With new smartphones always just around the corner, shoppers inevitably face the dilemma of what to do with their old devices when it's time to upgrade. Samsung has announced one possible solution by expanding its Galaxy Upcycling program, allowing owners of older Galaxy phones to convert their phones into smart home devices.

The conversion happens by way of a software update that can give you the option of turning your old phone into a baby monitor, pet camera, lighting hub or thermostat controller, among other uses. The new Galaxy Upcycling at Home initiative launches today (April 21) as a beta program in the US, UK and South Korea.

Samsung's update adds SmartThings Labs, available through the SmartThings app that can be downloaded to Galaxy devices. The program uses AI to help distinguish between different types of sounds in different situations and allows users to save specific sounds. In other words, it can detect any sound, from a knocking sound to a baby crying. Alerts can be sent to the user's smartphone so they can hear what is going on and take action if necessary.

Users can also use Samsung's program to convert older devices into light sensors that can measure the brightness level of a room. This can be used as a way to set the device to automatically turn lights or TVs on or off based on light levels. Since this can drain the battery, Samsung's upgrade offers battery optimization for devices connected to the SmartThings ecosystem.

Samsung's new program sounds like a good option for those who are upgrading to a new phone without trading in their old device for a rebate or selling it. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Upcycling at Home feature is available on all Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy Z series released after 2018 running Android 9 or higher. This means that if you have a Galaxy S9, Note 9, or later, it will work with the new program available through the SmartThings app. Samsung expects to add support for more devices in the future.