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One of the most frequently asked questions from those new to my community is how can I work from my phone? Maybe you don’t have access to a private desktop or laptop at this time. Maybe you don’t have the funds to buy one.
Did you know that, even if you don’t have a home computer, you can still work from home? As long as you have a smartphone – which are really just tiny hand-computers – you have money-making opportunities available to you. So don’t worry about your remote career – just download one or more of these apps and start working from your smartphone.
Just remember. A lot of these gigs aren’t going to provide enough money to pay the bills. Some may not provide a good hourly rate either. It’s often just “fun money” when it comes to smartphone jobs. Many, many more doors to working from home will open if you have a desktop or laptop. Try to save back some of these earnings for a new computer.
What to Expect
When you hustle with these smartphone apps, it’s a great strategy to mix and match to maximize your earnings. You’ll find that some of these opportunities don’t pay large amounts of cash while others have limited gigs on offer (some of which you may have to compete for). So sign up for more than one! If you’re driving with Lyft, drive for Uber, too. Charge scooters for both Lime and Bird. Do local tasks for TaskRabbit as well as Gigwalk. Don’t put limits on your earning potential.
Some of these companies will have specific requirements for the type of smartphone required to work with them, and even requirements for which operating system your smartphone is running. Make sure you check all these technical specs before applying so you’re not disappointed down the line. You’ll also discover that some of these gigs can be done on a tablet, so watch out for those if you have a tablet and enjoy using it more.
Work From Your Smartphone
Task Work
Lionbridge recruits for both Ads Assessors and Mobile Internet Search Reviewer positions, but these require you to have a desktop computer as well as a smartphone device. The Internet search reviewer position requires you to have an Android smartphone specifically. These gigs let you set your own hours: the Ads Assessor position may offer 10 to 20 hours of work each week, while the Internet Search Reviewer will generally only have 3-5 hours of work for you each week. (Consider an Internet Analyst position with Appen as well – click the Raters section.)
Gigwalk proposes that you can work with their app to earn a side income or even a proper paycheck – it’s all up to you and how much you want to work. Download their app and register to get started – once you’re approved, you can find gigs nearby and start accepting them. How much you make generally depends on how much time the gig takes to complete, and they pay via PayPal. The availability of opportunities depends on where you live and whether you’re available at peak hours. (There’s a similar opportunity via TaskRabbit that you can consider, too.)
Online Tutoring
Palfish allows you to teach casual English as a Second Language (ESL) to students in China using their app on your smartphone. To get started, you’ll make a profile and record a self-introduction that lets them gauge whether your video is good enough and if your presentation style works for them. I’ve read reports that you can make an average of $13 per hour with them – you set your own rates, but you’ll generally want to start low and gradually increase your rates as you win students.
Nicetalk is a mobile-based English learning platform for Chinese students. You set your own hours and they say you can work from any smartphone so long as you have stable, high-speed Internet access. The pay rate works out to $10 per hour, but you only get paid for each full minute you’re actually speaking with a student. Nicetalk pays weekly via PayPal, as long as you’ve made at least $20.
Get Paid to Drive
Uber has gotten in on the delivery scene with Uber Eats, giving their drivers the opportunity to deliver food from local restaurants to their customers. Depending on your location, you can deliver via car, bike, scooter, or even on foot. They have some requirements for your mode of transport, so check those before signing up. You can get paid up to five times a day with same-day payouts, too.
Lyft is a widely-recognized name in the side hustle scene, empowering drivers with personal vehicles to monetize their drive time. Find passengers requesting rides through the Lyft app, give them a ride, and get paid. You also keep any tips. This is one gig where it’s worth your time to be available on weekend nights when folks are looking for designated drivers. (Consider Uber as well, if you’re interested in this sort of opportunity.)
Instacart helps people monetize their time by shopping for and delivering groceries to people. You’ll find available shopping gigs listed on their app, and you can set your own availability. (As always, being available during peak hours will help you maximize your earnings; it also helps to live in an urban center.) If you don’t want to be a Full-Service shopper and deliver groceries – maybe you don’t have a car – you can also register as an In-Store Shopper.
Both Lime and Bird are looking for folks in specific areas to pick up their electric scooters, take them home to charge, and then return them to the streets early the next morning. Check each company’s website to see if your city or state offers this opportunity. If they do, download the app and get started! They each provide charging adapters for your use, and pay may vary between $5 and $20 per scooter charged.
Sell Stuff
If you’re into reselling, there are more than a few smartphone apps you can use to sell your stuff and earn some cash. Poshmark makes it easy to take photos of your gently-worn fashion items and post them for sale – they say they can get you set up in 30 seconds. Bookscouter lets you scan the barcodes on your textbooks or other used books, and see which sites will offer you the most for them. Then there’s Letgo, which you can use to sell anything – and these are just a few examples!
Foap offers a great opportunity for those who love taking photos and video with their smartphones. You can share your content on their platform and, when someone buys a photo or video from you, you split the pay 50/50 with Foap. They also offer “missions” where you can submit images or videos to brands in response to their submitted requests and get paid hundreds of dollars if your content is chosen.
You’ve already installed some of these apps on your smartphone, haven’t you? Great! There’s no time like the present to start making some side hustle money (or a living!), so get out there and go.
Looking for more opportunities to make money from your smartphone?
