How to Convert an Old iPhone to an iPod Touch

If you’ve recently upgraded to the new iPhone 6s, you may be wondering what to do with your old iPhone. Here’s how to convert an old iPhone to iPod Touch.

Your primary instinct may be to sell your old iPhone, but you’d be surprised what kind of use you can get from an old iPhone even without a phone plan attached to it. One of the most popular reuse methods is to use an old iPhone as a glorified iPod Touch.

However, there are a few steps you need to take before using an old iPhone without a phone plan, and we’ll show you the steps to get you going with a refurbished iPod Touch quickly and easily.

Get SIM Card

The first thing you need to do is grab a SIM card and any SIM card will do – it doesn’t need to be active.

This can be difficult if you no longer have the SIM card that came with the old iPhone, as you will need a SIM card from a previously activated iPhone. It can be a SIM card from any iPhone though, but it shouldn’t be hard to find if you have iPhone friends around with old SIM cards. If all else fails, you can easily find SIM cards. on eBay.

Once you have a SIM card, follow these quick steps:

1. Insert the SIM card into your old iPhone.
2. Connect the old iPhone to your computer and launch iTunes.
3. iTunes will see it as a new device and will need to activate it.
4. Once enabled, you’re ready to go!

You can certainly use an old iPhone without a SIM card, but every time you reboot you will get an annoying pop-up message. Also, without a SIM card, you cannot restore iPhone if necessary.

Don’t worry, because even if you have a SIM card in your old iPhone, it won’t have a service plan attached to it, so you won’t have to pay a monthly service fee.

Turn Cellular Off and Turn On WiFi

Since your new “iPod Touch” does not have a service plan (which means you cannot make or receive calls or send/receive text messages), you can turn off all cellular radios on your old iPhone; battery.

However, your device will heavily rely on WiFi so be sure to turn it on. Here’s how to do both:

1. Open the app and tap on it.
2. There will be a toggle at the top to turn off the cellular radio. Tap the toggle button until it turns gray (if not already).
3. Return to the main Settings screen and tap on it.
4. Tap the toggle switch at the top to turn it on (if not already).
5. Select your home network from the list below and enter the password if you are not yet connected.

You don’t necessarily have to turn off cellular radios, but it does help save battery, as your old iPhone won’t constantly search for a signal it will never receive.

Download Useful Apps

After completing the above steps, you can install music player, video player, podcast app, etc. You can download all the useful apps you want to use on your new “iPod Touch”, such as

I recommend getting a handful of games to play, keeping all your music on the device, and some movies and TV shows to watch on the go.

You can even use the device as a dedicated music player to keep in your car, office or, if available, your home gym. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of carrying a spare iPhone for music with me when I go for a walk so I don’t accidentally drop or lose my main iPhone.

Remember that an iPod Touch is pretty much a phoneless iPhone, so the only thing you can’t do is make/receive phone calls, send/receive text messages (you can still use iMessage over WiFi) and access the internet without a WiFi connection.

Also, your new “iPod Touch” can act as a backup phone should your primary device break or break. If this happens, you will not need to rush and get a loan. Instead, you’ll have a ready-to-use backup with all your preferred apps and games already on it.