This week saw Apple announce the new hotness: iPhone 16. But that doesn’t mean an iPhone released way back in 2016 is no good. Matter of fact, I dragged it out from under the bed and put it to good use.
The 8 year old device is now a learning tool for my 9 year old kid; they’re almost the same age. My youngest son needed a way to use a specific app for a Fall semester elective class. I thought it was a long shot but worth a try.
So I created my son’s Apple account, charged up the ol’ iPhone 7 battery, and would you believe: it all just worked.
My kid is now daily using a 128GB iPhone 7 for two apps, one of which is Duolingo. I locked down or deleted all other apps. The phone is as minimal as possible. It doesn’t even have a SIM card, so it’s basically an iPod touch or iPad nano — wi-fi only.
A nice side benefit is that my son can FaceTime or Message family members who also have iPhones. And he likes to see where we are on Find My.
It’s great that the thing works, but yeah, the battery health is a lowly 65%. On the bright side, this naturally limits how long my son can use the phone, mitigating screen time or behavioral addiction.
That said, I plan to “upgrade” his “phone” to a more current SE2 from 2020. It will still get the new iOS 18, which is releasing soon with the new iPhone 16. iPhones last a long time.
His forthcoming SE2 battery will be better, and the Screen Time feature with parental controls is easy enough to use for limiting device addiction or distraction.
So yeah, an iPhone 7 is still working today when the iPhone 16 is a thing.
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