Your old phone sits, languishing, in a drawer, ignored on a bookshelf; perhaps it's propping open a door.

It doesn't have to be this way. You have plenty of ways to reuse your old smartphone.

Sure, you could sell your old smartphone, but why bother when there are so many ways for you to reuse it? Here are 10 ways you can make your old smartphone useful again.

1. Your Old Phone Is a VR Headset!

No, seriously. Thanks to Google Cardboard, you can turn a compatible phone into a budget---yet impressive---virtual reality headset.

It's essentially a headset for a smartphone displaying stereoscopic images, with compatibility with Android and iPhone. You can buy a Google Cardboard viewer or build your own. Alternatively, pay a bit extra for a full headset and keep your hands free.

Whichever you choose, your smartphone will soon give you new-found enjoyment in a virtual reality world. Note that while this is an impressive use of an old phone, it's not a replacement for VR platforms like Oculus.

2. Your Old Phone Is Your New Media Player Remote

Remote controls are often poor, especially on cheaper TVs. Whether you need a replacement remote for a home-built media center or for a cheap TV, you're in luck.

Any IR-equipped smartphone is capable of being reconfigured as a media remote. All you need is the right app.

Media remote apps are available for iPhone and Android. They can replace multiple remote controls in your household with a single lightweight, touchscreen solution. Just remember to recharge every couple of days!

3. A Compact Media Center

Use Android as a media center

Unbelievably, you could even reconfigure an old smartphone as a media center, simply by installing the Kodi software. You are, however, typically limited to Android handsets for this creative new use for your old phone. While there are ways to install Kodi on iPhones, these methods are unofficial and ultimately, unreliable.

On Android, you can use USB OTG, to connect external media storage devices. With the software running media will be available across your home network, served from your old Android smartphone.

Good job you kept it, right?

4. Digital Photo Frame

If your old phone or tablet doesn't have any cracks or scratches on the display, it can make a stunning and attractive digital photo frame.

Various apps and tools are available to facilitate this; if you can load photos onto your phone then you should be able to recycle it as photo frame.

Download: Fotoo - Digital Photo Frame for Android (Free)

Download: Liveframe for iPad (Free)

Photos might be stored on the device, or you can sync from your favorite cloud storage. Once configured, the phone photo frame might be mounted on a mantelpiece, or table. In the case of a tablet, why not mount the custom digital photo frame on a wall?

5. Record Sound With Your Old Phone

Smartphones have built-in microphones. That's how you talk to the person on the other end of the line. But the mic isn't limited to phone calls.

With a sound recording app installed on your old phone, you can use it as a recorder. Using it as a dictating machine, you can make voice notes for school, work, or perhaps for a writing project.

Alternatively, you could use the sound recording feature of your old phone to record events. You might even bootleg a concert---for personal, offline use, of course!

If you're a podcaster, an old smartphone running a mobile podcasting app can be used to record your show.

6. Make Music on a Mobile Phone Recording Studio

While not ideal for older devices, your phone makes an excellent digital recording studio. There's no need to worry about whether recording is going to drain the battery or be interrupted by phone calls.

Although various portable music studio apps are available for iOS, Garageband comes preinstalled and is the best place to start. For Android, meanwhile, consider Walk Band.

Whichever tool you choose, remember to share your creations online.

7. A Dedicated Music and Podcast Player

use your old phone as a digital music streamer

Staying with music, you can keep your old smartphone and use it as an MP3 player. Or you can use it as a music streaming device. Various music apps let you listen to playlists and even radio stations around the house. All you need is a Wi-Fi network and a Bluetooth speaker.

Essentially an extension of the media center suggestion, this is similarly battery intensive, so make sure you recharge regularly.

8. Use Your Old Phone as a Camera

Perhaps the most creative thing you do with any smartphone is take photos. Rather than rely on a phone with a low battery, keep an old smartphone with you as a spare camera. This is particularly suitable for parties and nights out.

Similarly, your old smartphone is perfect as a video camera. The better the camera hardware and software, the better the results. With an old iPhone or Samsung in your spare drawer, the results can be amazing.

9. An Even-More-Mobile Carputer!

Unbelievably, you could turn your old smartphone into a carputer.

As new cars are increasingly integrated with computers and operating systems, older vehicles are missing out. A phone running carputer software displaying trip information and in-car entertainment is a handy low-budget enhancement.

Various tools are available that let you use your phone to complement your car dashboard. However, you may not be able to access data about your car's performance without an OBD-II connector.

Whichever option you choose, remember to keep both hands on the wheel and let your co-pilot choose the tunes

10. Use Your Old Smartphone as a Spare Computer

Your old phone is surprisingly powerful. Rather than leaving it to gather dust, it can be used as a spare desktop computer---with the right software. While this isn't a suitable use for an old iPhone, it is ideal for an old Android device.

And if you have bought yourself an ill-advised Windows 10 Mobile device that you can't sell, there is hope. All Windows 10 products include the "Continuum" feature, including Windows 10 Mobile. So, if you have an old Nokia Lumia phone, for example, this can be connected to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, then booted as a PC.

Various Samsung phones running Android, meanwhile, have the DeX feature (above), a desktop iteration of Android. Check our guide to the ways you can turn a smartphone into a PC to learn more about these options.

Don't Ditch Your Old Smartphone: It Has So Many Possibilities!

With a wide selection of potential uses for an old phone, it should no longer be gathering dust. Your phone is essentially a computer with a camera mounted on it and media playback. It can do almost anything you need, regardless of how old it is. Any phone released since 2015 should be suitable for any of the ideas suggested here. Some will work with even older devices.

If none of these ways to reuse your old phone work, be sure to safely recycle it.