Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

hajime

macrumors G3
Original poster
Jul 23, 2007
8,132
1,393
Hello, I got several old cell phones that I have not used for years. Some of them require special cable from the manufacturer to connect to the computer. I don't have those cable to backup the data in the phone to the computer before destroying and throwing them away. Those cables are also not on sales. What can I do?
 
Hello, I got several old cell phones that I have not used for years. Some of them require special cable from the manufacturer to connect to the computer. I don't have those cable to backup the data in the phone to the computer before destroying and throwing them away. Those cables are also not on sales. What can I do?

Gazelle 'em... May not get money, but at least u can recycle them in a useful way.

Either that, or just throw them.... No one is gonna buy phones with hard to get cables...... *i may be wrong*
 
I'd probably end up just throwing them away, if it were me.
 
Most towns/cities have special recycling days for electronics. Mine does quarterly.
 
Take them to any cellphone store and donate them to the domestic violence program.

Most towns/cities have special recycling days for electronics. Mine does quarterly.

Excellent ideas.

I have recycled some - through programmes that donate old mobile phones to the third world - and, occasionally, kept others, as it is nice - occasionally - to be able use an old phone.
 
If the phone is of value I either sell/trade-in or give it to someone who needs a new phone.

If it's dated then I'll donate it, either to a 3rd world and/or domestic abuse program.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
I used to trade mine in to get a slightly cheaper new one. Then I realised I could get more through eBay. Then I got fed up with the scams, and decided to bring my family into the 21st century.

My brother has my old 4s (but he mostly uses his even older blackberry!), my mum has my old 5, my sister has my old 6 to replace the 5s she got last year (my mum didn't want the 5s, so that's been sold), and my other sister has my old iPad Air 2 and my old MacBook Air (she buys her own new iPhones). I don't like having duplicates, so I have one iPhone, one iPad, one Mac and one Windows desktop, and two Windows laptops, one of which will either be repurposed, or given away pretty soon. The excess is weighing heavily.

Why would anyone keep them lying around in a drawer? They can be turned into money, which surely everybody could do with more of, or given to somebody who's need is greater, which is good for the soul, or recycled, which is better for the planet.
 
Excellent ideas.

I have recycled some - through programmes that donate old mobile phones to the third world - and, occasionally, kept others, as it is nice - occasionally - to be able use an old phone.
Isn't your current phone a museum piece?

My wife use's my 11 year old Samsung slider phone.
My other old (pre iPhone) phones were donated I believe.
My old iPhone 4 and 5 got sold when I bought the next phone to offset some of the cost of upgrading. I always buy my iPhone out right and get a sim only deal to save money. That way when you sell it, it's factory unlocked which commands more money.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
Donate them to a charity or sell them. Or just keep using them like I do. I wrote this post on my BlackBerry 9900 :)
 
Isn't your current phone a museum piece?

My wife use's my 11 year old Samsung slider phone.
My other old (pre iPhone) phones were donated I believe.
My old iPhone 4 and 5 got sold when I bought the next phone to offset some of the cost of upgrading. I always buy my iPhone out right and get a sim only deal to save money. That way when you sell it, it's factory unlocked which commands more money.

Yes, my current phone is 'a museum piece'. Actually, it is my mother's old phone.

Over the years, I have had phones lost, or stolen, or otherwise destroyed.

I did have a nice little clamphone (I love that form factor), - and, for a variety of reasons, I no longer use that number - but - for now - am using Mother's veritable (and still working perfectly) antique (it is the venerable Nokia 3510 - it gets gasps when I take it out, especially from youngsters for whom it is as ancient and as unknowable as a penny farthing bicycle).

However, Mother is not likely to need her phone again, so I'm using it.
 
Yes, my current phone is 'a museum piece'. Actually, it is my mother's old phone.

Over the years, I have had phones lost, or stolen, or otherwise destroyed.

I did have a nice little clamphone (I love that form factor), - and, for a variety of reasons, I no longer use that number - but - for now - am using Mother's veritable (and still working perfectly) antique (it is the venerable Nokia 3510 - it gets gasps when I take it out, especially from youngsters for whom it is as ancient and as unknowable as a penny farthing bicycle).

However, Mother is not likely to need her phone again, so I'm using it.
You do know you can transfer your current number to your old clam phone if you so wished?
 
You do know you can transfer your current number to your old clam phone if you so wished?

Um, yes, I do. Although, actually, I never got around to doing that, as I was working abroad at the time I switched phones, and thus, only used the antique Nokia when I was at home.

Now, it is a mad badge of honour, and is an extraordinarily rugged phone. Nevertheless, while I like the simplicity of the thing, the battery life could be better (well, okay, the phone is around 16 years old…..), and the memory for text messages resembles a twitter space - I'm allowed the proverbial 140 characters, which makes for succinct and terse messages.

Abroad, I always had work phones, although some of my colleagues used their iPhones for work (in other words, they changed the sim).

However, I shall probably get a second phone - with some sort of work number in due course, for a second, ad separate identity.

Actually, I'm giving some thought to purchasing this recently released iPhone 5SE, but that is a different topic.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: JamesMike
Usually turn it in for recycling at the phone store. Almost every store has a recycling center in the state of California.
 
I can't help but keep watching that Liam recycle robot on Apple's site for dismantling iPhone.

http://www.apple.com/environment/
Have to hand it to Apple for doing that. I've read that it only works with the 6 right now, but they're modifying it to work with other iPhone models. I'm sure they'll eventually sell the technology to companies and or recycling centers in true Apple fashion. They would be very much like Samsung in that regard.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.