This Accessory Gives Your Old Apple Watch A New Lease Of Life

The Apple Watch arrived in 2015, and since then it's been updated regularly with design changes and new software bringing additional features, some that you might not even know about. With several hundred million Apple Watches estimated to have been sold to date, many folks probably have an old one gathering dust in a drawer somewhere. If that's you, then you could give it a new lease of life with this neat tinyPod gadget. As the name suggests, the tinyPod turns your old Apple Watch into a useful handheld device dripping with iPod nostalgia. Compatible with Apple Watch 4 through 9 and all three Apple Watch Ultras, the tinyPod houses your bandless Apple smartwatch. The really cool part is the cleverly designed physical scroll wheel, which connects to the watch's Digital Crown to aid menu navigation.

The fun little gadget offers easy access to downloaded music, podcasts, and other offline features, while an internet connection unlocks things like weather, messages and streaming music. Plenty of Apple Watch features work without even needing your phone nearby. But don't forget: the watch isn't on your wrist, so you will miss key health features like heart and sleep monitoring. Designed with a hard plastic case and a hole in the back for easy charging, the tinyPod costs $89. There's also the soft-case tinyPod lite for $39. This one doesn't include the adorable scroll wheel but leaves the Digital Crown exposed for easy access. Both can be preordered and should ship in the fall. If you don't want to wait, though, other companies have taken a similar approach to turning your smartwatch into something you carry instead of wear.

Like the tinyPod, the similarly sized RePod (pictured left) houses your Apple Watch and lets you navigate with a scroll wheel, though you can also select items via the touchscreen. The RePod is available in silver and space gray for Apple Watch 4 through 12, as well as the SE, with prices ranging from $59 to $65. It also offers two models for the Apple Watch Ultra: a sleek, curvy aluminum alloy case for $69 (ships in the fall) that fits in the palm of your hand, and another with a more rugged look. Made with zinc alloy and starting at $74.90, the latter comes in various colors, including gunmetal black, silver, and titanium. Both have holes in the back so there's no fiddling about when it comes to charging.

Another interesting option is the Miniphone Ultra (pictured right), pitched at anyone keen to spend less time on their full-sized phone. The stylish case for the Apple Watch Ultra proved a hit when watch enthusiast Ed Jelley posted it on Instagram as part of a personal 3D-printing project. Inspired by the positive response, he brought it to market for $38. The plastic case with textured outer surfaces is, according to New York-based Jelley, "big enough to feel good in your hand, but small enough so that you don't get distracted." It doesn't have a scroll wheel but instead leaves the Digital Crown exposed. It also has an open back for easy charging. 

If you have an Apple Watch you've stopped using, you can still do plenty with it. For starters, you could turn it into a bedside clock by popping it on a charging stand and using Nightstand mode. You can also leave it in the kitchen and use the hands-free Siri function to set timers for cooking, or alarms and reminders for anything else that comes to mind when you're working away there. You can even convert it into a Whoop Band. 

An old Apple Watch can also be repurposed as a dedicated remote shutter for your iPhone, handy for group shots or selfies when you want a little more distance from the lens. When you open the watch's Camera Remote app, it automatically connects to your phone and shows a live preview on your watch display via either the front or rear camera. To take a shot, press the watch's shutter button or select the three-second timer.

The Apple Watch is also a powerful tool for controlling smart home devices through Apple's Home app, including lights, fans, air purifiers, and blinds. You can even use it to control your Apple TV, though a TV remote this small may mean you spend more time looking for it than actually using it. If you don't want to keep your Apple Watch anymore, you could give it away to someone else, like a relative, perhaps a young niece or nephew who might love a new gadget to play with. If none of these ideas appeal, you could always sell it on eBay or Craigslist, or trade it in at an electronics store that accepts these devices.