{"id":253059,"date":"2026-01-26T21:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T21:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/253059\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T21:30:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T21:30:07","slug":"digicam-trend-drives-979-spike-in-iphone-4-demand-expert-warns-of-hidden-privacy-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/253059\/","title":{"rendered":"Digicam Trend Drives 979% Spike In iPhone 4 Demand – Expert Warns Of Hidden Privacy Risks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday, 27 January 2026, 9:37 am
Press Release: Compare and Recycle<\/a><\/p>\n

In a world obsessed with owning the latest technology,
\nY2K tech is making a surprising comeback, and the iPhone 4
\nis leading the way. Fuelled by a wave of nostalgia and a
\ndesire for lo-fi, analogue-style content, TikTok
\nusers are repurposing the nearly 16-year-old smartphone
\nas a digital camera alternative.<\/p>\n

With #digicam
\namassing more than 347,000 posts on TikTok alone, the iPhone
\n4 is the latest unlikely star in the resurgence of nostalgic
\ntech. This trend is also echoed in the recent comeback of
\nwired headphones, as many look to turn back the clock and
\nescape today\u2019s polished, always online
\naesthetic.<\/p>\n

And it seems the trend is seeping over into
\nreal-life purchases, with Google searches for \u2018Buy iPhone
\n4\u2019 skyrocketing 979% in the past year.<\/p>\n

But now, as
\ndemand surges, tech experts are sounding a note of caution.
\nLee Elliott, chief product officer at Compare
\nand Recycle, warns that anyone
\npurchasing the iPhone 4 to use as a digital camera should
\navoid uploading personal data to the device.<\/p>\n

Lee said:
\n\u201cThe iPhone 4 has all the hallmarks of a great vintage
\ndigital camera, offering lower resolution, less processed
\nphotos that give a distinct and more authentic early 2000s
\nlook.<\/p>\n

Advertisement – scroll to continue reading<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen comparing the iPhone 4\u2019s 5MP
\ncamera to the latest iPhone 17\u2019s 48MP one, it\u2019s easy to
\nsee the appeal of the iPhone 4 for creating an
\nanalogue-inspired, grainy
\naesthetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, unlike regular digital
\ncameras, the iPhone 4 comes with digital security risks
\nusers may not expect. This is because the latest iOS version
\nthat the iPhone 4 can support is iOS 7.1.2 – a version
\nreleased in 2014. That\u2019s over a decade without updates or
\nsecurity fixes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of this, the iPhone
\n4 will not be able to protect any personal data in the way
\nthat more modern iPhones do, leaving users vulnerable to
\nissues like data leaks, hacking, and other security
\nbreaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to use an iPhone 4 safely as a
\ndigital camera<\/p>\n

For those keen to repurpose older
\niPhone models that cannot get the latest iOS updates (
\niPhone 11 and below) for photography purposes, Lee shares
\nhis top tips on how to use them without compromising
\npersonal data:<\/p>\n

Transfer photos
\nmanually: Upload your photos to your laptop to
\noffload them using a wired connection; do not attempt to use
\niCloud to back up your photos.<\/p>\n

Avoid logging
\nin: Never sign into iCloud or any personal Apple
\nID.<\/p>\n

Skip sensitive apps: Do not
\ninstall email, banking, or social media apps that include
\npersonal information.<\/p>\n

Stay offline:
\nUse the device in airplane mode and don\u2019t insert a SIM
\ncard.<\/p>\n

Lee adds: \u201cUsed with the correct
\nprecautions, older iPhones can still serve a creative
\npurpose without exposing your personal
\ninformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

*According to GoogleTrends
\nsearches for “buy iPhone 4” – data accurate as of 6th Jan
\n2026.<\/p>\n

\n\u00a9 Scoop Media<\/a>
\n
\n<\/p>\n

Using Scoop for work?<\/p>\n

Scoop is free for personal use, but you\u2019ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.<\/p>\n

Join Pro Individual<\/a>
\nFind out more<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tuesday, 27 January 2026, 9:37 amPress Release: Compare and Recycle In a world obsessed with owning the latest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[146661,146662,356,92568,111,139,69,39761,11112,145],"class_list":["post-253059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-compare-and-recycle","tag-computing-and-internet","tag-gadgets","tag-informative","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sci-tech","tag-scoop","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}