Older smartphones for which updates (software updates) are no longer provided must generally be discarded and replaced with devices supported by the manufacturer. However, it is possible to continue using the smartphone as a mobile phone (with SIM, not VoIP softphone Cisco Jabber) if it is only used for making phone calls. In this case, all data connections (e.g. Bluetooth, WLAN, mobile data) must be permanently deactivated. For information on which operating system versions (Android, iOS) are currently maintained, please contact the respective smartphone manufacturer. Feature phones are excluded from these recommendations.

Before the smartphones are discarded, they must be reset to the factory settings. Any additional memory cards used must be removed from the smartphones and disposed of properly. The data protection containers can be used for this purpose.