Samsung starts official smartphone upcycling program

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  Samsung's upcycling program can turn an old smartphone into an audio baby monitor. [credit: Samsung ]

Samsung on Wednesday kicked off something genuinely innovative in the smartphone market: an official consumer upcycling program. Samsung's "Galaxy Upcycling at Home" initiative was announced at CES 2021, and today it enters a "beta" release. The program allows users to transform old phones into smart home devices that work through Samsung's SmartThings app, which has two new modes: a sound sensor and a light sensor.

Samsung says the sound sensor mode will "accurately distinguish sounds in everyday surroundings, and users can choose to save certain sound recordings. For example, if the device detects sounds such as a baby crying, dog barking, cat meowing, or a knock, it will send an alert directly to the user’s smartphone, and the user can listen to the recorded sound." Samsung says the mode is meant to act as a baby monitor or pet care solution.

The Light Sensor mode simply turns your phone into a light sensor, allowing it to detect levels of sunlight or room light and trigger your smart home to do something in response. If you want to use this mode while on battery power, Samsung says it has "equipped the Galaxy Upcycling at Home upgrade with battery optimization solutions to minimize battery usage."

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