{"id":23094,"date":"2024-12-12T09:12:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T09:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?p=23094"},"modified":"2026-02-23T11:33:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T11:33:57","slug":"millions-of-mobiles-poised-for-second-lives-this-christmas-as-a-third-of-consumers-recycle-phones-within-the-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/millions-of-mobiles-poised-for-second-lives-this-christmas-as-a-third-of-consumers-recycle-phones-within-the-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions of Mobiles Poised for Second Lives this Christmas as a Third of Consumers \u2018Recycle\u2019 Phones Within the Family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New Global GSMA Survey shows that Handing Down Smartphones to Family and Friends is a Global Trend, but 5-10 Billion \u2018Dormant\u2019 Phones Remain in Desk Drawers Worldwide<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

12 December 2024, London<\/strong>: Millions of family members will receive \u2018hand-me-down\u2019 mobiles this Christmas, as tech-savvy younger consumers upgrade their phones to the latest model. However, while globally a third of us will give our old phones to family or friends, around 75% of consumers still have at least one older phone sitting in the junk drawer, according to early figures from a new survey of 10,000 consumers across 26 countries by the GSMA, which represents mobile operators worldwide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Globally, over 40% of mobile phones have some form of \u2018second (or third) life\u2019; being passed down to family members or friends and traded in for newer models, often over the Christmas period. Around 14% of phones in current use globally were purchased used or refurbished, with nearly 10% of UK consumers buying refurbished phones, compared to a global average of 4%. The used smartphone market grew by 6% in 2023, while sales of new handsets declined by 4%. Furthermore, the growth rate for reused and refurbished devices is projected to continue outpacing that of new smartphones in the coming years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, nearly one-third of consumers hold on to their previous phones as backups, contributing to an estimated 5-10 billion \u2018pre-loved\u2019 phones sitting idle worldwide. Many (27%) keep these devices out of concern for losing stored photos and memories, while a further fifth of consumers hold on to their devices because they don\u2019t know what to do with them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While receiving cash is the strongest incentive to get respondents to hand in their phones for reuse or recycling, equally important is knowing their data would be deleted properly.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early figures from the GSMA\u2019s global consumer survey into recycling and reuse of mobile devices, which will be released at MWC Barcelona, the mobile industry\u2019s largest annual event in March, also found that:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n