Thinking of buying a refurbished IPhone se 2016 looking for advice

kilsmum

I'm trying to source a small phone to use when l go out walking.

I need to use three apps. Sportstracker to record my walk and either Spotify or Borrowbox depending on what l want to listen to. Am l mad buying a 2016 phone? If the ios updating stops on the phone can l still update the apps?

I haven't used an iPhone in the past so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Kilsmum

dmn22

Is the phone purely to use for walks?

I would avoid buying a 6 year old phone regardless, there are better options out there.

You can be pretty much guaranteed Apple will stop supporting the 2016 SE with iOS updates very soon. Some apps will require a certain iOS to then update them down the line.

kilsmum

Thanks for your feedback dmn22. I only want to use the phone for walking. I have an S22 Ultra and as the weather gets warmer the challenge is the size and weight of the phone when l'm not wearing jackets.

It's the size of the phone that l'm going for.

D3V!L

A 6 year old phone is a waste of good money. The battery will be shot on it. Most phones are good for 3 years with 1000 charge cycles. A 6 year old one is fit for the recycling bin.

kilsmum

Thanks D3VIL. I'm inclined to agree with you. On one site you can get a new battery put in the phone. I'd definitely go for a newer cheap android phone except they're all quite big!

dmn22

I'd do a bit more research around what lightweight/cheap Android phones are on the market.

Have you considered getting a strap for your arm to hold your s22 or a pair of bottoms with a zip in the back? I find the armbands good for when I'm running.

e.g. armband

Furze99

If the price is right and it looks in reasonable nick & clarify re battery, then buy it. Apple tech is well designed & built. I have an SE for exactly the reasons you describe, smaller footprint and fits handy in the pocket. Phone manufacturers started going mad with increasing screen sizes and forgot the portability trade off imho.

kilsmum

Furze99 do you have the original 2016 iPhone se?

kilsmum

Thanks dmn22 that armband looks interesting. I'll check it out.

The phone is too big for track bottoms with the zip at the back.

Thanks Kilsmum

webpal

I have an se 2016 and changed the battery myself once. It still works perfect. Apple originally were not to roll out iOS 15 but they did and it’s probably the last one so you may not get long out of it.

Not to put you off but if it’s purely for walking, would you consider something like a garmin music watch and wireless earbuds? You will a premium Spotify account

SuperBowserWorld

They're are small cheaper android phones if you search.

Apple do make phones to last and support them, at a cost.

Manufacturers that sell in the EU should all be mandated to provide security fixes for at least 5 years. It's an absolute joke that a perfectly good phone is not secured after a couple of years.

Google are to blame for this too.

Loads of landfill, consumer hamster wheel.

kilsmum

Webpal unfortunately the garmin music watch is no good. There's no borrowbox on it. Thanks for the suggestion.

kilsmum

SuperBowserWorld most of the smaller android phones are old. Much the same vintage as the IPhone. I'll keep on looking though. Thanks

5uspect

You might be better off with a smart watch. They’ll do exactly what you want.

kilsmum

Unfortunately Suspect not for the Borrowbox. It doesn't work on the iwatch se or series 5. I have a Samsung watch 4 and it's not even available to put on the watch.

5uspect

There is an Apple Watch BorrowBox app. It requires WatchOS 4 or later.

Tony H

I just found my wife's old SE ,turned it on after charging it ,and was prompted to update it to IOS 15 , it's still running well but the battery is shagged ,being honest I'm going to stick a new battery in it and use it as a spare , still a decent phone for what you say you need .

kilsmum

Suspect you need to have the phone with you for Borrowbox to work on the watch.

kilsmum

Tony H is that the original SE from 2016 you're talking about?