Samsung Announces 'Upcycling at Home' to repurpose old devices

[randomhkkid]

Summary

Samsung announced at CES 2021 that they would be allowing old Samsung devices to be reused as a variety of different IoT devices through SmartThings integration.

 

Examples include:

• Baby monitor
• Ambient light trigger for lights (aimed at pets)

 

 

XDA reports that Samsung has not shared specific details about timelines and what devices are included.

Quote

Samsung said it’s planning to release a software update to older devices, although it’s unclear which devices will be on the list. It’s also unclear which versions of Android Samsung’s Galaxy Upcycling at Home program will support. Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t share an ETA for when Galaxy Upcycling at Home will launch.

 

My thoughts

I can really get behind this initiative to reduce e-waste, really glad to see a huge manufacturer both recognise and act on this. This feeling is somewhat tempered by the lack of detail at the moment, from the video it looks tied to SmartThings, if this means the app is required the Play Store requirements state the following:

Quote

[App requirements]
Some mobile devices may not be supported.
- RAM size : 2GB over
- Galaxy: Smart View to support screen mirroring

 

I'm also hoping this isn't locked down too much and that it allows for community contribution. I use several old phones as clocks around my flat, they're perfect as they dim and brighten based on ambient light.

 

Sources

https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-galaxy-upcycling-at-home-program-details/

[rcmaehl]

SAMSUNG LABO. LET'S GO

 

I'd like to see Samsung open this up to community creations. I'm sure tons of people would love to repurpose their old devices that aren't that tech savvy compared to rooting / IFTTT / tasker.

[Jet_ski]

Does Samsung want me to be happy that they crippled my 65 inch TV with a software update so it’s apps, WiFi, or internet connectivity don’t work anymore?

 

Sustainability starts when they stop crippling products to make people buy new ones.

[wamred]

5 hours ago, randomhkkid said:

Summary

Samsung announced at CES 2021 that they would be allowing old Samsung devices to be reused as a variety of different IoT devices through SmartThings integration.

 

Examples include:

• Baby monitor
• Ambient light trigger for lights (aimed at pets)

 

 

XDA reports that Samsung has not shared specific details about timelines and what devices are included.

 

My thoughts

I can really get behind this initiative to reduce e-waste, really glad to see a huge manufacturer both recognise and act on this. This feeling is somewhat tempered by the lack of detail at the moment, from the video it looks tied to SmartThings, if this means the app is required the Play Store requirements state the following:

 

I'm also hoping this isn't locked down too much and that it allows for community contribution. I use several old phones as clocks around my flat, they're perfect as they dim and brighten based on ambient light.

 

Sources

https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-galaxy-upcycling-at-home-program-details/

If this works out it will be awesome. I truly hope that they start a movement from the rest of the industry to do this! Personally I feel like ewaste is one of the tech world's biggest issues.

[Froody129]

8 hours ago, Jet_ski said:

Does Samsung want me to be happy that they crippled my 65 inch TV with a software update so it’s apps, WiFi, or internet connectivity don’t work anymore?

 

Sustainability starts when they stop crippling products to make people buy new ones.

Agreed. This is a shitty PR stunt. Yes, the idea is cool, but there are already so many easy alternatives to it if that's something you actually want to do.

 

I have a very expensive 75" "Smart" TV sitting at home that can't connect to wifi or do anything related to "smart" functions because Samsung just decided to no longer support it. That is the kind of thing that encourages e-waste.

[Beskamir]

On 1/11/2021 at 3:39 PM, Jet_ski said:

Does Samsung want me to be happy that they crippled my 65 inch TV with a software update so it’s apps, WiFi, or internet connectivity don’t work anymore?

 

Sustainability starts when they stop crippling products to make people buy new ones.

Yeah this is definitely hypocritical of them. There's a bunch of stuff samsung does that don't exactly encourage sustainability. Such as making their phones difficult to service without specialized tools to the point where even just swapping the battery is a rather involved process.