How to Make the Most of an Old iPad

Do you have an old iPad lying around your home? Perhaps it is past its prime, no longer
capable of running the latest version of iOS, or maybe it has simply been replaced by a newer
model. Whatever the reason, old and unused devices generate e-waste, representing a serious
problem for recyclers and the environment. Many smart devices like iPads contain precious
metals that make them harmful to the environment if you simply throw them away, not to
mention wasting a perfectly functional iPad. If you’re looking for ideas of what to do with an old
iPad without harming the environment, then read on for some suggestions on how to make the
most of an old iPad.

Modernise your exercise devices

Sales of exercise equipment for home use shot through the roof at the start of the pandemic
when everyone had to switch to exercising from home. If you found yourself in a similar situation
during the pandemic, then reworking an old iPad as part of your exercise equipment could be a
perfect use for an older device. You can do several things with an iPad — you can use it to
watch exercises classes on Youtube. If it helps with motivation, you can put it on Netflix or
Spotify. At the same time, you run, or you could simply connect it to your Apple Watch if you
own one and use it to view real-time information on your vitals while you exercise, like heart rate
and oxygen saturation. It’s straightforward to attach these devices to exercise equipment like
treadmills to mimic the functionality of specific treadmill devices with built-in tablets without
having to pay through the nose for them.

Turn them into dedicated study devices

iPads are great for the wealth of educational apps and the many ways you can interact with
them. They’re much more interactive than books, and you can do more than simply passively
read or watching videos on them. You can also draw and make music on them, easily undo
mistakes or make changes later. Many educational apps have been created for almost any
subject, from learning a language to drawing, taking notes, making music, and plenty more. An
old iPad can make a great study device, replacing mountains of course books and notebooks
with one easy device to search through, conduct research, and use.

Create your own home security devices

Intelligent home security devices have exploded in popularity in recent years. Many of them
allow you to remotely view your property from anywhere by connecting your device to unique
cameras. Still, the truth is the same thing can be achieved with virtually any webcam and an
iPad. Like home security cameras, webcams also are often remotely accessible through your
home network or the wider Internet. The specifics will depend on the particular webcam you use, but as long as you can view your webcam feed through a browser, you can use it in
conjunction with your iPad as a homemade security centre.

Turn it into a digital picture frame.

You can buy digital picture frames that run off an SD card, but an old iPad can work just as well
when put in a frame. You’d have to build or buy a structure designed for it so that it can be
easily turned on and off, but iPads are generally pretty light and will work in most places. There
are gallery apps and display apps suited for this kind of use, though how long you choose to
have the iPad on the will, of course, affect the battery life, so if your old iPad is suffering from
decreased battery longevity, then this is a less good idea.

Use it as a second monitor.

You can grant an old iPad a second lease on life by using it as a second monitor for your
desktop computer or laptop. If you have a Mac or Macbook specifically, this functionality is
natively supported and can even be done wirelessly. If you don’t want to share your entire
screen, a Sidebar feature allows you to display and control the sidebar and touch bar from your
iPad, which lets you select typical Mac commands like a command, control, shift, and undo at
the tap of your fingers.
Don’t worry if you have a Windows computer instead of a Mac. You can still hook up your iPad
and use it as a second monitor, and you can even do so wirelessly still, though this functionality
is not natively supported, so you will have to use a third-party app to do so.

Recycle your old devices

Another use for old iPads is simply to sell iPads for cash. This is a better and more profitable
use for unwanted iPads than merely throwing them away. Selling your iPad as opposed to
throwing it away is a win-win-win situation. There’s a good chance that someone out there can
make use of your old device, it saves one more piece of e-waste from going to the dump before
its time, and it also means you get to pocket some extra money from selling it. Not bad for
something you were looking to get rid of!

Conclusion

There are many creative ways to make new uses of an old iPad. They’re convenient portable
devices that can adapt to a wide range of use cases, from exercise to health monitoring,
business and education, to entertainment and plenty more. Still, sometimes people get rid of old
hardware before the end of its useful lifespan, like when upgrading to a newer model. It pays to
sell your iPad rather than dispose of it in cases like these. You help save the environment and
get paid for it. What is there to lose?