How to Make a Portable Media Player From Your Old gadget

Perform a factory reset.

Think of it as spring cleaning.

Use your gear’s tweaks app to reset the software.

Media player on smartphone with earphones on black background

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It’s easy to do onAndroidandiPhone.

Disable or hide stock apps.

On most devices, the built-in apps cannot be deleted.

Rearview of a person wearing headphones listening to music, lying on a sofa indoors

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Instead, you’re able to sometimes disable them.

Keep it tidy for the best experience!

Remember, the factory reset erased everything from the rig.

A person controlling a TV from their smartphone

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Log back into your Wi-Fi data pipe to enter the app store.

Now that your media player is online, it’s possible for you to start downloading relevant apps.

The app icons should populate on the Home Screen for you to organize as desired.

Once all your media apps have been downloaded, sign into each service one by one.

If you don’t already have an account, you’ll be prompted to create a new one.

Not sure what to download?

Build your media collection.

If youre an iOS user,songs downloaded from iTunes can be converted to MP3s.

Some sites let you legally download music for free.

All of these can be copied over to the portable media player.

You candigitize CDs using iTunesand digitize vinyl records or even cassette tapes.

Otherwise, most Android devices support USB OTG.

iOS devices have compatible flash drives, too.

In any of these situations, you’ll want to copy your digital media over to the storage drive.

Once plugged into the portable media player, the digital music/video becomes available to play offline at any time.

Personalize your media player.

Have some fun with it!

All it’s crucial that you stream music from your portable media player is an audio cable.

Another great benefit of using an older smartphone as a portable media player is the option for wireless connectivity.

For iOS devices, Apple has Digital AV Adapters that are reliable and easy to use.

Be sure to carefully check compatibility first.

If you want wireless video streaming,Google Chromecastcan be your best friend.

Think of it as a wireless HDMI adapter.

It plugs into your TV or receiver and essentially replaces the need for a physical cable for sending video/audio.

Thisstreaming deviceis compatible with iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows devices that support the display-mirroring feature.

Not so bad for repurposing an old gear!

The answer is that it’s all about convenience and streamlining your personal technology.

you’re able to send content from the media player to your speakers and/or television sets.

Youcouldleave your smartphone plugged in to do the job.