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It might not be too common to see smartphones that are more than a few years old, but when you’re on the road, it’s a different story. Quite a few travelers use phones that are much older. This is either because they don’t feel the need to spend money on the latest tech or because it’s a bit easier to get older phones unlocked by cell companies once their contract expires., With older phones though, there can be quite a few annoyances and problems. It’s a good thing there are quite a few ways to get a few more months out of them, typically without shelling out a fortune. Here are a few tips for doing just that., Outer Protection, If your phone is older, the chances are good that you’ve taken care of it. That said, you can never be too careful. Things like the screen protectors and cases you can find at sites like https://www.bodyguardz.com/ can protect it if, for some reason, it slips out of your hand. Phones have been known to be a bit slippery at times, and it only takes one drop to crack the screen or break the phone altogether., Storage, When it comes to saving money on mobile devices, one of the best ways to do that is to eke as much life as possible out of your existing ones. One of the significant issues with phones that are older is that they don’t have much space for storage. By the time you’ve added a few useful apps, a couple of podcasts or some music, photos from trips, and the OS itself, that memory is chock full., To alleviate this slowing down your phone to the point where it’s useless, find out what’s taking up the most memory. Typically, the worst offenders are music, pics, and videos. If there’s any of that you don’t need, get rid of it. Also, get rid of apps that are useless to you. Doing this regularly is a smart habit that can make your device last longer. Also, be aware that some apps, like Facebook, tend to grow the more they’re used. Uninstalling and then adding them back can generally free up a bit of space., More Storage, These days, tech companies seem to be making devices that are more difficult to repair, so it’s always a good thing if you can make them last longer. We just talked about storage, but there’s a bit more to it. You might consider adding more storage to your phone. This isn’t as difficult as you might think. Check to see if there’s a microSD slot on the phone, either inside the back cover under the battery or in the side of the device. You can buy a microSD card in sizes up to 128 GB for only a bit of money and have them installed in less than a minute. This will give you more space for storage and may even speed the phone up a bit., Replace the Battery, If your phone is more than a year and a half old and nothing you’ve tried seems to work, and your battery dies quickly, you might want to replace the battery. Some of the Android devices allow for this simply by removing the cover on the back. However, if your phone doesn’t allow for this, you have two options. The first is to take it to your local cell store and have them do it. The second is to arm yourself with hope, a few YouTube videos, and the necessary parts and tools and attempt it yourself., With the tips you’ve just read, it’s relatively easy to give your old smartphone a new lease on life so that you can save your money for the other necessities.
