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Author Cassidy Ward/Updated: September 9, 2022 at 7:23AM ET
There was a time when the iPod was an important device , the ultimate status symbol, a must-have technology for anyone. Sadly, its days in the spotlight are now over. Citing advancements in the music experience across Apple’s other product lines, the company closed the doors on its one-time flagship in May 2022 (via Apple).
Now that we have access to an endless library of music on phones, computers and tablets, your old iPod The dust may have settled. After all, a typical smartphone can hardly do better, if not better. But your aging iPod doesn’t have to be wilting in a drawer or doomed to be thrown in the trash.
Even in the old – changing technological landscape, we could find a place for our older gadgets, in There they can spend their final years with dignity and utility. Who knows: It won’t be long before the nostalgia train will circle back to the iPod station, and you’ll be glad you caught it. In the meantime, here are 11 ways to give your old iPod a new look. When you’re done upgrading the world’s most popular MP3 player, check out SlashGear’s advice on how to reuse your old flat-screen TV, hard drive, and laptop.
Tada Images/Shutterstock When the iPod was first introduced in 2001, it was a dedicated device with only one real function: to play audio files. As the product lineup continued to evolve over the next two decades, Apple added a whole bunch of extras, including photos, videos, games, and more.
If your old iPod is a relatively new model (part of the iPod Touch family), just connect to Wi-Fi -Fi network, it will be able to act as a phone. This makes it the perfect solution to replace another nearly extinct technology: landlines.
This process is relatively simple. According to Apple, all you need is an Apple ID and a network connection. First, you’ll need to set up FaceTime on your iPod Touch and make sure you’re signed in with your Apple ID. From there, the process is fairly intuitive for anyone who’s used a phone before. You can initiate a FaceTime call by selecting one of your saved contacts or manually entering a phone number. You can also ask Siri to make calls on your behalf.
Siri can even announce calls you can answer or decline with your voice, offering you or your roommates A hands-free home phone experience.
Special car audio system
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Sure, you can use your phone to play music in the car; that’s probably what you’re doing today. But there’s always the temptation to check out text messages and emails, or check how your latest TikTok is doing. Cell phone use while driving is a recipe for disaster, not to mention unnecessary interactions with law enforcement. Using an old iPod provides a more streamlined solution.
Your old iPod, no matter its age or function, can serve as a dedicated media center for your All the music, podcasts and audiobooks you love to keep you entertained while driving. It gives you access to all the media you need without any additional distractions.
Setting up an old iPod as a car entertainment system is relatively simple. If your car stereo has an aux port or Bluetooth, it’s just a matter of pressing a few buttons or connecting a cable. However, if your car stereo is as old or older as your iPod, you may need to get creative.
As Lifewire explains, even if the iPod is not compatible with your car stereo itself, there are options. Some simple and affordable options include FM transmitters or cassette adapters for broadcasting your iPod over the airwaves. With a little patience and a few dollars of investment, you’ll be on your favorite playlist in no time.
Sure, you can use your phone to play music in the car; that’s probably what you’re doing today. But there’s always the temptation to check out text messages and emails, or check how your latest TikTok is doing. Cell phone use while driving is a recipe for disaster, not to mention unnecessary interactions with law enforcement. Using an old iPod provides a more streamlined solution.
Your old iPod, no matter its age or function, can serve as a dedicated media center for your All the music, podcasts and audiobooks you love to keep you entertained while driving. It gives you access to all the media you need without any additional distractions.
Setting up an old iPod as a car entertainment system is relatively simple. If your car stereo has an aux port or Bluetooth, it’s just a matter of pressing a few buttons or connecting a cable. However, if your car stereo is as old or older as your iPod, you may need to get creative.
As Lifewire explains, even if the iPod is not compatible with your car stereo itself, there are options. Some simple and affordable options include FM transmitters or cassette adapters for broadcasting your iPod over the airwaves. With a little patience and a few dollars of investment, you’ll be on your favorite playlist in no time.
There’s no denying that the iPod is an impressive device right out of the box. It does exactly what it was designed for, and it does it well. This is why millions of people buy products and brands. That said, by switching operating systems, you can squeeze some extra functionality out of your old iPod. This might not be recommended for a brand new toy, but an old iPod that you no longer actually use provides a great opportunity to experiment.
Switching the default firmware to something like Rockbox allows you to install new themes, fonts, games, etc. (via How-To Geek). Rockbox is a community-built package that replaces the native OS with some bells and whistles. It’s easy to install and frees your old iPod from iTunes, making it a more versatile device.
To get started, you just need to download the software from the Rockbox website and allow it to detect your model. If you know the model, you can also select it manually. Next, you complete the installation and the software will automatically load on your iPod. If all goes according to plan, it will replace the operating system on your iPod without messing up your stored files. That said, it’s not a bad idea to make a backup before making changes to your device. as a portable hard drive
At the heart of the iPod is essentially a hard drive dedicated to playing music files (and displaying photos and videos in later models). That means it’s still a useful portable hard drive even if you no longer use it for music. In fact, you don’t even have to do anything special to make it work. Apple supports this feature.
As long as you have free space, you can store any type of file the way you want with on a standard portable drive in much the same way as above. The number and size of files you can store is limited only by the amount of space available on your iPod. This means you can keep your music files while using any extra space for other files, or you can clear all unused media and fill it with whatever you want. It’s certainly sleeker than a typical hard drive or flash drive, and has a level of nostalgia that you won’t get anywhere else.
To set it up, just connect your iPod to your computer and open iTunes. Click the Device button, then Summary, then Enable Disk Use, then Apply. Now you can drag and drop files as you like.
for notes and slides 
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This use relies on using the iPod’s photo display feature, which means it won’t work with something like an iPod Classic. But if you have one of the latest models with a full-color screen and photo display, you’re done.
According to Lifehacker, use software like iPresent It (or any software that lets you convert to JPEG) ), you can convert PowerPoint slides into images that your iPod can display. Even without specialized software, it’s enough to take a screenshot of your presentation and save it to your iPod. Once loaded into your iPod, you basically have a portable digital cue card, You can refer to it when testing or giving a demo. The result is that you can store hundreds of them without worrying about them being lost or mixed up. With a little ingenuity and the right hardware, you can even share these slideshows with your audience on a projector screen. Connect your iPod to the projector and use the remote to turn your iPod into a fully functional presentation machine that fits in your pocket. Still, it might be worth taking a test run and making sure it works before taking it to your next work meeting.
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In the past, if you wanted obscure information, you had to buy an encyclopedia from a traveling salesman, or make a trip to the library. The Internet centralizes information, and Wikipedia provides us with a ready-made resource for anything you might want to know.
Today, you can easily access that information from any computer or smartphone, but only if you have internet access at all times . Your iPod can be used as a portable encyclopedia unfettered by the Internet, combining the best of the world’s collective information with the reliability of static reference material.
In the first few generations, when the iPod just came off the line, encyclopedias allowed you to put A version of Wikipedia for offline use. Sadly, it’s no longer available. That said, there are other apps that offer similar functionality. For example, Minipedia provides the ability to access a static version of Wikipedia without an Internet connection on your iPod (and iPhone or iPad).
Of course, there are limits. Because it’s not continuously connected, the information is only as good as it was when it was last updated. It also lacks some features, such as images, due to space constraints. Still, it’s a viable solution, especially when compared to room-filling books we used to rely on. Portable PC on iPod
You may have a myriad of reasons Want to carry a portable PC in your pocket. It allows you to carry virtual versions and files of your home PC with you without having to carry a laptop or desktop with you. As Lifehacker explains, using virtualization software like MojoPac allows you to carry your Windows installation and personal files on a portable drive. There’s nothing stopping that drive from being an iPod, as long as there’s enough space. You can then use your virtual PC to launch your own private environment on any other computer.
In order for this to work, you need to make sure your iPod has Disk Mode enabled. As mentioned before, it only takes a few clicks in iTunes. Then install MojoPac or your preferred virtualization software on your computer and follow the steps to load it onto your iPod. There may be a fee to buy the software, but the small investment might be worth reviving your previously comatose iPod.
After setup, you can connect your iPod to any other machine, start your virtual PC, and access your files to play games or watch movies on other people’s computers without messing up their stuff. Then you can disconnect and disappear without a trace.
In the early days of radio, when governments around the world began trying to regulate radio waves, enterprising and rebellious radio chiefs set up illegal stations to broadcast audio over the air (via How Stuff Works). The advent of the Internet and various The type of easily accessible content that largely makes this campaign irrelevant doesn’t mean you can’t create your own pirated radio station.
With an iPod and a few accessories, it’s easier than ever to become a stereo juggernaut. Today, most people connect their iPod (or more commonly, their cell phone) to their audio device using an aux cable or a Bluetooth connection, but there are other ways. You’re probably familiar with accessories that connect to your iPod and look for available radio stations so you can broadcast music to your car without a physical connection. You’ve also probably experienced when you’re too close to a nearby car and their music seeps into yours by overpowering nearby radio signals. Making your own pirate radio station is all you need to weaponize these technologies to consciously broadcast what you want in an area.
According to Engadget, a slight modification to a broadcaster’s built-in antenna can increase range and signal strength, extending your personal The area of pirated radio stations. You can then play music of your choice or pre-record a soundtrack for the unsuspecting listener.
Monitor your home 
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Presence Video Security Camera app works with any iPod Touch with iOS 8 or later. It uses the iPod’s camera to detect motion in the environment and then records that activity. You can also remotely view the real-time information of the desired area at any time.
To set it up, you’ll need to download the app on your main smartphone and old iPod, and place it in your home so that the camera is facing the area you want to focus on. The free version of the app gives you 50 MB of free encrypted video storage, or you can upgrade to a paid account for more storage. You can also use the app to initiate two-way communication between linked devices, so it doubles as a remote intercom system between you and anyone still in the house. Or, you can use it to tell your dog that he’s a good kid. Play Doom…because, of course “Doom” plays (via CBR) on pretty much everything from ATMs to calculators, so it only makes sense to play it on old iPods. Doing so relies on Rockbox, the same software discussed above, which serves as an alternate operating system.
Because it allows if you see the iPod as a more open drive you can install on it than by iTunes gets more games from traditional games. This includes “doomsday”. Finding the “Doom” software is up to you, but a quick Google search should do the trick. Note: Please be aware of the legality of downloading game ROMs.
While Rockbox is compatible with many iPods, as well as other MP3 players, you will need a device with a screen (obviously), so your old iPod Shuffle is out. As mentioned before, you will need to enable the Disk Drive feature through iTunes before installing Rockbox and game files.
This tutorial from Instructables provides step-by-step instructions to get the game running on the iPod. Of course, getting games on your iPod is only the first step. Then, you’ll have to learn a new set of controls, using the iPod’s limited array of buttons, to fight the demons.
If none of the above suggestions sound right to you, then you can donate Or recycle your old iPod and do something good for your community—or at least keep it out of the landfill. Apple has a dedicated recycling program that makes it easy for you to hand over your old products.
Company provides credit for future purchases on eligible devices. Unfortunately, as of this writing, iPods are no longer eligible for credit (though your other devices, as well as some Android phones, may be). That said, they’ll still take your old iPod from you and make sure it’s recycled responsibly.
BETTER However, there are many programs out there that take your old tech, give it a new look, and hand it over to in the hands of those who will use it. Donate Your iPod is one such program, which cleans up old iPods and sends them to local seniors’ homes. You might not be using your old iPod anymore, but that doesn’t mean it can’t provide a welcome soundtrack to everyone else. Not only will this keep it out of the rubbish, but you’ll also have a good sense of knowing that the device that once brought you so much joy will continue to be in other people’s ears.
