The Beginning
Samsung has brought a software update to make IoT devices by transforming earlier Galaxy phones. As a result, consumers can make use of their older Samsung Galaxy phones as feature-rich IoT devices and it has been possible due to the expansion of the Samsung Galaxy Upcycling Program. The former Galaxy phones can now be used as light sensors. Even they can also be transformed as childcare monitors.
Transformation of Older Samsung Galaxy Phones into IoT Devices
A new software update has been recently launched by Samsung to surprise customers of older Samsung Galaxy phones. It is worth noting that the Galaxy Upcycling program started its journey to repurpose older devices to keep them alive. The “Galaxy Upcycling at Home”, which is an extension of the Galaxy Upcycling program, will enable older Samsung Galaxy phone owners to use these devices as IoT devices.
However, the beta version of the Galaxy Upcycling at Home won’t be available in the entire world. It will only be limited to the US, the UK, and South Korea. First, the utility of the software update will be analyzed in the above three countries. Then, aiding the technical verification will be started. Lastly, the service will be made available to the rest of the world.
The whole idea is about repurposing the former Samsung Galaxy phones. Hence, the software update has come to remodel the in-built sensors of these phones to render better light and sound-control functions.
Moreover, older Galaxy phone owners can leverage the feature, called SmartThings Labs, to opt for the functionality of these phones. The SmartThings Labs is available in the SmartThings application. The software update can convert Samsung Galaxy phones into amazing smart home appliances, including a light sensor, a childcare monitor, etc.
More about the Repurposing of Older Galaxy Phones
An AI technique is used to enable the Galaxy phones to differentiate sounds. Consumers can leverage their Galaxy phones to store different types of sound recordings. Hence, once the device tracks similar sound to that of the recordings, it will let the user know about it by notifying them on their main device.
Moreover, former Samsung Galaxy phones can also work as brilliant light sensors. However, proper configuration is needed to ensure this functionality. After getting repurposed as light sensors, the Galaxy phones can evaluate the brightness level of rooms of a home. As a result, if a room’s brightness gets lower (a preset standard will be there to determine it), the repurposed Galaxy phones will start illuminating the lights automatically with the help of SmartThings.
What’s more?
The Software update has also come with the convenience of battery optimization so that the older Galaxy phones can run without overusing battery. That means the phones can perform their new tasks with the ace for a long period before running out of battery.
Which Galaxy Phones will experience Repurposing?
The answer is Samsung Galaxy smartphones, such as Galaxy S, Z, and Note. However, to get the provision of repurposing, the aforementioned smartphones must have been launched from 2018 onwards. Besides, they must have Android 9 and above as the operating system.