15 Best Uses For Old iPads

When the iPad dropped in 2010 it was a revolutionary piece of technology that brought tablet computers into the mainstream. Since that time, the iPad has evolved quite a bit. While at a glance the overall concept (and to a degree, the look), of the iPad is more or less the same, the modern slate of Apple's tablet computers leaves their earlier offerings in the dust. Modern display panel technology and improved functionality might have you looking at your older iPad differently than you once did.

If you were an early adopter, or if it's just time for an upgrade, you might find that you've got an old iPad or two on your hands. Unlike other consumable purchases, many people have a hard time letting go of their old tech. It could be that you're just nostalgic for the times you shared together, or you're averse to tossing what was once a considerable financial investment in the trash. Whatever the reason, you might be holding onto an old iPad that you no longer use.

The good news is your old iPad can be more than a paperweight. It need not be added to the growing piles of cables, old computers, and old phones stacking up in your closet. If you're looking for something to do with your old iPad, we've got you covered.

Your iPad is capable of doing many things, but sometimes repurposing old tech is about getting it to do just one thing especially well. Even if your old iPad doesn't have a particularly good camera, one thing it's well suited for is storing and displaying photos. Why not put it to work as a digital picture frame so you can easily relive all of your favorite memories?

The low-tech and simple solution is simply to use the iPad as it's designed. Store your photos in the gallery and pull them up when you want to look at them. Displaying it on the wall makes it a nice photo frame in which you can choose what image you want to display at any given time. The downside is you have to manually scroll through and select photos each time you want to change them. Luckily, there is a better way.

LiveFrame, available in the Apple App Store, transforms your iPad into a fully functional digital photo frame with all of the bells and whistles you'll ever need. It can pull photos from Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, and more, eliminating the need for you to manually add new images. You can also choose if you want to display all images or narrow it down to specific albums or time periods. You can even add filters and overlay the date and time on top of your slideshow.

An old iPad is perfectly suited for controlling all of your smart home gadgets. No matter what you're working with, from lightbulbs and thermostats to even weirder smart home tech, your iPad can (potentially) control it all.

While you can control your smart home tech from your phone, using an old iPad offers a central hub that can be conveniently located for use by guests or children who may not otherwise have access to your network. Once you pull all of your smart home applications into one place on your iPad, you can turn it into the perfect wall-mounted hub with a couple of simple steps.

As explained by 9to5Mac, a tablet wall mount and a charging cable are all you need to keep your old iPad securely in place and keep it fed with continuous power. You can also change your iPad's settings such that it won't go to sleep from a lack of use. With some clever cable management, you'll end up with a cool piece of home décor that also serves a purpose.

Moreover, if you've chosen your iPad's location wisely, you should be able to control all of your smart gear using your voice and the iPad's built-in voice assistant Siri.

Your iPad is specifically designed to be able to record and transmit video via the internet. It's the foundation of Apple's built-in FaceTime video calling application. You may not want to run a continuous FaceTime call with your newborn baby, but you can put that same technology to work for you to keep an eye on them when you're not in the same room.

The Luna app, available in the Apple App Store, can connect any two iPads or iPhones and turn them into a baby monitor that isn't limited in range. As long as your iPad is as recent as the iPad 2 or the mini and has access to an internet connection then you'll be good to go.

The Luna app will use your phone and iPad's connection to send you updates and alerts based on your baby's movements or sounds. While most baby monitors have to be in the same house in order to maintain a connection with Luna, you can even keep an eye on your kid while you're away on a trip.

If you don't have kids, you can still use Luna to keep an eye on a pet or set it up in a central location of your home and keep an eye on your things while you're away. Go ahead and use a baby monitor to keep an eye on your plants, no one ever has to know.

There's no replacing the tactile experience of holding a physical book in your hands, smelling the crisp paper, and feeling the crack of the spine as you turn the pages, but it's hard to argue with the portability of an unlimited number of books in a lightweight package.

A dedicated e-reader will get the job done, but they're typically limited to a particular platform. A kindle is good for reading books from Amazon and not much else. An iPad, however, has access to all of the major eBook applications from Kindle to Nook and more.

As explained by iMore, your iPad's library can be essentially endless if you load it up with every eBook app you'll ever need. The app Scribd offers a subscription model so you can read a variety of eBooks and magazines and listen to as many audiobooks as you can stomach for around $12 per month.

If you're a reader on a budget, the Libby app by Overdrive offers unlimited eBooks and audiobooks at no cost. All you need is a library card and you'll get digital access to your local library's offerings. Books can be checked out, read, and returned all from your iPad. Your iPad also has the benefit of a full-color screen, making it the perfect device for reading comic books, graphic novels, and magazines.

There was a time when home stereo systems were a status symbol and a central component of home entertainment. Booklets filled with CDs and towers of cassette tapes proudly displayed a person's music collection for all to see. Those days, for better or for worse, are gone.

Now that music has largely gone digital, your old iPad can take the place of much of your home stereo system. Instead of physical media, you can store your music library on your iPad using Apple Music, or use one of a number of streaming services like Spotify or Pandora. Combine all of those services together on your iPad to get your entire music collection in one place.

A pair of AirPods are perfect for a personal listening experience, essentially turning your iPad into an oversized version of Apple's iPod. For a more traditional stereo experience, your iPad can be connected to a collection of Bluetooth speakers set around your house, giving you an immersive home audio system that will follow you from room to room.

If you're emotionally attached to the stereo system you've always had, your iPad can slide seamlessly into even your dated tech, with a wired connection. As explained by ItStillWorks, using your iPad's audio jack, you can plug into a stereo or speaker system to play the audio from your tablet with all the audio fidelity your old iPad always wished it was capable of emitting.

If none of the above suggestions are appealing to you, it might be time to let go of your old tech once and for all. If that's the decision you've reached, we recommend you donate your iPad. Modern computers, iPads included, have batteries and rare materials which are not only valuable but also dangerous to just dump in a landfill. It's entirely possible that your iPad's computing power could be useful to someone without access to the latest technology. 

One of the most important things to be aware of if you are going to donate your old iPad is to make sure you've wiped all of your personal information so that your data doesn't fall into the wrong hands, regardless of who you believe will eventually use the device. Luckily, clearing your data is quick and easy. Follow the directions below:

1. On your iPad, open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Transfer or Reset iPad. 
4. Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
5. Repeat steps one, two, and three, then tap Reset.

Once erased and reset, your iPad is ready to be donated. Computers With Causes takes donations of iPads and other tech and puts them in the hands of students or organizations who can benefit from greater access to technology. There are countless charitable organizations that will make good use of your old tech, find one which aligns with your values and give your old iPad a second life doing some good.

Video footage from your perspective can majorly shift the fault status around if you are ever in a car accident. This is why so many drivers make use of a dash cam, but if you have an old iPad laying around, you can put that tablet to use on your dashboard.

The iPad will definitely need a constant power connection, as well as a way to manage and store video. You could choose to store the video data locally; this would mean that you'd manually start and stop the iPad's built-in video recording app when you get in and out of the car, then delete old footage when you need to free up space. Dash cam apps may also come with varying amounts of cloud storage for subscription fees.

There are actually multiple ways to put an iPad mounted to the dashboard to use: It can play music if your stereo is broken, or provide a bigger display for your navigation app. There are some DIY tutorials out there to help you mount an iPad and get started.