You may have noticed that the more advanced smartphones become, the harder they are to use. That is, for those of us that are a little older than the rest. The younger generation can pick up any phone, even the most advanced, and figure it out within a matter of minutes. For us, though, it might as well be alien technology because no matter what buttons we push, it causes more chaos.
Numerous phones on the market are not this complicated, though. Smartphones that are smart enough to work properly but not so smart that they try to take over everything that you are doing. Let’s take a look at a few of these devices that have been tuned down a little for us. From there, you can decide which one is the right one for you.
- Olitech Flip – Believe it or not, some basic flip phones are still available for those who only want a phone to use for emergencies. The great thing about this phone is that there is a dedicated button to reach emergency teams when needed. Flip phones are not meant for fast texting or surfing the web, even though most of them have the capability to do so. Another great feature that can be found on this phone is the loud volume controls that help when it is hard to hear, whether because of the background noises or noises in general. This can help you get through a mobile phone call that would normally be frustrating enough to hang up on.
- Samsung Galaxy A32 – Like most smartphones on the market, the A32 offers accessibility options for those who have difficulty getting into the applications on the phone. It also has a bigger screen than some of the other choices, making this Samsung the perfect choice for those without great eyesight. The bigger the letters are, the more likely you are to be able to read the message. Keeping the battery charged on this phone will also be easy for you because it has an average life of 2 days, so if you charge it every other night or so, you will never have to worry about it going dead when you need it.
- iPhone SE – The iPhone is not one of the most senior citizen-friendly phones, but the SE is one of the easiest to learn. Operating it will be like second nature once you figure it out. One of the best things about iPhones is that they can connect with other iPhones to make conversations easy. It has some easy accessibility menus and works extremely fast no matter what you try to do on it, as long as you have an excellent Telstra mobile phone plan. The other main benefit of having an iPhone is that the younger generation seems to like them better than droids, so if you run into a mobile phone problem that you cannot figure out, one of your younger neighbors or relatives will be able to help you out.
- Nokia 225 – Nothing is better than having a phone that is easy to use, which is why you are reading through these listed phones. The Nokia phones are some of the easiest to use because they are designed to be simple. The 225 is also very lightweight and easy to carry around and use. On those days when your hands do not want to work correctly, the Nokia 225 will give you access to any number you need without lifting weights to get the information.
- Opel Easy Big Button – If your hands never like to work correctly, or your eyes cannot focus on little buttons, the Opel Easy will be the best choice. It features large, easy-to-use buttons on the front face. It also has an SOS emergency button for the times when you need to call an emergency crew to help you. It is not always easy to dial for help, so having one button dedicated to emergencies is beneficial even for the nation’s younger people.
- Doro 8035 – The Doro phone is not one of the fanciest smartphones on the market, but it is a terrific choice for elderly people. It is easy to set up and use, has a large display for straining eyes, and has a button that can be pushed that reaches out to a phone it is linked to in an emergency. This button will send your location through Google Maps, and it will send an alert to the person receiving the message (children or partner, perhaps.)
- OnePlus Nord CE 2 – This phone has a big enough screen to make it easy to see but small enough to still be mobile. It has a good battery life when considering many of the other options out there, getting around 24 hours of battery life before needing a charge. That is where it gets simple, though, because it has a fast charger with it. In under 15 minutes, the OnePlus phone can be charged halfway, giving you plenty of talking time until you have finished your conversation.
These are not the only phones that will work for seniors, but they are some of the most basic ones available. The level of use needed to run them will be up to your knowledge and willingness to learn because all new smartphones have a learning curve attached to them.
If you cannot figure something out on your phone, ask someone who can help. If that is not a choice, either, then sit down in front of the nearest laptop and watch some YouTube videos on the phone. Watch more than one so you can verify the information from the first video.
The internet has created a ton of good sites full of information, so read through some that seem to come from a reputable source and see if you can get it figured out. If not, trade it in for a phone that you can use. Granted, you may be able to find someone that can get your phone fixed without trading it in, but if you cannot work it, there is no point in keeping it around, hoping that the next time it glitches out that you can find someone else willing to help.
