Instructions to Set up a Smartphone for Elderly 

Loved Ones

SOME FOLKS JUST have trouble with smartphones, sometimes due to advanced age or inexperience with tech, but you can make phone life easier for older folks with a few tweaks. These tips for setting up a smartphone for the elderly will help you set up an iPhone or Android phone for your parents or grandparents so they can use it safely. Everyone is different, so just pick the tips that seem relevant and helpful for your loved one.

Be sure to check out our other Buying Guides, including Best iPhones, Best Android Phones, Best Cheap Phones, and Best Phones With a Headphone Jack, if they need a new device.

Set Up the Lock Screen for Them

It may be tempting not to apply lock screen security, but you should. Ideally, the phone has a fingerprint sensor or face unlock, and you can run through the process and make sure that they’re comfortable with how it works. Otherwise, you will have to set up a PIN, password, or pattern unlock that they can remember.

On Android phone: Go to Settings, Security, and Screen lock. 

On an iPhone: Go to Settings, then Face ID & Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode.

Tidy Up the Home Screen

Keep things simple on the home screen. The fewer icons, the better. Clear away and uninstall anything they won’t use regularly. Take some time to customize their iPhone or Android phone so it fits their needs, as well

On an Android phone: Tap and hold on an icon, then drag it away to the Uninstall or Remove wording, usually at the top of the screen.

On an iPhone: Tap and hold on the home screen until the icons wiggle and then drag them around to rearrange or tap the X to uninstall them.

Perhaps everything thing you can manage is place alternate ways on the home screen to make it simpler for them to call or message their nearest contacts with a solitary tap.

On an Android telephone: Tap and hang on the home screen and select Widgets, then, at that point, look down to Contacts, pick Direct dial, and select a contact. You can put the alternate way anyplace on the home screen, and they can call that individual basically by tapping it. You can add Direct message alternate ways similarly.

On an iPhone: Use the Shortcuts application. On the off chance that you make an envelope for the home screen, you might conceivably add various easy routes. You can tap the in addition to (+) symbol at the upper right to add another alternate route, pick Add Action, select Phone or Facetime, and pick the get in touch with you need to add. Give the alternate route a name, pick the symbol and shading, and afterward tap Done. To add to the home screen, tap and hold until the symbols squirm and tap the in addition to symbol at the upper left, discover your Shortcuts gadget, and tap Add Widget.

Think about a Simple Launcher (Android Only)

With Android telephones, you can change the "launcher," which decides the appearance of the entire interface, including things like application symbols and text dimension.

Samsung telephones have an elective launcher called Easy Mode worked in. To flip it on go to Settings, Display, and pick Easy Mode.

 here are heaps of elective Android launchers that you can introduce, and a few improve on the telephone insight with huge symbols. Straightforward Launcher, Big Launcher, and the entertainingly named BaldPhone are altogether worth a look.

 

Increment Font Size

To make the text style more clear, you can build its size.

On an Android telephone: Go to Settings, Display, and pick Font size, then, at that point, drag the slider to change. You can likewise arrive by means of Settings, Accessibility, then, at that point, Font size.

On an iPhone: Go to Settings, Display and Brightness, Text Size, and drag the slider. To go much bigger you can head into Settings, Accessibility, then, at that point, select Display and Text Size and tap on Larger Text, then, at that point, drag the slider.

Add Emergency Information 

Realizing what blood bunch somebody is and what meds they are on can have a significant effect for clinical experts if something occurs. You can add this data to your cherished one's telephone. You will likewise need to be reached in a crisis.

On an Android telephone: Go to Settings, About telephone, Emergency data, and you can enter Medical data, set Emergency contacts, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

On an iPhone: Open the Health application, tap the profile picture, and pick Medical ID, where you can add helpful data, including a crisis contact.

You can likewise set up triggers to call crisis administrations, similar as the clinical alarm groups you might have seen promoted on TV previously.

On an Android telephone: Most Androids have this in their settings menu. For Google Pixels, you'll see it in Settings > Safety and Emergency > Emergency SOS and it's squeezing the force button rapidly multiple times to trigger a commencement alert to calling 911. On Samsung telephones it's in Settings > Advanced Features > Send SOS Messages, which then, at that point, has you pick contacts for crises.

 

On an iPhone: Go to Settings, Emergency SOS, and switch Auto approach, then, at that point, tap Edit and enter the relevant data. It is actuated by squeezing and holding the Power button and one of the Volume buttons on an iPhone 8 or later, or by quickly squeezing the Power button multiple times on more seasoned iPhones. This element naturally calls crisis administrations for help and advises any crisis gets in touch with you have added.

Ponder Security

Cheats and cons are overflowing on the web, so it merits conversing with your friends and family regarding how to stay away from phishing tricks. Contingent upon what they intend to do on their telephone, you ought to likewise think about setting up two-factor validation and check out security applications.

Assuming you need to introduce an application to prepare for tricks and malware, we suggest Malwarebytes Security for Android and Malwarebytes Mobile Security on iPhone. This application is definitely worth the $12-per-year cost.