[afavour]

I wish Apple would let you do it with old iPads. I know there are apps you can use but it’s a notably inferior experience to a dedicated frame.

I have a second generation (I think) iPad mini that can barely run most web sites and has an OS version too old for most apps. Would be a great boost to Apple’s claims for caring about the environment.

[jph]

If you're open to donating it, you can give it to an elderly care home of your choice, so the home can use it for WiFi FaceTime. For examples see https://BoldContacts.org.

[CharlesW]

> I know there are apps you can use but it’s a notably inferior experience to a dedicated frame.

Can you elaborate on how it's inferior? I was thinking of doing this and imagined it'd be straightforward with Single App Mode.

[afavour]

I'd love for someone to prove me wrong here but I have a Google Home that I'd like to replace with an iPad. One thing it does beyond just showing pictures is brighten and dim the screen according to ambient light. When the lights are off it dims entirely into a night mode-like display that just shows the time. I've not seen an iOS app capable of the same (I'm not even sure if API access allows it?)

[CharlesW]

Excellent question.

> I've not seen an iOS app capable of the same (I'm not even sure if API access allows it?)

I don't believe apps can change system brightness settings themselves, but iOS does have an auto-brightness feature, and the app can additionally dim images or change what's displayed based on brightness or movement (using Camera access), time of day, and other signals.

[saagarjha]

They can, here’s the API to do so: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/uikit/uiscreen/161...