Samsung has expanded its in-house Galaxy Upcycling Program to let customers transform old Galaxy smartphones into ‘smart home’ Internet of Things devices. The scheme has been launched in the UK, the USA and South Korea via Samsung’s SmartThings app.
A software update will let selected Galaxy S, Note, and Z series devices be used for their ability to sense and respond to sound and light, enabling them to be repurposed as an alternative to physical recycling.
For example, a device can be used to detect a baby crying, a dog barking or a knock at the door. An alert and a recording of the noise can be sent to the user’s smartphone. Alternatively, an old smartphone can turn on the lights when a room gets dark beyond a pre-set level.
Jaeyeon Jung, Vice President and Head of the SmartThings team at Samsung Electronics, said “Smart home devices are a fast-growing trend for consumer electronics, and we believe that Galaxy devices currently not in use can play an important role in turning every home into a smart home. The program transforms Galaxy devices into SmartThings devices and demonstrates the power of our intelligent IoT platform to broaden the possibilities of what users can do with their old phones. Through Galaxy Upcycling at Home, users will have access to the complete SmartThings ecosystem, enabling them to explore broader updates and features without having to purchase a new device.”