Are your grandparents all the time calling for assist utilizing their new Android telephone? With some easy tweaks, you may rework that difficult smartphone right into a senior-friendly gadget, saving everybody time and frustration. Listed here are alternative ways to make that occur.
1. Use Senior-Pleasant Android Launchers
One fast trick for reworking any Android smartphone right into a senior-friendly gadget is putting in senior-friendly launchers. Sure, they do exist, and there may be fairly quite a lot of them. Elder Launcher: UI for Seniors is an effective instance, and it is probably the greatest senior-friendly Android launchers.
Elder Launcher lets you add as many apps as you need on the House display. Nonetheless, we advise solely including important apps to the House display. The icons on Elder Launcher are massive, and the textual content measurement is large. It additionally allocates a devoted part on the House display for including vital contacts.
The straightforward-to-use interface, coupled with the straightforward Edit choice, permits seniors to function their Android smartphones simply. You may faucet the Edit choice on the House display to simply add, take away, or reorder apps and contacts.
Obtain: Elder Launcher: UI for Seniors (Free)
2. Enlarge the Keyboard Buttons
Utilizing senior-friendly Android launchers is only one piece of the puzzle. The following factor you need to do is enlarge the keyboard buttons for ease of use.
Most Android smartphones ship with Gboard pre-installed, so we’ll use that on this instance. However you may set up Gboard from the Play Retailer in case your telephone would not have it.
To enlarge the keyboard, you solely have to vary the peak. First, open any app that lets you insert textual content. You need to use the default messaging app, for instance. Faucet on the textual content enter discipline to deliver up the keyboard.
Faucet the menu (4 squares) icon within the top-left nook of the keyboard and select Resize from the choices that seem. Then, stretch the perimeters of the rectangle up and down as you want.
If you wish to revert to the traditional measurement, faucet the undo button on the left. In any other case, faucet the checkmark on the proper to save lots of your new keyboard peak.
When you use Microsoft’s SwiftKey Keyboard as a substitute, probably the greatest keyboard apps for Android, you may customise the scale throughout setup or by opening the app and going to Structure & keys > Resize.
Obtain: Gboard (Free)
3. Enhance Textual content Dimension Throughout the OS
One other method to senior-proof a smartphone is to extend the font measurement throughout the working system. Android provides a simple method to change the font measurement by way of the Settings app.
Relying on the gadget you personal, the steps it is advisable comply with might fluctuate barely. I did this on a Moto E13 operating Android 13 (Go version), however this is mainly what it is advisable do:
- Open the Settings app and go to Show.
- Scroll down and faucet Show measurement and textual content. It might be System font, Font measurement and elegance, or one thing comparable in your gadget.
- Drag the slider below Font measurement to the proper based on your liking.
The brand new settings will likely be saved routinely. You will discover all of the textual content in your gadget is instantly larger.
4. Uninstall or Disable Undesirable Apps
Most Android telephones include pre-installed apps. A few of them are normally pointless, which may be a problem for the aged. Since they create a variety of muddle, it is vital to disable or completely uninstall them if attainable.
Uninstalling undesirable apps in your Android gadget is as straightforward as going to Settings > Apps and tapping Uninstall. Nonetheless, your gadget might have a barely totally different approach of accessing this setting, or some issues is likely to be concerned.
Guarantee you do not disable or uninstall important apps that your gadget might require to perform correctly.
5. Flip Off Gesture Navigation
Gesture navigation is a cool method to navigate your Android smartphone, however this may be unintuitive to the aged. To make a tool extra pleasant for seniors, change to the basic 3-button navigation system, which features a triangular again button, a sq. overview, and a rounded House button.
The three-button navigation system is usually a bit simpler than gesture navigation. On gadgets operating Android 10 or later, you may change between the 2 by following these steps:
- Open your gadget’s Settings app and go to Accessibility > System controls > System navigation. On some gadgets, you might want to go to Show > Navigation bar > Navigation kind.
- From right here, choose the basic 3-button navigation fashion.
With this transformation, your seniors can navigate their Android gadgets extra simply.
6. Activate Straightforward Mode on Samsung Gadgets
In case you have a Samsung telephone, you may activate Straightforward mode to simplify the interface and make it straightforward to make use of for seniors.
Go to Settings > Show > Straightforward mode and toggle on the characteristic to activate Straightforward mode. When you do not discover Samsuns’s Straightforward mode easy sufficient, the senior-optimized Android launchers we mentioned earlier, like Elder Launcher and BIG Launcher, could be higher.
7. Set Up Name Shortcuts
Your grandparents do not must seek for their contacts at any time when they need to make a name. Arrange name shortcuts so your elders can simply make telephone calls with out navigating a lot on their telephones.
Use the built-in pace dial characteristic when you’ve got a Samsung telephone. Open your Cellphone app and navigate to the Keypad tab. Lengthy press any unassigned quantity and choose a contact. Now, your aged kinfolk can name by long-pressing the assigned quantity on the keypad.
Alternatively, you may create fast and straightforward name shortcuts on different Android gadgets with the Direct Dial widget. Comply with these steps:
- Press and maintain a clean space in your House display.
- Faucet Widgets.
- Find the Direct Dial widget below Contacts and drag it to your required place.
- Choose a contact.
Now, you have got a one-tap shortcut on the House display to name that particular quantity shortly. That is good for vital contacts like relations or ceaselessly referred to as companies.
Making Android gadgets senior-friendly would not must be difficult. With these easy tweaks, you may rework any Android telephone into an easy-to-use gadget. This fashion, your grandparents can get pleasure from their smartphones, even the most recent ones, with out the same old frustrations.
