The British artist posted the photos on his Instagram account. Ed shared that he hadn't used a smartphone since 2015. Instead of a mobile phone, he prefers to communicate with friends via email.
In 2023, when Sheeran was involved in a legal dispute over allegations of copyright infringement on the song "Thinking Out Loud," he had to turn on his old device again. (In November 2024, according to People, the court ruled that the similarity of his hit to Marvin Gaye's song "Let’s Get It On" was not a copyright infringement).

Source:
@teddysoldphone
Sheeran compared the old phone to a time capsule: it preserved old photos, conversations with relatives, and colleagues. Among the pictures were selfies with Taylor Swift, photos of his wife Cherry Seaborn, producer Benny Blanco (Selena Gomez's boyfriend), and other close friends.
The musician admitted that this emotional experience inspired him to create a track that was included in his new album. The song was titled "Teddy’s Old Phone." Sheeran also named his new Instagram account the same, where he eventually posted the archived photos.Ed SheeranWhen I turned it on, I was truly shocked. I found myself crying over messages from friends who are no longer alive, with whom I can no longer speak. I found old photos of me with people I was so close to back then, but since then, we've lost touch. The whole experience was such an emotional journey.

Source:
@teddysoldphone
Maybe this song will make you turn on your old phone and remember where you were ten years ago, Ed wrote.

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youtube.com