How to Set Up a Phone or Tablet for an Older Adult

You bought your mom a new phone so she could video-call the grandkids. A week later she’s stuck in a settings menu, the text is too small, and she’s getting 5 calls a day from “Medicare” that aren’t Medicare. Sound familiar?

A phone or tablet can be a lifeline for an older adult. It connects them to family, telehealth visits and emergency help. But the default setup is built for a 30-year-old power user. The fix is an hour of thoughtful configuration. This guide walks you through it in the order that matters: simplify, make it readable, add safety features and block the scammers.

Before you start: ask what they actually want

Sit down with your parent or relative before touching any settings. Ask what they want to do with the device. Common answers are calling family, video chats, photos, texts, the weather and a few news or health apps.

Write that list down. It becomes your guide for what stays on the home screen and what gets hidden. Also ask about vision, hearing and hand dexterity, because those shape which accessibility settings you turn on.

A few practical questions to settle:

• Do they want a phone, a tablet or both? Tablets have bigger screens; phones go everywhere.
• Will they use a smartwatch? It matters for fall detection.
• Who is the “trusted helper” in the family who will manage updates and settings?
• Do they already have an Apple or Google account, and do they know the password?

Step 1: simplify the home screen

Both major platforms offer a simplified mode designed for exactly this situation.

iPhone and iPad: Assistive Access

Apple’s Assistive Access, available since iOS 17, replaces the standard interface with large buttons and only the apps you choose. Apple recommends that a trusted supporter such as a family member or caregiver handles setup. You’ll find it in Settings, then Accessibility, then Assistive Access. During setup you choose the layout (a grid of large icons or a list) and which apps to include, such as Calls, Messages, Camera and Photos. You can also limit who they can call or message.

Samsung Galaxy: Easy mode

Samsung phones include Easy mode, found under Settings, then Display. Samsung says it increases screen and font size and simplifies the home screen layout. On some models the option sits under Accessibility instead.

Other Android phones

Other Android phones vary by manufacturer. If there’s no simplified mode, you can still remove extra home screen pages, increase font and display size, and use a large-icon launcher app.

Step 2: make everything easier to see, hear and tap

Next, tune the device to their senses. Here’s a quick checklist:

Menu names change between software versions, so search the Settings app by keyword if a path doesn’t match exactly.

Also turn ringtone and notification volume up, pick a distinctive ringtone, and consider a case with a grip or a stand. A simple charging dock by the bed helps make “keep it charged” a habit.

Step 3: set up emergency contacts and medical info

This step takes 10 minutes and can make a real difference in an emergency.

On iPhone: Open the Health app and create a Medical ID with conditions, medications, allergies, blood type and emergency contacts. Turn on “Show When Locked” so first responders can see it without the passcode. Then check Emergency SOS in Settings, which lets the phone call emergency services when the side and volume buttons are held.

On Android: Google’s Safety app (called Personal Safety on some phones) lets you add medical information and emergency contacts and show them on the lock screen. Emergency SOS is triggered by pressing the power button 5 times or more, depending on settings. Google notes that anyone who picks up the phone can see lock screen emergency information, so only add what you’re comfortable sharing. Samsung phones use their own safety settings, so check under Safety and emergency.

Key takeaway: Do the emergency setup together with your relative, then practice once. Knowing how to trigger SOS calmly matters more than having it switched on.

Step 4: add fall detection with a smartwatch

Phones don’t reliably detect falls, but smartwatches do.

Apple Watch: Apple says Fall Detection turns on automatically if the wearer’s age is entered as 55 or older during setup or in the Health app. After a hard fall, the watch taps the wrist, sounds an alarm and shows an alert. If the person doesn’t respond and stays still for about a minute, it starts a 30-second countdown and then calls emergency services and messages their emergency contacts with their location. Wrist Detection must be on for the automatic call.

Google Pixel Watch: Google’s help pages describe a similar flow. The watch uses motion sensors and on-device machine learning to spot a hard fall, sounds an alarm and asks if the person is OK, then tries to call emergency services if there’s no response. LTE models can call on their own; Wi-Fi models need the phone nearby. Turn it on from the watch under Safety, then Fall detection.

Both companies say their watches can’t detect every fall, and high-impact activity can trigger false alerts. Fall detection is also only offered to adults. If your relative won’t wear a watch, a medical alert pendant from a monitoring company is another option. For wider health tech, see our guide to telehealth and remote patient monitoring.

Step 5: filter scam and robocalls

Older adults are prime scam targets. The FBI reports that people over 60 filed more than 201,000 complaints with its Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2025 and reported more than $7.7 billion in losses, with investment and tech support scams near the top of the list.

Set up these defenses:

1. Screen unknown callers. On iPhone, go to Settings, Apps, Phone and set Screen Unknown Callers to “Ask Reason for Calling” or “Silence.” Apple says Silence sends unsaved numbers to voicemail and lists them in Recents. Pixel phones have Call Screen, and Samsung offers spam call protection in its Phone app.
2. Turn on carrier spam blocking. Major US carriers offer free spam call labeling and blocking through their apps or account settings.
3. Save every real contact. Screening works best when doctors, pharmacies, neighbors and family are saved in Contacts, so their calls ring through.
4. Register the number on the National Do Not Call Registry. It stops many legitimate telemarketers, though scammers ignore it.
5. Agree on a family rule. Nobody legitimate will demand gift cards, wire transfers or crypto. If someone calls claiming to be a grandchild in trouble, hang up and call that grandchild back on a known number.

Our full guide on how to stop spam calls covers each option in detail. Voice cloning is also making “grandparent scams” more convincing, so share our guide on how to spot a deepfake with the whole family.

Step 6: share location, backups and account recovery

A few behind-the-scenes settings make life easier for the family helper:

• Location sharing: Use Find My on iPhone or Google’s Find Hub on Android to share location with a trusted family member, with your relative’s agreement.
• Automatic backups: Turn on iCloud Backup or Google backup so photos and contacts survive a lost phone.
• Account recovery: Set up a recovery contact for their Apple Account or Google Account, and store their passwords somewhere safe. A password manager with family sharing works well, and passkeys can remove passwords from the equation for many sites.
• Automatic updates: Turn on automatic software updates so security fixes install without anyone remembering.

Where to start: a 1-hour setup plan

1. 10 minutes: Talk through what they want to do and write the app list.
2. 15 minutes: Turn on Assistive Access or Easy mode and arrange the essential apps.
3. 10 minutes: Adjust text size, contrast, volume and screen timeout.
4. 10 minutes: Create the Medical ID or emergency info and test Emergency SOS together (practice the gesture without completing a call).
5. 10 minutes: Turn on unknown caller screening, carrier spam blocking and save key contacts.
6. 5 minutes: Set up location sharing, backups and automatic updates.

Leave a 1-page printed cheat sheet next to the charger with how to make a video call, how to call for help and who to ring with questions. If you run into unfamiliar settings, our glossary explains common terms.

Conclusion

The best phone setup for a senior is the one they’ll actually use. Strip the screen down to what matters, make it readable, add emergency and fall protection, and close the door on scam calls. Then check in every few months, because needs change and so do software menus. A little patience on setup day saves a lot of frustrated phone calls later.

Sources

• Apple Support: Set up Assistive Access on iPhone — Assistive Access setup and trusted supporter guidance
• Apple Support: Use Fall Detection with Apple Watch — 55+ default, countdown and emergency contact behavior
• Google Pixel Watch Help: Get help in an emergency — Pixel Watch fall detection flow and limits
• Android Help: Get help during an emergency — Safety app, emergency info and Emergency SOS on Android
• Apple Support: Manage unknown callers on iPhone — Screen Unknown Callers options
• FBI: Scammers Target Older Adult Victims — 2025 complaints and losses for people over 60