Advice prepping iPhone for Grandma

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aarcam

Limp Gawd
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Oct 11, 2009
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I need some advice from the Apple savvy setting up a phone for my grandma. We have a phased out iP5 that we will be wiping and giving to her to replace her ancient flip phone.

I am good with deactivating accounts and wiping the old phone, what I am most curious about is if I should set her up under my Apple account or create her own. She is technologically challenged, so either way I will be managing it.

I have an apple account but currently do not use an Iphone. I may in the future (come on 6S!) but currently do not. My concern with putting her on my account is that my wife and I used to share an account in the iOS5-6 (ish) days and when updates happened our iMessage would always get borked and we would have to tweak the settings to get it back. Given the location of the device this wont be possible. Not sure how iOS8 handles multiple people sharing an account.

Other option is to create her an account and add her to the family via iOS8 and manage her account remotely with a new email address created for her account.

Main goal is for her to have a phone and be able to facetime us. Texting/apps/web browsing will probably be by accident only. I hope to be pleasantly surprised, but not betting the farm on that one.

Also interested if there is a better/3rd option I need to know about. I am sure I am over complicating this...

TIA.
 
You definitely want her to have her own Apple ID. Add her to your "family" so you can help her with her device and share content. My grandmother uses an iPhone as well and adjusted to it pretty quickly, despite never really using or owning a computer in her life.
 
I would enable bigger/bolder text, select best size suitiable for iPhone 5S/6/6+:

  • Settings > General > Accessibility > Bold Text (Enable then Restart)
  • Settings > General > Accessibility > Larger Text > Larger Accessibility Sizes (Enable then restart)
The next two might be worth while too:
  • Settings > General > Accessibility > Increase Contrast > Darken Colors (Enable)
  • Settings > General > Accessibility > Increase Contrast > Reduce White Point (Enable)
 
Excellent, thanks CEpeep.

Ill check out your suggestions as well The_Moves. I think i had adjusted the bold, but not the others, Ill give them a go.

I just got the sim and will get it up and running before we ship it out, so will have a chance to see how it all behaves.
 
Also, Old people are notorious for forgetting their passwords and account info. Write all account names and passwords down on a piece of paper, keep a copy for yourself, give her a copy, and also type them in the notes app.

Setup icloud to have everything on, and have backups turned on if she has wifi at home.
If she is going to have a passcode lock make sure its something easy to remember and easy to put in.
 
KISS for her. Take all but the most basic apps and icons and put them into folders off the main homescreen. Leave only Mail, Phone, Messages, Contacts, FaceTime, Safari and the camera app on the first home screen. The second should have settings, the App Store, iTunes, Maps, Videos, Weather apps. Third home screen should have any "other" apps gathered into folders to reduce clutter. Reducing the number of icons they see regularly has, in my experience, gone a long way to reduce "icon glaze." That look in their eyes when dazed and confused by too many icons.

Do not set a lockscreen password. IMHO, older folks aren't doing anything with their phones that will matter or need to be kept secret.

Set up an iCloud account and have everything sync to it.
 
Thanks. Great thoughts people!

Agreed on homescreen simplification. Will have to see what apps will make the cut, I dont think we will need safari or mail.

How far do you think I will get with the base iCloud for back up? I know my wifes is full (free amount you get with account but she has a 128GB iP6 well on its way to full, so not much help there.

She has some friends with iPhones, so she may get curious about some aspects of the phone but we are working with limited exposure to anything electric. She is in her 90s, so this in its self is a monumental step toward technology.

Appreciate the help guys.
 
I'd say start her with iCloud. If she eventually fills it, you could always show her how to sync to a computer for backups. But then you're talking about getting her into iTunes, which IMHO, is the worst software program ever written.
 
Just buy her more iCloud storage if required. KISS :)

Also, make sure you go through showing her how to listen to and then delete Voicemails. My Grandma, though on a flip phone, her mailbox is full and has been for years....
 
Modred189 said:
I'd say start her with iCloud. If she eventually fills it, you could always show her how to sync to a computer for backups. But then you're talking about getting her into iTunes, which IMHO, is the worst software program ever written.
Click to expand...

Got is set up last night and number ported over. Not sure it will ever be connected to a computer again so hopefully we can avoid that potential debacle...

All seems to be in order and grandma friendly (final assessment to be determined under actual usage conditions....) Now to ship it off.

Thanks for the Assist.
 
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