory Reset Your Phone

If you’ve already switched to a new phone and don’t have important data saved on your old phone, reset the phone to factory settings. Doing so brings it to a clean state.

When you factory reset your phone, you lose all the data and settings configured on the phone. If you want to back up any data, do so now.

To start the reset process, launch Settings on your phone. Scroll down and select "System." Choose "Reset Options." On the following screen, tap "Erase All Data (Factory Reset)."

On the following screen, confirm your action by choosing "Erase All Data" in the bottom-right corner. If asked, enter your phone’s PIN and choose "Erase All Data." Then, restart your Android phone.

Update Software And Apps

It’s important to keep Android and all installed apps up to date. Whether you’ve skipped the above section or not, update Android and apps as follows on your phone.

To update Android, head into Settings > System > Software Updates > System Update and choose "Check for Update." If an update is available, install it.

To update installed apps, launch Google Play Store. In the top-right corner, tap your profile icon and choose "Manage Apps & Device." Select "Update All" to update all installed apps.

Get a Stand or Dock

To use your phone as a clock or photo frame, you’ll need a stand or dock to place your phone in. There are many inexpensive stands and docks that you can get for your phone. You need to find the one that is compatible with your device. Amazon should have some options for your device.

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To repurpose your phone into a clock, either use a built-in clock feature or install a free third-party app and use it.

Use the Built-In Clock Function

Most Android phones offer the feature to display a large clock on your screen. To access it, on your phone, head into Settings > Display & Touch > Screen Saver. Turn on "Use Screen Saver" to enable the feature.

From the available options, pick the clock you like. You can customize it by choosing "Customize." On the following screen, select "Style," and choose "Analog" or "Digital" mode for your clock.

Use a Third-Party Clock App

If you want more options, a third-party clock app is a better choice. Some apps you can use are Huge Digital Clock, Fullscreen Clock, and Qzey.

To use Huge Digital Clock, for example, download and install the app from Google Play Store. Launch the app and get past the welcome screens. On the Clock Setup screen, choose "Create Your Clock" or "Default Theme."

Customize your clock the way you want, and it will work and appear that way.

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If you want your phone to display your chosen photos, you can use the built-in Google Photos app or another app.

Use Google Photos

To display your saved photos in Google Photos as a slideshow on your phone, launch the Google Photos app. From the bottom bar, select "Collections." Choose "Albums," tap the " " (plus) sign in the top-right corner, and make a new album.

Tap "Select Photos" and choose the photos you’d like to display as a slideshow on your phone. Access the newly created album and select the first photo. In the top-right corner, tap the three dots and choose "Slideshow."

Use a Third-Party App

For more slideshow options, you can utilize free third-party apps like Fotoo, Digital Photo Frame Slideshow, and Pixgram.

To use Fotoo, for example, download and launch the app on your phone. On the Select a Photo Stream page, choose the source for your photos. If asked, select the album from which you want to use the photos.

The app will start displaying your photos as a slideshow on your phone. You can also use gestures like swiping right and left to skip through photos.

Configure Display and Power Settings

To ensure your phone continues to run as a good clock or photo frame, you’ll want to configure a few setting options.

First, you may want to adjust the screen brightness. To do that, head into Settings > Display & Touch > Brightness Level. If you want the phone to automatically adjust it for you, turn on "Adaptive Brightness."

Second, you may want to disable all notifications on your phone. To do that, turn on DND mode. Head into Settings > Modes > Do Not Disturb and select "Turn On Now."

Third, turn on the option that keeps your phone awake when it’s being charged. To do that, head into Settings > About Phone and tap "Build Number" seven times. Then, head into Settings > System > Developer Options and turn on "Stay Awake."

And that’s how you make good use of your old Android phone rather than disposing it. There are many other ways to use your old Android phone.

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