A new phone for a parent or an older relative usually comes with good intentions and a lot of small frustrations: text that's too small, a screen full of icons they never use, and a steady stream of messages from strangers. Half an hour of setup makes a big difference. Here's the checklist I go through, for both Android phones and iPhones.
Menus move around a bit between brands and versions, so I'll say where things usually are. If you can't find something, the search bar at the top of the Settings app is your friend.
1. Make everything bigger
This is the single change people notice most.
- Text size. On Android it's usually under Settings > Display (sometimes Accessibility), as "Font size". On an iPhone, look under Settings > Display & Brightness > Text Size. Turning on bold text helps too.
- Display zoom. This makes buttons and icons bigger, not just text. Android often calls it "Display size" or "Screen zoom"; on an iPhone it's "Display Zoom" in the same Display & Brightness section.
- Screen timeout. Give the screen a bit longer before it turns itself off, so it doesn't lock halfway through reading a message.
Go a size or two larger than you think. Then hand them the phone and ask them to read a message out loud.
2. Simplify the home screen
Most people use five or six apps. Put those on the first screen, big and easy to find: phone, messages, WhatsApp, camera, photos, and maybe the weather. Move everything else off the home screen (it's still on the phone, just out of the way).
Some Android phones have a built-in simplified mode, often called "Easy mode" or "Simple mode", with larger icons and a plainer layout. Recent iPhones have "Assistive Access", a much simpler layout you can turn on in the Accessibility settings. They're worth trying, but a tidy normal home screen is often enough.
Add the people they call most as favorites, with a photo on each contact. Tapping a face is easier than scrolling through names.
3. Emergency contacts and medical info
- Medical ID / emergency information. On an iPhone, fill in Medical ID in the Health app. On Android, look for "Emergency information" or "Safety & emergency" in Settings. Add emergency contacts, allergies, medication and blood type if they're happy to. This can be seen from the lock screen by paramedics, without unlocking the phone.
- Emergency SOS. Both Android and iPhone have a quick way to call emergency services (112 here in Portugal) by pressing the side or power button several times, or holding a button combination. Check how it works on their phone, turn it on, and show them.
4. WhatsApp, set up properly
For a lot of families, WhatsApp is the phone. A few settings make it both easier and safer:
- Video calls. Make a test video call together so they know which button to press and what it looks like when someone calls them.
- Privacy. In WhatsApp's Settings > Privacy, set things like profile photo, "last seen" and "about" to "My contacts". Set who can add them to groups to "My contacts" too, which cuts out a lot of spam groups.
- Silence unknown callers. Also in the privacy settings (under Calls). WhatsApp calls from numbers that aren't in their contacts won't ring, though they still show up in the call list.
- Two-step verification. Under Settings > Account. This adds a PIN that's needed if anyone tries to set up their WhatsApp on another phone. Write the PIN down somewhere safe at home.
5. Scam protection: a few simple rules
Scammers target older people because it works. Settings help, but a few clear rules help more. The ones I suggest:
- Don't answer numbers you don't know. If it's important, they'll leave a message or text. And never call back an unknown foreign number from a missed call.
- The "Hi Mom, I changed my number" scam. In Portugal it usually arrives as "Olá pai" or "Olá mãe, mudei de número": a message from an unknown number pretending to be their son or daughter, who then urgently needs money for a bill. The rule is simple: before doing anything, call the old number they know. Real children don't mind being called.
- Never share a code. No bank, courier or company will ever ask them to read out a code that arrived by SMS or WhatsApp. Anyone who asks is a scammer.
- When in doubt, call family first. Make it clear that asking is never a bother.
The same instincts apply to email, and I've written a short guide to spotting a phishing email that's worth sharing with them.
6. Automatic backups
Phones get lost, dropped and replaced. Make sure their photos and contacts would survive that.
- Android: turn on Google backup in Settings (usually under Google or System > Backup), and backup in Google Photos.
- iPhone: turn on iCloud Backup and iCloud Photos, under Settings > [their name] > iCloud.
- WhatsApp: has its own chat backup under Settings > Chats > Chat backup. Turn it on too.
The free storage is limited, so check it's actually completing, and not stuck with a "storage full" warning.
7. Find My Device / Find My
Turn on Find My Device on Android, or Find My on an iPhone. If the phone goes missing, you can see where it is, make it ring even on silent, or lock it. Make sure you (or they) know the Google account or Apple ID password, because that's what you'll need to use it. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe at home, not on the phone itself.
8. A screen lock they can actually use
A phone with no lock is risky if it's lost. A lock they keep forgetting is useless. The balance is usually:
- A PIN they'll remember but that isn't obvious (not their birthday or 1234).
- Fingerprint or face unlock on top, so they rarely need to type the PIN at all.
- Avoid patterns if they tend to forget them, and write the PIN down somewhere safe at home.
The last step is the most important one: sit with them for ten minutes and let them try everything themselves, while you watch. You'll spot what needs changing right away.
If you'd rather not do this yourself, or you live far away, I'm happy to set up the phone with them and walk them through it.