21+ Creative Things People Have Done With Their Phones

Updated September 8, 2021

It seems fair to say that no single invention has changed our lives in the 21st century quite like smart phones. I'm old enough to remember when only rich folks could afford mobile phones, and those phones were massive beasts.

But the future is here, and the phones we have today are ridiculously versatile. They're the multi-tools we can't do without. And people sure have found some creative things to do with them!

1. If you point your phone screen at a makeup mirror and play with the focus, you can project the image onto a wall.

Reddit | Treak13

That has to be a different way to watch a movie!

2. One of the cool things your phone's camera can do: see IR signals, which makes it easy to check and see if your remotes are still working.

Reddit | Hoppse88

You know, just in case you were wondering.

3. Need to keep the kids entertained on a road trip? Of course you do. And there's a perfect phone holder built into the front seats.

Reddit | tokilokit

Just clamp the head rest down on the phone and you're good to go.

4. When your phone screen breaks, you're not necessarily out of luck right away.

Reddit | Anyonegotacookie

Even if the display is broken, the touch screen might still work, and you can sync your phone up with a computer using a cable or an app.

5. And then there's this guy, whose touch screen broke, so he hooked a mouse up to his phone.

Reddit | axxenmardok

Honestly, there are times when I'd much rather use a mouse than a touch screen.

6. This person got tired of fumbling in the dark trying to figure out which cable charged his phone, so he made his own casing for it from an old parallel bus.

Reddit | jax3rir

Won't confuse that with any other charging cable!

7. You don't need an expensive mount to stick your phone on your dashboard — just an elastic band.

String it through an air vent and wrap each end around your phone, and then you're in business.

8. Mind you, there is such a thing as overdoing the dash mount.

Reddit | amphetamachine

This is a bit more than we can safely recommend. It's basically a distracted driving ticket waiting to happen, and that's the best case scenario.

9. No reason why a phone has to be a second-class gaming system, as this person shows.

Reddit | Mr_Punbelievable

Yep, that's Skyrim, being played with an XBox controller, on a phone. What an age we live in!

10. And then there's this rig, built to play a driving game that uses the phone to simulate the steering wheel.

Might not be that practical if the game requires anything more than steering for input, however.

11. Want to play your console game from a location that isn't exactly console friendly? FaceTime is your answer.

Reddit | Isai76

Set up your phone in front of your TV and FaceTime a tablet that you can take wherever you want.

12. It's not for everybody, but the handle grip on this phone case sure does make it easier to hold.

Reddit | johnsterp

Not so great for pockets, but hey, it might help someone with arthritis use their phone.

13. Those pesky charging cables have a habit of coming apart where the plug meets the cord, so the owner of this cable encased it in leather.

Reddit | hahnatelier

Durable, attractive, and crafty!

14. Another idea to keep life in the charging cable: Wrap a spring from a pen around the cable and slide it over the end.

Reddit | Cafescrambler

It's not as attractive as woven leather, but it's also less work.

15. Nowhere to set your phone down while it charges? You can make a cradle for it from its own cord.

Reddit | GeneReddit123

Mind you, this might not help that charging cable that's already prone to coming apart at the seams.

16. Because ear bud cords are so prone to getting themselves into positively maddening tangles, this person encased theirs in yarn.

Reddit | Literallyjust13ducks

Which actually doesn't sound like a bad idea, even if it's not really your style.

17. Personally, I'd be worried about my battery running out if I used my phone camera to replace a side mirror on my car.

Reddit | northead

But it does work, so there's that.

18. These look like some pretty expensive flower pots.

Reddit | Snail-Juice

I mean, those phones are probably all broken and abandoned, but still. And they can't be very effective flower pots even. But it's creative!

19. If you don't have a webcam but you do have a smart phone and something to clamp it to your monitor, you do have a webcam.

Reddit | slampisko

There is an app for that, of course.

20. Here's an idea for those of us with glasses, shared by Reddit user Xciv: if you need to find your glasses, turn on your smartphone camera and hold it up to your face.

I'm going to remember this one!

21. Want to be able to go hands-free on more surfaces? You can always duct tape a magnet to the back.

Reddit | AL_O0

And no, the magnet won't mess up your phone. It's actually pretty handy in the kitchen — bring a recipe up on your phone and stick it to the fridge!

22. When someone had trouble getting their phone to charge without some pressure, they built this contraption to keep it jammed in place.

Reddit | majlem

Necessity is the mother of invention, as usual!

23. To keep a tight rein on their phone, this person attached a wristband from an old Wii remote to the case.

Reddit | strongashluna

Great idea, especially considering the Wii remote was likely just collecting dust anyway.

24. These guys needed some light on their game in a darkened bar, so they turned their phone flashlights into little light standards.

Reddit | MothaNature

No need to call the game on account of darkness!

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