How to use an old phone as a baby monitor
Yes, you can, and the old phone costs nothing. Install Moonside on the old phone and on your own phone, choose Baby on the old one and Parent on yours, and pair them with a QR code. Put the old phone on its charger in the nursery; your own phone plays what it hears, with an alarm if the connection drops.
How to set it up
Charge the old phone and put it on Wi-Fi
No SIM card needed. Update it if it still can.
Install Moonside on both phones
From the App Store or Google Play. No account and no sign-up.
Choose Baby on the old phone, Parent on yours
The Baby phone listens in the nursery, the Parent phone stays with you.
Pair them side by side
Scan the QR code on the old phone, or type its 8-character code. The pairing is kept.
Put the old phone on its charger, near the cot
Lock it if you like; listening carries on. Before you sleep, check that your own phone says Listening.
Which old phones work
| Phone | What it needs |
|---|---|
| iPhone or iPad | iOS or iPadOS 16.4 or later, so an iPhone 8 or newer. With an iPhone or iPad in the nursery, Moonside also names the sound: crying, coughing, fussing or something else. |
| Android | Android 8.0 or later. Let Moonside stay out of battery optimisation when it asks, so the phone does not stop it at night. |
| Any phone | A working microphone, a charger, and Wi-Fi or mobile data. |
The old phone and your own do not have to be the same make: an old Android phone works with an iPhone, and the other way round. iPhone and Android together
What it costs
The old phone, the Baby phone, is always free. Your own phone, the Parent phone, is free for 3 days after the first pairing and then one purchase of €5.99, $5.99 or £4.99. No subscription, not per child. Pricing
Another old phone spare?
Leave it at the grandparents' and pair it once; then the baby monitor is ready there for every visit. Or use it as a second Baby phone for a second child, with the same Parent phone. A baby monitor at the grandparents'
Questions
Can I use an old phone as a baby monitor?
Yes. Install Moonside on the old phone and on your own phone, choose Baby on the old one and Parent on yours, and pair them with a QR code. The old phone stays on its charger in the nursery and listens; your own phone plays what it hears. The Baby phone is always free.
How old can the phone be?
An iPhone or iPad with iOS or iPadOS 16.4 or later, such as an iPhone 8 or newer, or an Android phone with Android 8.0 or later. It needs a working microphone, a charger and Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Does the old phone need a SIM card or a store account?
No SIM card: Wi-Fi is enough. To install the app it needs a store account, but that does not have to be yours: the Baby phone is free, so nothing has to be bought on it.
Will an old phone's battery last the night?
Put it on its charger: a whole night of listening drains a new battery too. The Parent phone shows the Baby phone's battery and warns when it is nearly empty.
Give the old phone a job tonight
The Baby phone is free. The Parent phone is free for 3 days after pairing, then €5.99 once.
