I don't know for sure but I just dumped my i4 plus. It has not been getting updates for a few years and was getting clunky. Maybe others can chime in but I would think a cheap flip phone or a basic i6 might be better

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

I bought my first iPhone in March, a used 5s from a local place that fixes iPhones and sells used ones. They told me then that they sell only 5s and newer used phones because anything older is slow as molasses and can't really support the current operating system.

I paid $240 for a used 5s with 60 day warranty. Walmart online had the same phone reconditioned for $200, but having warranty from local people who helped me get the phone set up (would have taken me days to figure out), and to whom I could go to with any problems, was worth the extra for me.

If you need a cheap phone for emergencies, go to walmart and get a flip phone for $5 and pay $30 for a bunch of minutes that will be good for 3 months. Then just buy more minutes. It will work perfectly. There was a thread recently on most economical plan for such a use.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

Yes it'll work, it may just be super slow depending on what OS it's on. Just don't update it ever. My friend still has an iPhone 4.

I'll add that before buying an iphone from craigslist you should do some research regarding the phone id numbers or something. I can't remember specifically what it was that I researched, but many phones on craigslist are stolen. If phone was reported as lost or stolen it is difficult or impossible to get it on any network. After my research I decided against buying from ebay or CL -- too complicated to figure out and not worth the risk.

Google "buying iPhone from craigslist" and I think you'll find what I'm talking about. Ok I did it and here is one thing I found:

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

IMO 5S is the minimum standard you should be looking at, if you're going iPhone.
Current, for now, iOS, less hassle if you want to update apps etc, better security.

I’d buy him a flip phone from walmart before I’d get him an iPhone 4.

At least the flip would be useable.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

I thought about a flip phone, but he does like to send text messages and do emoji's. Texting on a numeric pad just sucks. I thought for a little bit more than the flip he could do that. I may end up just going back to that.

Just started letting my son use an iPhone 4 for swim meets so he can play games or listen to music. Some games won’t work because it’s an older OS.
Mostly depends on what you want to let him use it for. Just as a phone for emergencies and some games I’d guess it will work fine.

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"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

Don't go with a 4 or 4s. I tried to activate an old 4s for an employee and somehow it did an update (or I screwed up and told it to do an update) and now the phone is in an endless loop and is worthless. Even took it to the Verizon store.....after they tried a few things they told me it was useless at this point.

At least go with a 5 series.

Also, I buy lots of used/refurbished phones off Ebay. Just read the product descriptions carefully and use sellers that have lots of transaction history. If you can find something reasonably priced from a seller that is actually a business and knows what they are doing, even better.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

So you can discourage texting or turn him into a average modern kid with his face buried in his iPhone all the time. Habits formed in adolescence are hard to break.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

A good friend of mine was selling his iPhone 7 a few months after release. (He works for AT&T, so he's constantly upgrading to new models between Apple and Android options.) He did the sale on Craigslist, met the buyer in a busy public parking lot at a grocery store. The buyer was "checking out the phone" and took off running, jumped into a car that was waiting for him, buddy runs after the guy, can only get to the car after the door is closed and it's rolling, he grabs the open window, tries to grab the guy and the phone, gets punched in the face multiple times, the car speeds up, he gets ejected from it, barrel rolls across the parking lot, knocks his head pretty good, tears his clothes, has to visit urgent care to get his cuts and possible concussion checked out, is generally OK but can't exercise or do anything fun for a week or so until he heals up.

A couple hours later he realizes something -- "Hey, I have insurance that will cover the theft. And, oh yeah, I work for AT&T. All I have to do is contact our Apple customer service and have them blacklist and block the phone. It will be a worthless brick."

Lessons learned: (1) My buddy is a dumbass. It's good for me to keep him around because I need to be friends with the few people who are dumber than me. (2) If you're gonna play Liam Neeson, doing so for a phone just makes you look like as much of an idiot as the criminal. (3) If you're selling something expensive on Craigslist, meet somewhere that the person can't rip you off, somewhere with cameras and protection, and if it's a phone, at the carrier's store where they'll activate it.

Good story.

Never had bad CL experience, but was scared two months ago. Met seller of speakers (not big, can easily fit in trunk of car) at McDonalds off interstate. Father come into McDs and say they don't have them, follow me to house. Family looks like characters from Breaking Bad. I follow, we end up in dead end dirt road. Father runs up to burned out trailer. Wife nervously tells me that they don't want to drive up driveway for fear of damaging car. Driveway was bad, but why was she nervous, I wonder. I get nervous I pull in front of them. As there is a decent looking house in sight of where I stop. Another car comes and pulls up next to seller, blocking me in the dead end. Shit.

I use my iPhone (keeping on topic) to call my son and leave voice mail as to my whereabouts. I send texts with location telling him to send cops if I don't call in half hour.

I'm in a hood daily where shootings are pretty commonplace. Never been really scared. I was scared on that dirt road.

Deal worked out fine though. Lesson learned.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

I might have an old 4 laying around, hell, I'll give it you you. I'm at work and I'll check when I get home. It's not doing me any good sitting in a draw.

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"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." Jimi Hendrix

Sites like Swappa seem like a good way to buy a phone. Never bought from anyone there but did sell a phone. Lots of choices and don't have to deal with the hassles of Craigslist and it's probably a little safer than ebay too.

Glad you're alive! The Macbook I'm typing on at this moment was a CL purchase. Met some Russian dude in a McDonald's late at night with a wad of cash. He pulls out a brand new box, but not the standard Retail Macbook boxes. It was a bulk educational purchase box, none of the usual, flashy-yet-understated Apple graphics that inspire a faux sense of awe. I was sure it was a con, but I pulled it out, tore off the plastic, fired it up, and it's been great for the last couple of years. At the deal I got, I'm now just convinced it was from some under the table deal using the resources from the university down the road, somebody in IT at the university taking advantage of their position & using it as a side hustle.

CL is all kinds of weird shit. If my clumsy ass doesn't die by tripping on a loose sock and falling down the staircase, I'll likely be done in by a CL deal that goes bad because I didn't heed your smart practice by using my iPhone to alert people of my whereabouts.

Why do you say this? My son's first phone was a used iPhone 4 that we had laying around. It worked for phone calls and texts, but after a few months we figured out that it won't run many newer apps. So we got him a Samsung J7 (Verizon) for $5/month, plus service. It has a great screen and seems to do everything my Galaxy S7 does, although it lacks some of the more advanced features. Can't go wrong for $5/month. If you prefer no apps, then get him a cheap flip phone.

I'm not saying all cheap Androids are bad. I may have received a lemon. I think in particular it has problems when the battery dies.

I found a site that had the firmware for my phone. Unluckily it is no longer supported by the manufacturer, so I'm at risk using firmware from a non-trusted soruce. But, the new firmware has it running so I'm good for a bit longer. I figure the phone isn't attached to me at all, as it uses a separate gmail account, so I should be good enough.

My 5s still works good. Its still new to me.

I’d buy him a flip phone from walmart before I’d get him an iPhone 4.

I've only owned one phone and it was a flip phone I used when I was in the Philippines a few years ago. I have to get a phone now for business reasons and will be getting another flip phone. I'm one of those dying breeds that just use a phone to make phone calls so no need for a smart phone.

I never make calls on my iPhone and I rarely answer calls made to me. I use text. If only there was a flip that had a good “keyboard” or never fail voice recognition...

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Go with something a bit newer if you can. Why hamper him with outdated tech when he will be living in it shortly.

Any 5 model should work. Costco has some type of Moto Android for about $225 that seems like a decent deal. If you do not mind Windows, they have a nice phone for $199 that is going to $169 over the Thanksgiving weekend.

drn92

My wife is still trucking along w/ her old 4S ~ I've tried getting her to upgrade; every time I borrow it for something I'm staggered at how tiny the screen is and how heavy it is in comparison my my old(ish) 6. Even for our kids (teenagers) I got a 5S and an SE, but the wife is kinda stubborn like that. At this rate, I'll be upgrading to an 8 before she gives up on the 4...

Dunno what her last iOS update was, but I think she knows better than to try updating it to anything more recent now.