How it works
Does my old phone run Java apps? Five quick checks
KeyAgain runs on most phones with Java. Here’s how to find out, in a couple of minutes, whether the phone in your drawer is one of them.
1. Look for an Apps or Games folder
Open the menu. If there’s a folder called Applications, Apps, Games, Games & Apps or, on Sony Ericsson, Organizer › Applications, and it holds games you could download or add, the phone almost certainly runs Java.
2. Watch the screen when an app starts
Many Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Samsung phones briefly show a Java logo or “Java powered” when a game or app opens.
3. Check the brand and the decade
Phones from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s are the sweet spot. As a rule of thumb:
- Nokia: Series 40 (most keypad Nokias of that era) and Symbian S60 (E-series, N-series, 6600, 701) run Java.
- BlackBerry: every BlackBerry OS phone (Curve, Bold, Pearl, Tour) runs Java. BlackBerry 10 doesn’t run Java ME apps.
- Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG: most GSM phones of that era run Java.
- Windows Mobile: only with a Java runtime installed.
4. Read the specifications
Search for your exact model plus “specifications”. Look for “Java”, “MIDP 2.0” or “J2ME”. MIDP 2.0 means the full KeyAgain app; MIDP 1.0 means the lighter text-only version.
5. The real test: open the installer
On the phone’s own browser, go to m.keyagain.app. If the phone offers to download and install the app, it runs Java. If the page won’t open, try http://m.keyagain.app or http://m.oldphonerevival.com/keyagain, or download the file manually and send it by Bluetooth or cable. The first 3 days are free, so the test costs nothing.
Phones that won’t work
Phones that can’t install apps at all, like the original Nokia 3310, Nokia’s Series 30 and Series 30+ basic phones (as far as we know) and KaiOS phones, which use web apps instead of Java. The full list and why.
It runs Java. Will it get online?
That’s the other half. The phone needs mobile data where you live, or Wi-Fi. Check your country in the 2G and 3G guide.
