FAQs for Mobile Phone Donations

Where can i donate my smartphone?

Smartphone donation boxes are available at the following locations:

PC Dreams @ Sim Lim Square (Address: 1 Rochor Canal Road #03~40 Sim Lim Square Singapore 188504)

MyHalo @ Bugis Junction (Address: 200 Victoria Street, Bugis Junction #03~25 Singapore 188021)

The Coffee Roasters at NUS AS8 (Address: 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, #01-02 Block AS8, Singapore 119260)

NUS - Central Square at Yusuf Ishak House (Address: 31 Lower Kent Ridge Rd, Singapore 119078)

What are the minimum specifications for the SMARTPHONE donation?

The smartphone must work with a SIM card and can connect to a mobile network and WiFi. The camera function has to be working in order to scan QR codes. All donated smartphones need to be able to install the TraceTogether app. For Apple iPhone, minimum requirement is iOS 10.0, which starts from iPhone 5 up to the newer models. For Android phones, Android 5.1 and above is acceptable but Android 6.0 and above would be preferred for more reliable performance.

HOW DO I PREPARE MY MOBILE PHONE FOR DONATION?

Remove password protection for your smartphone. For iOS phones, please sign out of iCloud and App Store and turn off “Find my iPhone”. For Android phones, please delete your Google account and select “Factory Data Reset”. All smartphones should be reset to original factory settings before donating.

Can I be sure that my data is safe and my privacy is safeguarded?

We request that before you donate your smartphone, you reset it to factory settings, which will erase all personal data. Additionally, our refurbishment partner, PC Dreams, is ISO 27001 certified. ISO 27001 is a data security standard. We will ensure any data from all smartphones will be securely erased before directing to the recipient.

Can I donate a pre-paid top-up card with my phone?

We can accept pre-paid top-up cards as donations. If you wish to make a monetary donation to our partnering social service organisations, you are most welcome to do so.

Can I donate my phone even if the screen has cracks but still functions?

We prefer not to receive donations of smartphones with screen cracks as cracked screens are expensive to repair and cracks may worsen. Cracked screens may also disable certain essential functions of the smartphone. We need working condition smartphones for the recipient to use it on a hassle-free basis for a reasonable amount of time.

DOEs my phone need to come with a sim card?

Please do not donate your SIM card. SIM cards are registered to NRIC or FIN and hence not suitable for donation.

I do not have a charger to give with my phone. Can I still donate?

Smartphone donations with chargers are preferred, of course. But yes, you can donate your smartphone without a charger. We will try to source for a matching charger to pair with each smartphone before it is donated to the recipient.

How do you select which recipient my phone will go to?

For the #PhoneIsLifeline campaign, our partnering charity partner, TWC2, collates and verifies all requests for smartphones. The requests come directly from migrant workers reaching out for assistance at TWC2. TWC2 volunteers will distribute all smartphones to migrant workers based on need and urgency.

For all other smartphone donations, the partnering social service organisation will identify the recipients based on their need and allocate the smartphones to them directly.

There is no third-party intermediary involved.

Can I hear back when and to whom my phone has been donated?

Due to privacy concerns, we typically do not provide photos or contact details of the recipient. In the donation form, you can indicate you wish to hear from us as to where your smartphone is in the donation journey. We will do our best to accommodate with more details. Similarly, we do not provide any contact details about the donor to the smartphone recipient.

I do not have a spare working smartphone, but I would still like to help.

You can help by sharing this donation drive with your family or friends as they may have a spare working smartphone to donate.

You can also donate to our partner TWC2 through their official fundraising page at Giving.sg.