How to use an old iPhone as a baby monitor

Updated 7 November 2026

That iPhone in the kitchen drawer can be a good baby camera. You need it, your own phone, a charger and about five minutes.

Which phones work

For Sleepybo, both devices need iOS 16 or later. That means an iPhone 8 or newer, an iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), or an iPad that runs iPadOS 16 or later. To check, open Settings › General › About on the old phone and look at the iOS version.

The old phone doesn’t need a SIM card, a phone plan or your Apple ID. It only needs Wi-Fi and a charger. A cracked screen or a tired battery is fine, because it stays plugged in.

Setting it up

1. Install Sleepybo on both devices.
2. On the old phone, open Sleepybo and choose Baby camera.
3. On your phone, choose Parent monitor. Both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi for this step.
4. Hold them close. When both screens show the same two words, tap Yes on each. Matching words mean you paired with your own camera and not a neighbour’s.

You only pair once. After that, your phone finds the camera again by itself, at home or away.

Where to put the camera

• Out of reach, cable included. Keep the phone and its cable at least 1 metre (3 feet) from the cot, and never in or on it. Monitor cables are a known strangling risk.
• Looking down at an angle. A shelf or the top of a wardrobe gives you the whole cot with no blind spots. A small phone stand or tripod helps.
• Away from heat. Not on a radiator, in a sunny window or under a blanket. Take thick cases off so the phone can cool down.
• Near a socket. A phone streaming all night must stay plugged in.

Keeping it going all night

• Turn on Battery saver (Settings › Baby camera). The camera sends a smaller picture at 10 frames a second, which keeps an older phone cooler.
• Leave Sleepybo open on the camera. It dims the screen and can glow as a red, amber or warm white night light.
• Do a test run in the daytime. Walk to the furthest room, or out of the house, and check the picture and sound.
• Trust the alarms. If the picture or sound stops, your phone sounds an alarm within seconds, even when it’s locked or on Silent. If the camera loses power, you get a notification about a minute later.

Is an old phone as good as a dedicated monitor?

For watching and listening, often yes. Older iPhones have good cameras and microphones, and you can watch from your own phone anywhere, not just from a handheld screen around the house. The difference is that a phone depends on Wi-Fi and power, so a good app needs to tell you when either one fails. We cover that in Are phone baby monitors reliable?

Sleepybo is a monitoring aid, not a medical device. It doesn’t replace adult supervision. For safe sleep advice, see Safe to Sleep or ask your health visitor or paediatrician.

More guides

• Free baby monitor apps: what to check before you choose oneSix questions about cost, privacy and alerts to ask any monitor app.
• Are phone baby monitors reliable?What can go wrong with a phone as a monitor, and what a good app does about it.
• Watching your baby monitor away from homeWi-Fi versus mobile data, privacy, and sharing with a grandparent or sitter.