The handset in your drawer still has a camera, a screen and Wi-Fi. Nine jobs it can do tonight, and number 9 works with no SIM card at all.
Install AlfredCamera on the old phone and on your current one. The free tier covers live view, motion alerts and 30-second clips. Prop it up and leave it plugged in.
Free apps like AutoBoy loop-record the road and stamp the time and speed onto the video. Old clips overwrite themselves, so the storage never fills up.
The same camera app doubles as a monitor. Two-way audio means you can hear the room and talk into it, so the dog can be told off the sofa from your desk.
Open the Google TV app, tap Connect TV, enter the code on screen. The old phone now drives your Google TV or Android TV, including typing in search boxes.
Settings > Display > Screen saver > Photos, then choose an album. Left on a stand and charging, it runs your Google Photos library as a slideshow.
Save offline maps in Google Maps first. GPS itself needs no SIM and no data, so the spare phone navigates while your real one stays free for calls.
Set it up with a child's Google account and Family Link. You approve every app install, cap the daily screen time and can lock the device from your own phone.
Download playlists for offline listening, pair it to a Bluetooth speaker and leave it in the garage or gym. Dust and drops stop mattering on a spare phone.
FCC rules make US carriers route 911 calls from any handset, SIM or not. Keep one charged in the glovebox. The catch: it cannot send your location to dispatch.
If the battery is finished, trade it in or take it to an e-waste point. Loose lithium cells start fires in bin lorries, so never put a phone in household rubbish.