The Trump phone was never a serious phone. Not when it was announced last June, in dodgy renders and with an incoherent spec sheet. Nor when Trump Mobile admitted — just two weeks later — that it wouldn’t be made in the US. Not even when the company revealed the final phone, first to me over a video call in February and then to the world in April through a short commercial with the slick sheen of AI.
Technology
Microsoft crosses privacy line few expected
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For years, we’ve been told that encryption is the gold standard for digital privacy. If data is encrypted, it is supposed to be locked away from hackers, companies and governments alike. That assumption just took a hit.
In a federal investigation tied to alleged COVID-19 unemployment fraud in Guam, a U.S. territory where federal law applies, Microsoft confirmed it provided law enforcement with BitLocker recovery keys. Those keys allowed investigators to unlock encrypted data on multiple laptops.
This is one of the clearest public examples to date of Microsoft providing BitLocker recovery keys to authorities as part of a criminal investigation. While the warrant itself may have been lawful, the implications stretch far beyond one investigation. For everyday Americans, this is a clear signal that “encrypted” does not always mean “inaccessible.”
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HACKERS ABUSE GOOGLE CLOUD TO SEND TRUSTED PHISHING EMAILS
In the Guam investigation, Microsoft provided BitLocker recovery keys that allowed law enforcement to unlock encrypted laptops. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
What happened in the Guam BitLocker case?
Federal investigators believed three Windows laptops held evidence tied to an alleged scheme involving pandemic unemployment funds. The devices were protected with BitLocker, Microsoft’s built-in disk encryption tool enabled by default on many modern Windows PCs. BitLocker works by scrambling all data on a hard drive so it cannot be read without a recovery key.
Users can store that key themselves, but Microsoft also encourages backing it up to a Microsoft account for convenience. In this case, that convenience mattered. When served with a valid search warrant, Microsoft provided the recovery keys to investigators. That allowed full access to the data stored on the devices. Microsoft says it receives roughly 20 such requests per year and can only comply when users have chosen to store their keys in the cloud.
We reached out to Microsoft for comment, but did not hear back before our deadline.
How Microsoft was able to unlock encrypted data
According to John Ackerly, CEO and co-founder of Virtru and a former White House technology advisor, the problem is not encryption itself. The real issue is who controls the keys. He begins by explaining how convenience can quietly shift control. “Microsoft commonly recommends that users back up BitLocker recovery keys to a Microsoft account for convenience. That choice means Microsoft may retain the technical ability to unlock a customer’s device. When a third party holds both encrypted data and the keys required to decrypt it, control is no longer exclusive.”
Once a provider has the ability to unlock data, that power rarely stays theoretical. “When systems are built so that providers can be compelled to unlock customer data, lawful access becomes a standing feature. It is important to remember that encryption does not distinguish between authorized and unauthorized access. Any system designed to be unlocked on demand will eventually be unlocked by unintended parties.”
Ackerly then points out that this outcome is not inevitable. Other companies have made different architectural choices. “Other large technology companies have demonstrated that a different approach is possible. Apple has designed systems that limit its own ability to access customer data, even when doing so would ease compliance with government demands. Google offers client-side encryption models that allow users to retain exclusive control of encryption keys. These companies still comply with the law, but when they do not hold the keys, they cannot unlock the data. That is not obstruction. It is a design choice.”
Finally, he argues that Microsoft still has room to change course. “Microsoft has an opportunity to address this by making customer-controlled keys the default and by designing recovery mechanisms that do not place decryption authority in Microsoft’s hands. True personal data sovereignty requires systems that make compelled access technically impossible, not merely contractually discouraged.”
In short, Microsoft could comply because it had the technical ability to do so. That single design decision is what turned encrypted data into accessible data.
“With BitLocker, customers can choose to store their encryption keys locally, in a location inaccessible to Microsoft, or in Microsoft’s consumer cloud services,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CyberGuy in a statement. “We recognize that some customers prefer Microsoft’s cloud storage, so we can help recover their encryption key if needed. While key recovery offers convenience, it also carries a risk of unwanted access, so Microsoft believes customers are in the best position to decide whether to use key escrow and how to manage their keys.”
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When companies hold encryption keys, lawful requests can unlock far more data than most people expect. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Why this matters for data privacy
This case has reignited a long-running debate over lawful access versus systemic risk. Ackerly warns that centralized control has a long and troubling history. “We have seen the consequences of this design pattern for more than two decades. From the Equifax breach, which exposed the financial identities of nearly half the U.S. population, to repeated leaks of sensitive communications and health data during the COVID era, the pattern is consistent: centralized systems that retain control over customer data become systemic points of failure. These incidents are not anomalies. They reflect a persistent architectural flaw.”
When companies hold the keys, they become targets. That includes hackers, foreign governments and legal demands from agencies like the FBI. Once a capability exists, it rarely goes unused.
How other tech giants handle encryption differently
Apple has designed systems, such as Advanced Data Protection, where it cannot access certain encrypted user data even when served with government requests. Google offers client-side encryption for some services, primarily in enterprise environments, where encryption keys remain under the customer’s control. These companies still comply with the law, but in those cases, they do not possess the technical means to unlock the data. That distinction matters. As encryption experts often note, you cannot hand over what you do not have.
What we can do to protect our privacy
The good news is that personal privacy is not gone. The bad news is that it now requires intention. Small choices matter more than most people realize. Ackerly says the starting point is understanding control. “The main takeaway for everyday users is simple: if you don’t control your encryption keys, you don’t fully control your data.”
That control begins with knowing where your keys are stored. “The first step is understanding where your encryption keys live. If they’re stored in the cloud with your provider, your data can be accessed without your knowledge.”
Once keys live outside your control, access becomes possible without your consent. That is why the way data is encrypted matters just as much as whether it is encrypted. “Consumers should look for tools and services that encrypt data before it reaches the cloud — that way, it is impossible for your provider to hand over your data. They don’t have the keys.” Defaults are another hidden risk. Many people never change them. “Users should also look to avoid default settings designed for convenience. Default settings matter, and when convenience is the default, most individuals will unknowingly trade control for ease of use.”
When encryption is designed so that even the provider cannot access the data, the balance shifts back to the individual. “When data is encrypted in a way that even the provider can’t access, it stays private — even if a third party comes asking. By holding your own encryption keys, you’re eliminating the possibility of the provider sharing your data.” Ackerly says the lesson is simple but often ignored. “The lesson is straightforward: you cannot outsource responsibility for your sensitive data and assume that third parties will always act in your best interest. Encryption only fulfills its purpose when the data owner is the sole party capable of unlocking it.” Privacy still exists. It just no longer comes by default.
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Reviewing default security and backup settings can help you keep control of your private data. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Practical steps you can take today
You do not need to be a security expert to protect your data. A few practical checks can go a long way.
1) Start by checking where your encryption keys live
Many people do not realize that their devices quietly back up recovery keys to the cloud. On a Windows PC, sign in to your Microsoft account and look under device security or recovery key settings. Seeing a BitLocker recovery key listed online means it is stored with Microsoft.
For other encrypted services, such as Apple iCloud backups or Google Drive, open your account security dashboard and review encryption or recovery options. Focus on settings tied to recovery keys, backup encryption, or account-based access. When those keys are linked to an online account, your provider may be able to access them. The goal is simple. Know whether your keys live with you or with a company.
2) Avoid cloud-based key backups unless you truly need them
Cloud backups are designed for convenience, not privacy. If possible, store recovery keys offline. That can mean saving them to a USB drive, printing them and storing them in a safe place, or using encrypted hardware you control. The exact method matters less than who has access. If a company does not have your keys, it cannot be forced to turn them over.
3) Choose services that encrypt data before it reaches the cloud
Not all encryption works the same way, even if companies use similar language. Look for services that advertise end-to-end or client-side encryption, such as Signal for messages, or Apple’s Advanced Data Protection option for iCloud backups. These services encrypt your data on your device before it is uploaded, which means the provider cannot read it or unlock it later. Here is a simple rule of thumb. If a service can reset your password and restore all your data without your involvement, it likely holds the encryption keys. That also means it could be forced to hand over access. When encryption happens on your device first, providers cannot unlock your data because they never had the keys to begin with. That design choice blocks third-party access by default.
4) Review default security settings on every new device
Default settings usually favor convenience. That can mean easier recovery, faster syncing and weaker privacy. Take five minutes after setup and lock down the basics.
iPhone: tighten iCloud and account recovery
Turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud (strongest iCloud protection)
- Open Settings
- Tap your name
- Tap iCloud
- Scroll down and tap Advanced Data Protection
- Tap Turn On Advanced Data Protection
- Follow the prompts to set up Account Recovery options, like a Recovery Contact or Recovery Key
Review iCloud Backup
- Open Settings
- Tap your name
- Tap iCloud
- Tap iCloud Backup
- Decide if you want it on or off, based on your privacy comfort level
Strengthen your Apple ID security
- Open Settings
- Tap your name
- Tap Sign-In & Security
- Make sure Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is turned on and review trusted phone numbers and devices
- Review trusted phone numbers and devices
Android: lock your Google account and backups
Review and control device backup
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
- Open Settings
- Tap Google
- Tap Backup (or All services then Backup)
- Tap Manage backup
- Choose what backs up and confirm which Google account stores it
NEW ANDROID MALWARE CAN EMPTY YOUR BANK ACCOUNT IN SECONDS
Strengthen your screen lock, since it protects the device itself
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
- Open Settings
- Tap Security or Security & privacy
- Set a strong PIN or password
- Turn on biometrics if you want, but keep the PIN strong either way
Secure your Google account
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
- Open Settings
- Tap Google
- Tap Manage your Google Account
- Go to Security
- Turn on 2-Step Verification and review recent security activity
Mac: enable FileVault and review iCloud settings
Turn on FileVault disk encryption
- Click the Apple menu
- Select System Settings
- Click Privacy & Security
- Scroll down and click FileVault
- Click Turn On
- Save your recovery method securely
Review iCloud syncing
- Open System Settings
- Click your name
- Click iCloud
- Review what apps and data types sync
- Turn off anything you do not want stored in the cloud
Windows PC: check BitLocker and where the recovery key is stored
Confirm BitLocker status and settings
- Open Settings
- Go to Privacy & security
- Tap Device encryption or BitLocker (wording varies by device)
Check whether your BitLocker recovery key is stored in your Microsoft account
- Go to your Microsoft account page
- Open Devices
- Select your PC
- Look for Manage recovery keys or a BitLocker recovery key entry
- If you see a key listed online, it means the key is stored with Microsoft. That is why Microsoft was able to provide keys in the Guam case.
If your account can recover everything with a few clicks, a third party might be able to recover it too. Convenience can be helpful, but it can also widen access.
5) Treat convenience features as privacy tradeoffs
Every shortcut comes with a cost. Before enabling a feature that promises easy recovery or quick access, pause and ask one question. If I lose control of this account, who else gains access? If the answer includes a company or third party, decide whether the convenience is worth it.
These steps are not extreme or technical. They are everyday habits. In a world where lawful access can quietly become routine access, small choices now can protect your privacy later.
Strengthen protection beyond encryption
Encryption controls who can access your data, but it does not stop every real-world threat. Once data is exposed, different protections matter.
Strong antivirus software adds device-level protection
Strong antivirus software helps block malware, spyware and credential-stealing attacks that can bypass privacy settings altogether. Even encrypted devices are vulnerable if malicious software gains control before encryption comes into play.
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com
An identity theft protection service helps when exposure turns into fraud
If personal data is accessed, sold, or misused, identity protection services can monitor for suspicious activity, alert you early and help lock down accounts before damage spreads. Identity Theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security Number (SSN), phone number and email address, and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals.
See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Microsoft’s decision to comply with the BitLocker warrant may have been legal. That doesn’t make it harmless. This case exposes a hard truth about modern encryption. Privacy depends less on the math and more on how systems are built. When companies hold the keys, the risk falls on the rest of us.
Do you trust tech companies to protect your encrypted data, or do you think that responsibility should fall entirely on you? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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It’s now on sale for $499, past the days of its tenuous, ever-shifting release dates. A few buyers even have the phone, The Verge among them, though more still seem not to.
It’s clear now that the T1 is a real phone, but that doesn’t mean it’s a serious one. Still, for the next thousand words or so, I will try to take it seriously.
$499
The Good
- It actually exists
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- MicroSD card slot
- It basically runs stock Android
A serious phone wouldn’t look like this
The T1 Phone is a curved slab of cheap gold plastic, the smartphone equivalent of a pair of knockoff wraparound Oakleys. The gold finish — more yellow in certain light, though it certainly does shine and shimmer — is tacky in every sense, with a sticky friction that makes it feel distinctly unpleasant to the touch. My phone arrived with a tiny scratch in the top-right corner.
The phone is fairly thin, and light, but its excessively curved waterfall display feels immediately dated. It also loses one of the chief advantages of that design — better in-hand feel — thanks to the oddly angular frame, which juts into my palm as I hold it.
Almost every detail speaks to bad design. There’s the American flag logo, missing a stripe. The fact that “Trump Mobile” appears on the back twice, in two different orientations and two different fonts. Or the camera module, where the three lenses are spaced at irregular intervals.
There are things to like. The 3.5mm headphone jack will have its fans, as will the microSD card slot inside the phone, or the fact that the phone ships with a case, charger, and braided USB cable. These are things that a certain type of Android fan has lamented the absence of for years.
I, for one, am more excited to be reviewing a phone with a notification light again, a true treat that I thought we’d lost forever. It’s a glimpse of a better world, one I didn’t expect from Trump Mobile of all companies. But like the curved screen, even these welcome touches betray that this is a dated, old-fashioned phone, one based on an old HTC design that already felt like a throwback two years ago.
A serious phone would work outside the US
I live in the UK, meaning I may well have the only Trump phone outside of North America. It cannot maintain any signal stronger than 2G, meaning I can use it for texts and calls but not for data. As best as I can tell from digging through the T1’s FCC certification documents, the phone simply doesn’t support the network bands commonly used in Europe.
The T1 Phone isn’t sold in Europe, and that misshapen flag makes its target market clear. But even Americans get to go on vacation every once in a while. From my experience, it seems unlikely that the T1 would work anywhere in Europe and perhaps not anywhere in the world outside North America.
A serious phone would use more than the minimum hardware
At first glance, the T1’s spec sheet might seem impressive enough: a 120Hz OLED screen, a 5,000mAh battery, a triple rear camera with 50-megapixel sensors.
But the truth is you could find similar specs on almost any $200 Android phone and superior ones on phones sold at this price. Hardware like this is cheap and commodified, something that’s only beginning to change thanks to the ongoing memory crisis. Here, amusingly, the T1 is generously specced: 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM come as standard. Those, along with the inclusion of wireless charging, are the only things that really stand out on this spec sheet.
Despite all that RAM, and Qualcomm’s modestly capable Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, the T1 is often sluggish. It sometimes stutters when switching apps or triggering animations, making even basic apps like Duolingo frustrating to use. This hardware isn’t flagship, but it should certainly be more capable than this. I can only assume Trump Mobile didn’t develop the sort of software and firmware performance optimizations that other manufacturers do, handicapping the phone from the start.
1/16
I suspect the camera’s limitations are for similar reasons. The three rear lenses and single selfie camera take basic, functional photos, at least in good light — with the exception of the 8-megapixel ultrawide, which is uniformly poor.
Other phone manufacturers spend millions optimizing their image pipelines, and none of that work is evident here. Daylight photos are vivid and oversaturated, nighttime shots are noisy, and the telephoto shows no signs of electronic stabilization at all, making it feel shaky and unstable. Incredibly, by default every shot is overlaid with a strangely small T1 watermark — as if anyone should want to take credit for these photos.
1/12
A serious phone would have made more effort in its software
As the Trump phone lurched haltingly toward its launch, the going assumption from many was that it would be a bloated mess, loaded with spyware, crypto apps, and MAGA-themed experiences, putting the president’s leering face front and center.
The truth is rather more mundane. It runs Android — the nearly two-year-old Android 15, to be precise — with almost no modifications at all. This is, in fact, about as close to what the nerds call “stock” Android as you’re ever likely to get these days.
The only preinstalled apps that are out of the ordinary are Truth Social, Trump’s own social media network, and Doctegrity, a telehealth platform that’s included with Trump Mobile’s $47.45 cell service. Beyond that you get a single Trump Mobile wallpaper and those photo watermarks, and that really is that.
In a sense, that’s a good thing — I’m hardly lamenting the lack of bloatware. But there’s also no sign that Trump Mobile has the ability or the intent to optimize its phone’s software or deliver any features beyond the minimum.
More worryingly, Trump Mobile hasn’t announced how long it will support the phone with software updates. When I spoke to executives from the company in February, they seemed confused by my question about how many Android version updates the phone would receive, though they did insist that customers won’t “be locked into what’s there today.” For now, that means a 2024 version of Android with a February 2026 security patch; I wouldn’t hold my breath for either to be updated any time soon.
A serious company would put more effort in
In a strange way, the T1 Phone isn’t all that terrible, but only because it proves how hard it actually is to make a truly terrible phone these days. It’s easy enough to throw together the baseline hardware, stick Android on top, and call it a day. For better or worse, that’s more or less exactly what Trump Mobile has done. Between the simple software and the dated hardware features, the T1 is an oddly compelling phone for some old-school Android fans, but Trump Mobile got there entirely by mistake.
This isn’t a serious phone. It’s a marketing stunt that got out of hand, a way to grab attention and juice the subscriber count for an overpriced cell service with the president’s name on it.
Trump Mobile doesn’t care about this phone. And after the year of reporting on it that’s led to this review, I’m thrilled to finally say: Neither should you.
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Microsoft may once again be struggling to keep up with its own climate goals, according to its 2026 sustainability report. As reported by GeekWire, the report states that Microsoft’s carbon emissions increased 25 percent in 2025, totalling 34 million metric tons “without select interventions.” Microsoft says this was “driven primarily by the expansion of our datacenter infrastructure,” as well as the company’s decision last February to stop purchasing “non-additional, unbundled renewable energy certificates.”
Several years ago, Microsoft set itself a goal to be carbon negative by 2030, meaning it will need to remove more carbon emissions than it produces. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has faced setbacks toward accomplishing that goal, as its 2024 sustainability report showed a similar rise in climate pollution. This year’s report admits that, “While AI infrastructure is driving demand for energy, water, land, and materials, sustainability solutions are not scaling fast enough to meet demand.”
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That old phone sitting in your drawer may have more life left in it than you think. You may look at it and see a dead battery, an outdated camera or a screen that no longer feels worth using. Google and researchers at the University of California San Diego see something else: a tiny computer that may still have useful processing power.
Their idea is called phone cluster computing. Instead of treating retired smartphones as electronic waste, researchers remove the motherboard and redeploy it as part of a low-carbon computing system.
Google says UC San Diego plans to launch a data center built from 2,000 Pixel smartphones in fall 2026. The goal is to provide low-cost cloud computing for students and researchers while reducing the need for newly manufactured server hardware.
That means the next chapter for an old phone may not be a junk drawer. It may be a server rack.
YOU COULD GET PAID FROM GOOGLE’S ANDROID DATA LAWSUIT
Researchers plan to launch a 2,000-phone data center at UC San Diego in fall 2026 to support students and research workloads. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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What is phone cluster computing?
Phone cluster computing takes retired smartphones and turns their core hardware into a computing platform. The process starts by stripping each phone down to the motherboard. That board holds the processor, memory and storage. The display, battery, cameras, chassis and other phone-specific parts are removed.
That step is important because a full phone does not belong in a data center. Batteries can create safety issues. Screens and cameras waste space. The motherboard is the part that still offers computing value.
Once the board is removed, researchers load a general-purpose Linux system onto it. Android already runs on Linux at its core, but Android is built for mobile apps and personal devices. A data center needs something more flexible for cloud workloads. After that, the phone boards can be grouped into clusters. Many small boards then work together like a collection of tiny servers.
Why Google wants old Pixel phones for cloud computing
The AI boom has created a huge appetite for computing power. Data centers need more chips, more electricity and more cooling. At the same time, billions of phones fall out of use around the world.
This Google-backed project takes that conversation in a different direction by asking whether some useful computing can come from hardware we already made.
The project focuses on embodied carbon. That means the emissions created before a device ever turns on. Mining, manufacturing and shipping all add to that carbon footprint.
If a phone motherboard already exists, reusing it can avoid some of the environmental cost tied to manufacturing new hardware. Google says the motherboard accounts for about half of a phone’s embodied carbon, which makes it the most valuable part to recover.
How retired smartphones become low-carbon servers
You cannot plug a pile of old phones into a rack and call it a data center. The process requires careful teardown, new software and a way to manage many boards at once. Google says the project uses containerized applications managed by Kubernetes. That helps coordinate the work across many devices.
The phones are organized into self-managing clusters of about 25 to 50 boards. Each board works as a small Linux machine. Together, they can handle tasks that would otherwise run on traditional cloud servers. That does not make one phone equal to one server. A server has many more processor cores, more memory and data center-grade hardware. A phone board has fewer resources and tighter limits. Still, some jobs do not need a giant machine. They need enough compute to run efficiently without wasting resources.
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Google and UC San Diego are testing a cloud computing system built from retired Pixel phone motherboards, giving old smartphones a possible second life. (Google)
Can old phone processors handle cloud workloads?
The technical case is stronger than you may expect. Google says the single-threaded performance of modern smartphone performance cores can match or beat the per-core performance of some modern multicore servers. In one comparison, a 2023 Pixel Fold was tested against an ASUS RS720A-E11 server using SPEC benchmarks. The Pixel Fold’s performance cores beat the baseline data center server core on many of the tests. That sounds impressive, but there is an important catch.
A smartphone board has a smaller memory limit and fewer cores. It also lacks the management tools and hardware durability that servers are built around. So the project needs the right workloads.
UC San Diego is starting with educational and research computing. That makes sense because many classroom tasks can run on small cloud instances. Google says early experiments showed that a 20-phone cluster could support peak submission rates for a class of more than 75 students. The grading latency also came in below the default AWS backend used in the comparison.
Why UC San Diego is testing a 2,000 Pixel phone data center
UC San Diego plans to use the 2,000-phone cluster to support computer science classes and research workloads. Google says the deployment could support about 100 classes at once. It also describes the system as providing about 50 server-equivalents worth of compute at a fraction of the usual cost.
For a university, that could be a major advantage. Cloud computing costs can rise quickly, especially when many students submit assignments at the same time. If a reused phone cluster can handle some of that load, schools may save money while reducing demand for newly manufactured servers.
This also gives researchers a chance to test phone-based computing at scale. A small lab demo can look promising. A 2,000-board deployment will show much more about reliability, maintenance and day-to-day performance.
Phone cluster computing still has big limits
Phone cluster computing sounds promising, but it still has a lot to prove. Your smartphone was made for daily use in your hand, not nonstop work inside a data center. Data center servers are built to run for years with steady cooling, fast repairs and constant monitoring. Phone motherboards come from devices made for pockets, backpacks and kitchen counters. That alone raises some big questions.
The boards could fail faster than expected. Cooling may also become a challenge once thousands of tiny processors run side by side. Then there is the labor problem, because someone has to safely remove batteries, screens and other parts before the boards can be reused. Cost will be the deciding factor. If teardown, maintenance and replacement work get too expensive, this idea may stay in the research lab.
Phone clusters also will not replace the massive GPU systems that power advanced AI training. They make more sense for smaller cloud jobs, classroom tools and research tasks that fit within smartphone hardware limits. That still leaves plenty of useful work. After all, not every cloud task needs the newest chip.
Why old smartphones could help cut e-waste
The world’s e-waste problem is growing fast. The Global E-waste Monitor projects that electronic waste could climb to 82 million tonnes by 2030, while formal collection and recycling rates are expected to fall to 20%. Old phones are a big part of that problem because many never make it to a proper recycling program. They sit in drawers, land in closets or get tossed out with valuable parts still inside. Even when a phone no longer feels useful to you, its processor, memory and storage may still have work left to do.
CyberGuy has covered related second-life ideas before, including old smartphones being turned into tiny data centers and repurposed EV batteries helping power AI data centers. The common theme is hard to ignore. Some of the hardware already in circulation may still have useful work left to do.
FIVE DATA BROKER OPT-OUT MYTHS THAT LEAVE RETIREES EXPOSED
Google says reusing smartphone motherboards could cut hardware waste and reduce the carbon cost of building new data center servers. (Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)
How to safely recycle or reuse your old phone
This research does not mean you should toss your old phone into a random donation bin tomorrow. Before you recycle, donate, trade in or sell an old phone, you need to protect your data. Back up anything you want to keep. Then sign out of your accounts and securely wipe the device.
CyberGuy has a helpful guide on how to securely get rid of your old cell phone. Privacy comes first whenever you part with a device.
You can also consider trade-in programs, certified refurbishers or reputable electronics recycling programs. If the phone still works, buying refurbished can also keep devices in use longer. CyberGuy has covered what to know before buying refurbished electronics, which is helpful if you want to save money without taking a gamble. The key is to avoid letting old devices sit forgotten forever. A phone in a drawer helps no one.
What this means to you
That old phone in your drawer may not be as useless as it looks. Even if the battery is tired or the camera feels outdated, the processor inside may still have real value.
Now, you probably will not be mailing your old phone to a Google data center anytime soon. Still, this project points to a bigger shift in how we think about retired tech. Instead of sending every old device straight to recycling or letting it collect dust, companies, schools and researchers may find smarter ways to reuse the parts that still work.
There is also a money lesson here. If your current phone still runs well, you may not need to rush into an upgrade just because a newer model comes out. A battery replacement, trade-in or refurbished option could save you money while keeping perfectly good hardware in use longer. To me, that is the real takeaway. The phone you forgot about could possibly still have a job to do.
Watch the CyberGuy Live replay: Lock Down Your Phone in 30 Minutes
Your phone holds your email, passwords, photos, banking apps and personal data. In this free CyberGuy Live replay, Kurt the CyberGuy walks you step by step through simple phone security fixes you can do at your own pace. You’ll learn how to improve your privacy settings, spot the latest phone scams, use trusted security tools and walk away with a simple checklist to stay protected. Watch the replay and get our checklist here: CyberGuyLive.com.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Google and UC San Diego are testing how to turn retired Pixel phone motherboards into a low-carbon cloud computing platform. The project could give old smartphones a second life while reducing the need for newly manufactured servers. That is important as AI data centers keep demanding more computing power and more electricity. The first major test is expected in fall 2026 with a 2,000-phone data center at UC San Diego. If it works, the cluster could support students and researchers at a lower cost than traditional cloud infrastructure. However, this idea still has to prove it can handle the grind of daily use. Reliability, cooling, teardown labor and maintenance will determine whether phone cluster computing can grow beyond just research. To me, the most relatable part is sitting in your junk drawer. That old phone may seem useless, but its processor could still be powerful enough to help run cloud jobs. Maybe the future of computing starts with hardware we already forgot we owned.
Would you feel good knowing your old phone could help power cloud computing? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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