using your old phone as an MP3 player

 hey!

although having an MP3 player has its benefits (see my last post), it may not be worth it to everyone. wanna see if you'd enjoy having a DAP without breaking the bank? old technology you likely have around your own home is a great way to test that out!

when i was first beginning to transfer my media to offline sources, i used an old phone. for me, this was a great way to make sure i wasn't wasting money on something i would end up throwing away. i ended up loving my DAP, and now i have a cheaper media player on the way to try out!

 in succession to my last post, here's how i turned my old phone into a media player. 

what you'll need

• laptop or PC
• headphones or earbuds
• an old device that has the capability to play media
• (optional, but recommended) a wire to transfer said media from PC to player 
• WiFi connection to download media 

 step one: find some old tech you can use

honestly, i wouldn't be surprised if almost every household has an older phone lying around. if your family loves their music, some older family members may even have old MP3 players lying around for you to try out! it doesn't even have to be an old smartphone. flip phones and sometimes even older and smaller gaming devices could act as players!

in my case, i had my old Galaxy S8+ lying around. although it's almost the same size as my current phone, i didn't really carry them around together that often. having a separate media player can get you off your phone, and that's what happened for me!

when you're using older technology, make sure the device can hold a battery, has a charging cable, and doesn't have any serious problems that would hinder your use of it. also, check its storage capabilities and see if there are any sentimental files on it.

step two: factory reset the device 

 this is important, because many used devices could have files and apps that could hog your storage. you want to try and maximize the device's storage capabilities, so a factory reset is your best bet. that way, you make sure you didn't miss clearing through anything.

IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOU AREN'T WIPING ANYTHING SENTIMENTAL!

sometimes, really important files are still on older tech. before you factory reset, go through EVERY PLACE you can store files on whatever tech you're using. if some family photos aren't backed up, and you wipe the device, you'll likely never get them back.

step three: download music or media of your choosing on a laptop or PC

 this is the fun part! find a downloader you like (i mainly use Soulseek) and find some media you love! i typically create a folder in File Explorer and date it, that way i know when i added certain songs to my MP3 player.

this is important: make sure your downloader has a good, secure reputation. computer viruses are absolutely horrible and have no place on your devices.  

step four: transfer the media to your player!

there are two main ways to do this: cloud storage and wire connection. 

transferring through cloud storage requires a WiFi connection on your old device, and can be done by uploading a file through Google Drive or OneDrive. i used to use this method, but now dislike it because i can't upload large folders or files very quickly. also, it takes up storage space in the cloud that i could be using for important photo backups and emails.  

wire connection is typically faster for larger files and folders. find a cable that can hook up to both your device and your laptop or PC. after that, go into your File Explorer (or other OS equivalent) and find the device. then, you can drag and drop your folder of media to copy it there!

step five: find a way to play your media on the device

(this is mainly for old phones, other devices likely only have few ways to play media) 

as long as you can hook up your WiFi to your old phone, you can download apps via the phone's app store! when i was first starting out, i used ClassiPod. it was nice because it had the click wheel. however, making playlists could be a pain! i then tried out VLC, and i loved it. there are many, many media players your phone can handle (including the one built-in).

step six (optional): customize

this is small and nonessential, but you could make your device feel more like yours by customizing the wallpaper, contact info, case decorations, widgets (depending on the device), or color of your earbuds or headphones! this picture isn't mine, but here are two examples:

 

honestly, using older technology is the best and cheapest way to see if you'd enjoy having an MP3 player. depending on your usage, sometimes the tech can do even more than a regular audio player, such as play movies, display pictures, and take pictures!  

i have no clue if i'll still have the motivation to write, but if i do, it'll likely again be about media players LOL

with love,

kierra