5 Uses For Your Old Smartwatches – BGR

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Smartwatches started making an appearance as consumer electronics back in the early 2000s, with Microsoft pushing the SPOT platform that offered weather, email, and news updates delivered via FM radio. But smartwatches didn’t really gain mainstream attention until the early 2010s, with devices like the Pebble (a brand that has since been revived with a new product lineup). Once Samsung, Apple, and Google entered the picture around 2015, it was clear that smartwatches were here to stay, and that’s when the smartwatch app scene — leading to today’s most essential smartwatch apps for Android devices – exploded.

The thing is, after all these years, if you’re a smartwatch user, you likely have a few older spares lying around the house. But with such a specific design to a smartwatch and its software, it can be challenging to figure out what you can do with this hardware reserve. Rest assured, you don’t have to leave your old smartwatches rotting in a drawer. From custom firmware to Tamagotchi-like digital pets, here are some of the best ways to repurpose your old smartwatches. Let’s dig in.

One of the best things about Android is that it’s open-source, and this holds true for Wear OS (since it is based on Android, after all). This is how the custom ROM scene grew so large during Android’s infancy, and it’s also how a custom firmware for Wear OS devices came to be. It’s called AsteroidOS, and so far it supports 22 older Wear OS devices (with five more supported as experimental), from the fairly popular TicWatch Pro to the more obscure, generic devices running the MTK6580 chip. Basically, if you have an old Wear OS or Android Wear device, there’s a chance you can breathe new life into that smartwatch with AsteroidOS.

Of course, there are a few caveats. Not every watch offers full functionality when using AsteroidOS, which is based on Linux, rather than Android. There’s a convenient chart on the site that shows what is and isn’t working for each supported watch. Features like NFC, GPS, or even a cellular connection may not function fully, or at all. This has always been a negative when sideloading new firmware on old hardware. But at the end of the day, if your watch has already aged out and is no longer supported by its manufacturer, you may be better off installing your own firmware via AsteroidOS to hold back the tide of inoperability. Bonus: The OS is supported by an active community.

Plus, you gain freedom by taking control of your smartwatch’s software: AsteroidOS provides control over your data, ensuring better privacy than stock firmware options.

No matter whether you have a Tizen, Wear OS device, or older Apple Watch you’re looking to repurpose, every single one of these supports a way to keep the watch’s screen on at all times. Pair this feature with the included charging dock or cable to ensure the watch is always powered, and you just assembled an always-on desk clock. A constant reminder of the time and weather, all while offering a way to see your phone’s notifications without needing to pick it up and interrupt your work, is the result. 

Of course, if you require a clean look — so your repurposed watch doesn’t look exactly like a smartwatch charging on a desk — you can even 3D print a case to house the watch and charger in one slick package. While it is extra work, doing so can be worth it. After all, if you’re not going to wear the watch anymore, why not remove the bands and slap that device inside a case that looks more aesthetically appropriate?

Then again, if 3D printing simply isn’t something you wish to bother with, plenty of smartwatches out there offer charging docks that won’t appear out of place on a desk (notably, this ELETIUO charger stand). Some smartwatches even come with docks that service this function, and if not, you can find an assortment of printed options on stores like Etsy for specific watch models, allowing you to dial in your preferred look.

If you’re someone who loves the outdoors and rides a lot on your bike, then you may already be aware that a speedometer can be incredibly handy to ensure you’re keeping pace with your goals. This way, you can monitor your average speed, distance, and ride duration, all helpful for tracking your performance, especially over long periods. What’s incredibly convenient about this kind of setup is that a watch should easily fasten to your handlebars without any extra equipment (add a notch to the band as needed), and since smartwatches offer a slew of apps, there is no shortage of speedometer apps to choose from. Then again, there are already shops that sell dedicated smartwatch mounts for bikes — including this TUSITA Bike Mount – if you prefer something more polished.

Of course, you’ll have to unfasten the watch to charge it, but unlike wearing a watch all day, you can easily turn it off when you’re not riding your bike, leaving it fastened until the next ride. Plus, you can use the Strava app for its speedometer as well as its GPS tracking, ensuring you’re recording things like elevation, which makes it easier to compile data explaining why your speeds may fall or rise.

This is another easy one to tackle, as you don’t need any extra equipment (just like with a bike). Use the smartwatch’s straps to fasten it to your steering wheel, and set the screen to remotely control the music streamed from your phone to your car. This way, instead of taking your eyes off the road for long stretches to navigate the car’s info panel, you can use the steering wheel to complete tasks like changing songs. This is no different from using the music controls that come built into many steering wheels — but if your car didn’t come with such a feature, repurposing your smartwatch as a music remote for your vehicle is a quick way to gain similar functionality.

Depending on the strap size, you may need to buy a smaller strap or dedicated mount to securely fasten the watch to the steering wheel (or pop a new hole in the band), so there could be an added cost. The good news is that watch bands are incredibly cheap — unless you are unlucky enough to own a device that uses proprietary bands (looking at you, Pixel Watch).

This may sound a little silly, but there is a strong resemblance in size to smartwatches and old Tamagotchi devices. Virtual pets were pretty popular back in the ’90s, and that has grown into nostalgia over the years. So as you would expect, there are a handful of virtual pet apps across both Wear OS and Apple Watch platforms (sorry, Tizen users, you’re left out of this one). All you have to do is install your virtual pet app of choice and then leave that app running, and you’ve repurposed your old smartwatch as a dedicated virtual pet machine.

If you still need to use the watch to tell the time while also retaining the ability to interact with a virtual pet, there are even watch faces available for both Wear OS and Apple Watch that offer virtual pet functionality within the face itself, making it that much easier to never leave that single screen for your virtual pet fix. So no matter your preference, you have more than a few options at your disposal.

While this is a silly thing you can reuse a smartwatch for, if it’s already lying around unused, it’s easy to turn the device into a virtual pet to hand off to your kid — a fun project for both. Or maybe you’d like to relive your childhood and the glory days of Tamagotchis. There’s no shame in having a bit of fun with some old gear while taking a trip down memory lane, as it beats letting the device collect dust unused. So why not spin up your own virtual pet and show it, along with your watch, some love?