How to Turn Your Old Android Into a Digital Photo Frame

Imagine: you’ve had your phone for two years. It has been kept in pretty good condition — the screen isn’t broken, the backlight remains bright — but its performance has left you wanting something more powerful and fresh. All of your friends have upgraded their Androids, and they can’t stop talking about them. So, you figure, “I’ve saved up enough to afford an upgrade,” and plan on purchasing your new Android device. While most articles that offer this hypothetical go on to discuss what new phone makes and models to choose from, let’s discuss the fate of your old Android for a moment.

Here, we’re going to talk about how you can still put your old screens to good use even after you’ve switched to a more recent model. Specifically, we’re going to tell you how you can turn that old Android phone or tablet into a digital photo frame for use in your abode. After all, what good are digital photos if you don’t have a way to show them off? Why not put your old device to work doing just that?

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How it Works
Whether you want a digital photo album on display in your home or just want something pretty to look at while you’re not using your new phone, a tablet can be converted into a digital photo display rather easily. For Android smartphones, this process is just as easy. In fact, all you need is a standing display and a photo streaming app.

Fortunately for you, there are quality options available. There’s the Photo Slides app, which uses the high computing power of Android OS to turn your device into a high definition photo frame, complete with visual effects, touch screen controls and lucid display quality perfect for large quantities of images. Photo Slides is especially useful when showing off photos to friends and family while hosting gatherings at your place.

Conversely, if you want something more suited for passive photo slideshows to display in the background while you’re doing something else around the house, there’s the Dayframe app for Android OS. Dayframe works by downloading photos from a variety of social media sites — Flickr, Facebook, Instagram and Dropbox, among others — as well as from your camera roll and saved photos to create a dynamic slideshow that transitions on its own. What sets this app apart, though, is the degree of customization it permits, such as organizing the photos you wish to display by category (i.e. photos from your trip to Florida) and controlling how long photos are displayed before moving to the next.

No matter what app you choose, both options give your old Android device an extended shelf life once you turn it into the most lively photo display on your shelf.