8 ms·

I had a two old smartphone sitting in a drawer for a few years, an old iPhone5 and an old Android phone. A few months ago I looked into using them for security

by oblib 4y ago

I had a two old smartphone sitting in a drawer for a few years, an old iPhone5 and an old Android phone. A few months ago I looked into using them for security cams and did a search and found https://alfred.camera/ https://alfred.camera/ Alfred is pretty cool. They have a free version that does what I wanted and a premium version that's got quite a few nice additional features. I'm still using an old iPhone 10. Apple has obsoleted it too. I can't install any apps from the "App Store" but it still does what I want most. The phone and the "Maps" and text apps still work fine. One of my daughters works at Verizon and asked me if I wanted a new iPhone for Christmas last year but I really don't need one. I work from home, do not work for anyone else, and don't need any additional "Apps". My apps are "web apps" so they run fine on those old phones.

everly 4y ago
Thanks for posting, was recently wanting exactly this and was dreading wading through the app store/Reddit posts to find out what actually worked
ok_dad 4y ago
Do you know if they stream the video to the cloud or just connect locally? I am looking for a kid-cam for my son's room, but I do NOT want to have it streaming anywhere outside my LAN. This could work, because I have two old Androids I could use for this.
- nelblu 4y ago
  Try this, it isn't exactly meant as a camera but it is local only : Meshenger (P2P voice- and video phone App.) https://f-droid.org/packages/d.d.meshenger/ https://f-droid.org/packages/d.d.meshenger/
- komali2 4y ago
  They stream to the cloud. They're based here in Taiwan at least so maybe no NSA snooping? Idk I vaguely used them for my lizard camera until I could muster up the energy to self host my own setup.
belltaco 4y ago
I think there should be a law that any phone that loses official support should be able to be jailbroken and boot unlocked by an official tool. The best thing about this is that it will disincentivize companies from dropping support early for perfectly functional devices.
- bhhaskin 4y ago
  Why limited it to old devices? If I buy it I should be able to run my own software if I want.
  - gowld 4y ago
    Because there's an implicit binding of hardware and software in the overall proposition which includes the software (like Fire homescreen ads), until 1 party wants to stop providing their side, which should then free the other.
  - JohnFen 4y ago
    I'm never shy about jailbreaking devices, new or old. They're mine, and I'll do whatever I want with them.
    - shanebellone 4y ago
      As a philosopher once said, just do it.
  - gameman144 4y ago
    Doing it for old hardware makes a much more compelling case for the general public to rally behind. For lots of folks, as long as things are working, they don't care how. Limiting such a law to out-of-support hardware would give a clear value-add of "Your phone stopped working, but if this legislation got passed, it could keep working". (I personally would love the right to control all my hardware, but that's a much tougher sell.)
    - megous 4y ago
jedberg 4y ago
> I'm still using an old iPhone 10. Apple has obsoleted it too. I can't install any apps from the "App Store" but it still does what I want most. I still use an iPhone 10 also. But I have no problem installing new apps, so I'm confused by this. Have you updated the iOs and made sure the time is syncing properly? Those are two common problems that block App Store access.
- Nition 4y ago
  I was going to say this too. iPhone 10 still supports the latest iOS.
- joemi 4y ago
  I'm still using an iPhone 7 and while it doesn't support the latest iOS, I can still install apps from the app store.
- ccooffee 4y ago
  My iPhone 8 seems to work just fine for installing apps. I'm on iOS 15.6.1, though the [iOS 16 info page][1] claims support for iPhone 8. (I may have chosen not to upgrade to iOS 16 in the past because my 64gb phone is chronically low on storage, and the upgrade will use an additional 2gb of storage.) [1]: https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-16/ https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-16/
  - __d 4y ago
    My daily driver is an iPhone8, running iOS 16.2. It's just fine.
    - dskrvk 4y ago
      Same here, replaced my old 8 last month, but only because a few rows of pixels went bad, not because of compatibility issues.
- oblib 4y ago
  I just checked and it's an iPhone 6 Plus, so even older than I thought. It's one of my wife's old phones. She did get a new one for Christmas last year but traded in her old one, which I think was an iPhone 10, so that's probably why I made the mistake. Like I said, I really do not use it much.
WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
> I can't install any apps from the "App Store" but it still does what I want most. Apple has made this such a hassle... if you actually install an app on your new iPhone 10... you can go over to your "Purchased" on your iPhone 5 and install the version that runs on it (if it exists). However if you go on the iPhone 5 to the app store, they just say "so sorry, not supported" and it is the biggest slap you can give someone to remind them the product they paid for is not owned by them.
- leobg 4y ago
  And I believe they do actually have the binaries still on their server. At least I remember vaguely finding a trick how to find their URL and download them manually. So I guess they could give you the last compatible version, but they don’t.
mikae1 4y ago
Haven is open source. Last updated 2019, but works. https://guardianproject.github.io/haven/ https://guardianproject.github.io/haven/
- efreak 4y ago
  There's a release from 2021
officeplant 4y ago
IIRC The iPhone 10 has about two more years of support left. It's far from obsolete yet.
- oblib 4y ago
  Yeah, I just checked again after reading the replies here and it's even older than that, it's an iPhone 6 plus. Maybe I should talk to my daughter about getting a newer one :D
EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 4y ago
"This web browser is not supported. Please use Google Chrome on PC to continue with Alfred WebCamera."
firecall 4y ago
> I'm still using an old iPhone 10. Apple has obsoleted it too. I can't install any apps from the "App Store" but it still does what I want most. The phone and the "Maps" and text apps still work fine. The iPhone X is still supported with the latest iOS release, iOS 16[1]. Just wondering what exactly isn't working or makes it seem obsolete? :-) I'm also a big fan of riding iPhones into the ground! My wife is still using an iPhone XS Max, that runs like new even on the latest iOS! :-) [1] https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/iphone/iphe3fa5df43/ios https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/iphone/iphe3fa5df43/io...
- CraigJPerry 4y ago
  I’ve been pretty bad for upgrading every year but i stopped at the iPhone 11 and it’s what i’m typing on right now. The battery status is “service now” and claims 70% capacity. I noticed it getting annoyingly slow in some scenarios so before splashing to replace the battery i figured i’d try a clean reinstall and i have to say it’s cured it. So Even if the degraded battery is causing performance limitations like i was suspecting, it’s no longer enough to be a problem and a 70% battery easily gets me through a full day. One less battery in landfill. For now.
- gymbeaux 4y ago
  I can’t imagine still being on the iPhone X. It was so slow when I got the 12
  - BizarreByte 4y ago
    Slow in what sense? I was on an iPhone 8 until it broke a few months ago and it was plenty fast.
    - MutableLambda 4y ago
      I had my 6S until last summer (when I upgraded to 11 non-pro, it's the last iphone with a non-flickering screen right now)
    - gymbeaux 4y ago
wkat4242 4y ago
How has the iPhone 10 been obsoleted? It just got iOS 16.
prvc 4y ago
Can it run as a camera on iOS "in the background", or does it require the screen to remain on, and the device to be "unlocked"? The linked page is very light on details.
hungryforcodes 4y ago
Your iPhone X is obsoleted? I have an iPhone 6 with iOS 12 and can download alot of current apps from the App store. In fact iOS 12 just got new update from Apple. You should check again about this.
theodric 4y ago
> I'm still using an old iPhone 10. Apple has obsoleted it too Do you really mean iPhone 10, i.e. iPhone X, or iPhone 1? The former are very much still in support. https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/supported-models-iphe3fa5df43/ios https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/supported-models-iphe... I'm no Apple apologist, but their long-term device support puts all others in the segment to shame...
johnchristopher 4y ago
I tried Alfred with an old Motorola something but the app and/or phone would crash and/or shutdown because of the heat. Your mileage may vary of course.

by oblib 4y ago

everly 4y ago

Thanks for posting, was recently wanting exactly this and was dreading wading through the app store/Reddit posts to find out what actually worked

ok_dad 4y ago

Do you know if they stream the video to the cloud or just connect locally? I am looking for a kid-cam for my son's room, but I do NOT want to have it streaming anywhere outside my LAN. This could work, because I have two old Androids I could use for this.

nelblu 4y ago
Try this, it isn't exactly meant as a camera but it is local only : Meshenger (P2P voice- and video phone App.) https://f-droid.org/packages/d.d.meshenger/ https://f-droid.org/packages/d.d.meshenger/
komali2 4y ago
They stream to the cloud. They're based here in Taiwan at least so maybe no NSA snooping? Idk I vaguely used them for my lizard camera until I could muster up the energy to self host my own setup.

belltaco 4y ago

I think there should be a law that any phone that loses official support should be able to be jailbroken and boot unlocked by an official tool. The best thing about this is that it will disincentivize companies from dropping support early for perfectly functional devices.

bhhaskin 4y ago
Why limited it to old devices? If I buy it I should be able to run my own software if I want.
- gowld 4y ago
  Because there's an implicit binding of hardware and software in the overall proposition which includes the software (like Fire homescreen ads), until 1 party wants to stop providing their side, which should then free the other.
- JohnFen 4y ago
  I'm never shy about jailbreaking devices, new or old. They're mine, and I'll do whatever I want with them.
  - shanebellone 4y ago
    As a philosopher once said, just do it.
- gameman144 4y ago
  Doing it for old hardware makes a much more compelling case for the general public to rally behind. For lots of folks, as long as things are working, they don't care how. Limiting such a law to out-of-support hardware would give a clear value-add of "Your phone stopped working, but if this legislation got passed, it could keep working". (I personally would love the right to control all my hardware, but that's a much tougher sell.)
  - megous 4y ago

jedberg 4y ago

> I'm still using an old iPhone 10. Apple has obsoleted it too. I can't install any apps from the "App Store" but it still does what I want most. I still use an iPhone 10 also. But I have no problem installing new apps, so I'm confused by this. Have you updated the iOs and made sure the time is syncing properly? Those are two common problems that block App Store access.

Nition 4y ago
I was going to say this too. iPhone 10 still supports the latest iOS.
joemi 4y ago
I'm still using an iPhone 7 and while it doesn't support the latest iOS, I can still install apps from the app store.
ccooffee 4y ago
My iPhone 8 seems to work just fine for installing apps. I'm on iOS 15.6.1, though the [iOS 16 info page][1] claims support for iPhone 8. (I may have chosen not to upgrade to iOS 16 in the past because my 64gb phone is chronically low on storage, and the upgrade will use an additional 2gb of storage.) [1]: https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-16/ https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-16/
- __d 4y ago
  My daily driver is an iPhone8, running iOS 16.2. It's just fine.
  - dskrvk 4y ago
    Same here, replaced my old 8 last month, but only because a few rows of pixels went bad, not because of compatibility issues.
oblib 4y ago
I just checked and it's an iPhone 6 Plus, so even older than I thought. It's one of my wife's old phones. She did get a new one for Christmas last year but traded in her old one, which I think was an iPhone 10, so that's probably why I made the mistake. Like I said, I really do not use it much.

WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago

> I can't install any apps from the "App Store" but it still does what I want most. Apple has made this such a hassle... if you actually install an app on your new iPhone 10... you can go over to your "Purchased" on your iPhone 5 and install the version that runs on it (if it exists). However if you go on the iPhone 5 to the app store, they just say "so sorry, not supported" and it is the biggest slap you can give someone to remind them the product they paid for is not owned by them.

leobg 4y ago
And I believe they do actually have the binaries still on their server. At least I remember vaguely finding a trick how to find their URL and download them manually. So I guess they could give you the last compatible version, but they don’t.

mikae1 4y ago

Haven is open source. Last updated 2019, but works. https://guardianproject.github.io/haven/ https://guardianproject.github.io/haven/

efreak 4y ago
There's a release from 2021

officeplant 4y ago

IIRC The iPhone 10 has about two more years of support left. It's far from obsolete yet.

oblib 4y ago
Yeah, I just checked again after reading the replies here and it's even older than that, it's an iPhone 6 plus. Maybe I should talk to my daughter about getting a newer one :D

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 4y ago

"This web browser is not supported. Please use Google Chrome on PC to continue with Alfred WebCamera."

firecall 4y ago

> I'm still using an old iPhone 10. Apple has obsoleted it too. I can't install any apps from the "App Store" but it still does what I want most. The phone and the "Maps" and text apps still work fine. The iPhone X is still supported with the latest iOS release, iOS 16[1]. Just wondering what exactly isn't working or makes it seem obsolete? :-) I'm also a big fan of riding iPhones into the ground! My wife is still using an iPhone XS Max, that runs like new even on the latest iOS! :-) [1] https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/iphone/iphe3fa5df43/ios https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/iphone/iphe3fa5df43/io...

CraigJPerry 4y ago
I’ve been pretty bad for upgrading every year but i stopped at the iPhone 11 and it’s what i’m typing on right now. The battery status is “service now” and claims 70% capacity. I noticed it getting annoyingly slow in some scenarios so before splashing to replace the battery i figured i’d try a clean reinstall and i have to say it’s cured it. So Even if the degraded battery is causing performance limitations like i was suspecting, it’s no longer enough to be a problem and a 70% battery easily gets me through a full day. One less battery in landfill. For now.
gymbeaux 4y ago
I can’t imagine still being on the iPhone X. It was so slow when I got the 12
- BizarreByte 4y ago
  Slow in what sense? I was on an iPhone 8 until it broke a few months ago and it was plenty fast.
  - MutableLambda 4y ago
    I had my 6S until last summer (when I upgraded to 11 non-pro, it's the last iphone with a non-flickering screen right now)
  - gymbeaux 4y ago

wkat4242 4y ago

How has the iPhone 10 been obsoleted? It just got iOS 16.

prvc 4y ago

Can it run as a camera on iOS "in the background", or does it require the screen to remain on, and the device to be "unlocked"? The linked page is very light on details.

hungryforcodes 4y ago

Your iPhone X is obsoleted? I have an iPhone 6 with iOS 12 and can download alot of current apps from the App store. In fact iOS 12 just got new update from Apple. You should check again about this.

theodric 4y ago

> I'm still using an old iPhone 10. Apple has obsoleted it too Do you really mean iPhone 10, i.e. iPhone X, or iPhone 1? The former are very much still in support. https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/supported-models-iphe3fa5df43/ios https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/supported-models-iphe... I'm no Apple apologist, but their long-term device support puts all others in the segment to shame...

johnchristopher 4y ago

I tried Alfred with an old Motorola something but the app and/or phone would crash and/or shutdown because of the heat. Your mileage may vary of course.