My Grandad is in his 70s and up until now, has been pretty anti technology. This will be his first smartphone, and has never really used a “dumb” mobile either.

My Grandma is in and out of hospital at the moment and they’re constantly being reminded the world has become digital. He’s finally bit the bullet and asked for a smartphone. By the sounds of it, he’s actually quite excited, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he won’t just shove it in the drawer when frustrated.

I’ve chosen an iPhone XS for him, as I thought it’s something that will last a few years but not too fancy. It’s got a new battery/screen, I will set up his email, Apple ID and will program in family members numbers. Also, warn him about scams, to not trust anyone who randomly contacts him and to contact me with any concerns.

That being said, I’m hoping to get some advice on:

TLDR:

What might be useful on iOS for an elderly person with no real technology experience?

Any similar experiences you’ve had that have transferable advice?

Thanks!

  • MidnightClaws@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    My parents are in their late 60’s/early 70s and I gave them my old iPhone 11. They weren’t super tech savvy although my Dad knows his way around a computer when he needed to.

    To be honest they love their iPhone. I didn’t add any specific apps (not interested in Facebook or anything) but they learnt how to send a text, add photos, use Facetime etc fairly quickly. My Dad manages to use Youtube because he used to pop it into Safari so I ended up downloading it for him.

    They don’t use banking apps and would rather pay in cash so that wasn’t a huge issue for them, if they want something online they ask me 😂

    My Mum still makes mistakes texting or calling, but she isn’t as confident as my Dad. My Aunt on the other hand has an Android and she is pretty clueless on how to use it so I have to help her more. I think they mastered it pretty quickly so you might be surprised!