I got a task to buy a smart phone for my grandparents, they are not techsavy but they know how to use basic functions. Iam looking for an andoid because it has language pack i need. I dont need it to have lots of functions, onley a good camera and a big screen. Bonus points if it can be flashed with some kind of simplefied version of android.
For mine?
A Ouija board.
Try Big Launcher on any Android phone. About as simple as you can get.
The “S0S” makes me more uncomfortable than it should…
Edit: My discomfort does not stem from the mere concept of an SOS button; It’s more subtle than that. If “SOS” stands for “save our souls”, does “S0S” stand for “save zero souls”?
It doesn’t call the cops unless you program it to. You can set any number for call or text with GPS location optional.
Wow, an actually useful SOS feature.
Not an “Oops, I butt-dialed the police again” button.
SOS doesn’t stand for anything. People made it up later.
The original distress signal was CQD, which stood for “seeking you, distress” or “all stations, distress,” according to PBS. This was widely used by the British, while Germans used SOE and the Americans used NC, which meant “call for help without delay.”
A 1906 International Telegraphic Radio Conference effectively standardized communication by suggesting the simpler SOS, which is easier to signal because of its distinct dots and dashes sequence.
See the difference for yourself:
CQD: -.-./–.-/-…
SOS: …/—/…
SOS doesn’t stand for anything. People made it up later.
Ah, so is it a backronym, then? Neat, I didn’t know that.
The original distress signal was CQD, which stood for “seeking you, distress”
How did they decide on those letters? Is it relevant that “CQ” sounds a bit like “seek you”?
Yo, it’s Save Our Ship, not souls. Elderly people are more likely to need to call emergency services, so having a dedicated button for it seems like a good idea.
From my perspective you don’t necessarily need a simplified Android but only a simplified launcher. There are plenty of senior friendly launchers in the play store.
My advice is a little different than others. I recently got my in-laws outfitted with smartphones and a new nuc. My father in-law has Parkinson’s, slow onset, but it means he is clumsy. It’s not likely that his phone will survive shaky hands for 8 years. What I did was buy refurbished OnePlus phones, install a simple launcher, install Bitdefender, and then add a lock app that let’s me add a pin to the system settings app and the play store.
They can’t install anything out change things. They can browse, play games I preload, take pictures, etc, but I don’t have to worry about them installing things they shouldn’t. If one of the phone dies I’ll just get the latest affordable refurbished of the same line and configure it the same way.
I had originally tried without locking the phone down as much but my father in law could not stop installing spammy weather apps and clicking ads on games and following there instructions.
I also created new Google accounts for them that I manage, so they can’t get stuff stolen with bad account management practice.
If you are in the US, I’ve also found mint to be a good deal for cell service.
yea i would skip all smartphones. i got them an ipad. my parents are i their 80. there was no way failing eyesight and hand coordination can handle a tiny smartphone screen. Also skip android. Android has truly shitty touch interface responsiveness compared to Apple devices. Apple has the world’s best natural touch responsiveness. This is the main reason Apple is wooping Android ass. Dont waste money on smartphones for elderly. Only Ipads have a chance of working.
in fact for my mum, i was inclined to skip all touch devices. as a lady she has long fingernails. with arthritis making her fingers more crooked, there was no way for her to use a touchscreen. her fingernails would always tap the screen first. even if she trimmed her nails, her nails would touch first and the touch interface would fail. so i obtained a push button phone for her, old vintage desktop style.
If its an iPhone I would go with an iPhone plus for the screen size.
If its android, I would go with a Samsung A device. They’re usually big in size, affordable, comes with a lot of accessibility features, good battery, and relatively easy to find accessories and spare parts.
