Holding onto Your Smartphone – an Environmental Approach
Smartphones all need an eventual upgrade, but this creates a problem of waste. Tempting as it might be to run out and purchase the most recent iteration of iPhone when it hits shelves, this isn’t a winning approach for the environment or your wallet. Instead, there are good reasons to hold onto your phone for longer periods, especially if you’re someone who doesn’t push your system to its limits. With this in mind, what exactly counts as the average use of a smartphone, and what can this mean to hold onto a device?
“DSC00365” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by baselactionnetwork
Demands of Most Users
Most users on mobile are casual in their approach, never really pushing their systems to the very edge, while still demanding flawless performance. A great example that encapsulates most parts of this idea can be found in digital casinos and the experience of playing slot games online. Accessing these games like Gold Cash Big Spin and Book of Wonga involves browsing the website, signing up, and looking through the options. From here it means playing the HTML 5-driven titles, while also potentially checking out other entries like live-streamed games. Browsing, interactive apps, and streaming are how most mobile users spent their time, and they increasingly hold up on older phones.
Why Phones Can Last Longer
The general idea is that, for a long time, smartphones were playing catchup. When the first iPhone popularised smartphones back in 2007, it has trouble with browsing, streaming, and interactivity with many apps. Over the generations, phones would eventually catch up to what online systems demanded, eventually overtaking demands by a substantial degree.
Smartphones of today aren’t making significant leaps from generation to generation like they once did. Instead, new iterations illustrate smaller steps forward that most users won’t leverage unless they’re pushing their phones to the limit. This gave rise to the trend that smartphone users are holding onto their devices for longer periods, as upgrades don’t offer appreciable advantages for most users. Today, even a phone a few generations old will be able to play with online casinos without issues, and the same applies to most uses.
Doing Your Part
The best way to avoid adding to the smartphone e-waste problem is to simply hold onto your device for longer, with the understanding of how unnecessary a new phone can be, even if it’s trendy. From here, device maintenance is the key.
Firstly, users need to keep their phone in a protective case if they’re prone to dropping it on the ground. We all know people who have broken multiple phones this way but who refuse to protect their systems, and you don’t want to be one of them. You’ll also want to ensure your phone is kept clean and free from moisture, as these can harm a system in the long term.
The last big issue is that of battery life, which can affect even services like online casinos which don’t push mobiles especially hard. While phones with removable and replaceable batteries are making a return, most don’t offer this feature. Batteries even in a well-maintained device will usually end up being the point of failure, so be sure to turn on battery-saving options in the menu if possible. The most common way these operate is by charging the phone to around 80%, which is enough to get most users through the day. Enable this, never let the battery drain completely, and the battery will last longer.
“iPhone™” (CC BY 2.0) by pviojo
No piece of tech lasts forever, but it can last a lot longer than we think. Look after your mobile phone, treat it well, avoid giving in to the latest new gimmick or trend, and you can help do a little bit more for your wallet, and the environment. You can still play casino games, watch movies, browse social media, and do whatever else you love, and in the end, that’s what’s most important.
