--- title: Your drawer with old Android devices is a Home Assistant... description: Old Android phones sitting in drawers can be repurposed as Home Assistant sensors and wall-mounted dashboard displays. Using the Home Assistant companion app,... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/your-drawer-with-old-android-devices-is-a-home-assistant-goldmine-not-e-waste-8uq2nizjp twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Your drawer with old Android devices is a Home Assistant goldmine, not e-waste | daily.dev og:description: Old Android phones sitting in drawers can be repurposed as Home Assistant sensors and wall-mounted dashboard displays. Using the Home Assistant companion app,... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/your-drawer-with-old-android-devices-is-a-home-assistant-goldmine-not-e-waste-8uq2nizjp og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/8uq2nIzjp.png og:image:alt: Your drawer with old Android devices is a Home Assistant goldmine, not e-waste og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Your drawer with old Android devices is a Home Assistant goldmine, not e-waste **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 3 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Old Android phones sitting in drawers can be repurposed as Home Assistant sensors and wall-mounted dashboard displays. Using the Home Assistant companion app, these devices contribute sensors (proximity, battery, camera), speakers for alerts, and touchscreen interfaces to a smart home setup — all without buying new hardware. Key tips include factory resetting devices, limiting permissions, using smart plugs to manage battery health, and keeping devices off the open internet. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How can I use an old Android phone with Home Assistant instead of throwing it away? An old Android phone can become a smart home sensor and dashboard by installing the Home Assistant companion app, which exposes built-in hardware like the proximity sensor, camera, microphone, and speaker as usable inputs and outputs. The proximity sensor can wake a wall-mounted dashboard screen, while the speaker can announce alerts like an open door or finished laundry cycle. _daily.dev surfaces practical guides for turning spare hardware into smart home gear._ ### How do I safely repurpose an old Android device for smart home use without security risks? Factory reset the device or remove all unnecessary apps, keep it off the open internet like any other smart home device, and grant it only the permissions it actually needs for its new role. For devices left mounted long-term, use a smart plug to manage charge range and monitor battery temperature to reduce strain on the battery. _Developers automating home setups can find security-conscious smart home tips on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [That old tablet in your drawer is the smart home dashboard you keep meaning to buy](https://daily.dev/posts/that-old-tablet-in-your-drawer-is-the-smart-home-dashboard-you-keep-meaning-to-buy-7oiplubqo) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Old Android phones make better smart home wall panels than any $200 displays](https://daily.dev/posts/old-android-phones-make-better-smart-home-wall-panels-than-any-200-displays-xlnobbj9f) · XDA Developers · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [Your old Android phone has a sensor suite that most IoT devices can only dream of](https://daily.dev/posts/your-old-android-phone-has-a-sensor-suite-that-most-iot-devices-can-only-dream-of-3jcuy5x50) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I revived a cheap Android tablet by turning it into a Home Assistant control panel](https://daily.dev/posts/i-revived-a-cheap-android-tablet-by-turning-it-into-a-home-assistant-control-panel-3fahariix) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Trade-in mode on Android 16\+](https://daily.dev/posts/trade-in-mode-on-android-16--h5qzmnc3w) · Android Developers Blog · 2 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#tech-news](https://daily.dev/tags/tech-news), [#android](https://daily.dev/tags/android), [#iot](https://daily.dev/tags/iot) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/your-drawer-with-old-android-devices-is-a-home-assistant-goldmine-not-e-waste-8uq2nizjp) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Your drawer with old Android devices is a Home Assistant goldmine, not e-waste","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/your-drawer-with-old-android-devices-is-a-home-assistant-goldmine-not-e-waste-8uq2nizjp","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/your-drawer-with-old-android-devices-is-a-home-assistant-goldmine-not-e-waste-8uq2nizjp"},"datePublished":"2026-07-16T16:34:32.664Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T08:01:43.508Z","description":"Old Android phones sitting in drawers can be repurposed as Home Assistant sensors and wall-mounted dashboard displays. 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