How to Make Android Devices Friendly for Seniors

Are your grandparents always calling for help using their new Android phone? With some simple tweaks, you can transform that complicated smartphone into a senior-friendly device, saving everyone time and frustration. Here are different ways to make that happen.

1. Use Senior-Friendly Android Launchers

One quick trick for transforming any Android smartphone into a senior-friendly device is installing senior-friendly launchers. Yes, they do exist, and there is quite a variety of them. Elder Launcher: UI for Seniors is a good example, and it's one of the best senior-friendly Android launchers.

Elder Launcher allows you to add as many apps as you want on the Home screen. However, we suggest only adding essential apps to the Home screen. The icons on Elder Launcher are large, and the text size is big. It also allocates a dedicated section on the Home screen for adding important contacts.

The easy-to-use interface, coupled with the simple Edit option, allows seniors to operate their Android smartphones easily. You can tap the Edit option on the Home screen to easily add, remove, or reorder apps and contacts.

Download:Elder Launcher: UI for Seniors (Free)

2. Enlarge the Keyboard Buttons

Using senior-friendly Android launchers is just one piece of the puzzle. The next thing you should do is enlarge the keyboard buttons for ease of use.

Most Android smartphones ship with Gboard pre-installed, so we'll use that in this example. But you can install Gboard from the Play Store if your phone doesn't have it.

To enlarge the keyboard, you only have to change the height. First, open any app that allows you to insert text. You can use the default messaging app, for example. Tap on the text input field to bring up the keyboard.

Tap the menu (four squares) icon in the top-left corner of the keyboard and choose Resize from the options that appear. Then, stretch the edges of the rectangle up and down as you like.

If you want to revert to the normal size, tap the undo button on the left. Otherwise, tap the checkmark on the right to save your new keyboard height.

If you use Microsoft's SwiftKey Keyboard instead, one of the best keyboard apps for Android, you can customize the size during setup or by opening the app and going to Layout & keys > Resize.

Download:Gboard (Free)

3. Increase Text Size Across the OS

Another way to senior-proof a smartphone is to increase the font size across the operating system. Android offers an easy way to change the font size through the Settings app.

Depending on the device you own, the steps you need to follow may vary slightly. I did this on a Moto E13 running Android 13 (Go edition), but here's basically what you need to do:

1. Open the Settings app and go to Display.
2. Scroll down and tap Display size and text. It could be System font, Font size and style, or something similar on your device.
3. Drag the slider under Font size to the right according to your liking.

The new settings will be saved automatically. You'll notice all the text on your device is immediately bigger.

4. Uninstall or Disable Unwanted Apps

Most Android phones come with pre-installed apps. Some of them are usually unnecessary, which can be an issue for the elderly. Since they create a lot of clutter, it's important to disable or totally uninstall them if possible.

Uninstalling unwanted apps on your Android device is as easy as going to Settings > Apps and tapping Uninstall. However, your device may have a slightly different way of accessing this setting, or some complications might be involved.

Ensure you don't disable or uninstall essential apps that your device may require to function properly.

5. Turn Off Gesture Navigation

Gesture navigation is a cool way to navigate your Android smartphone, but this can be unintuitive to the elderly. To make a device more friendly for seniors, switch to the classic 3-button navigation system, which includes a triangular back button, a square overview, and a rounded Home button.

The 3-button navigation system can be a bit easier than gesture navigation. On devices running Android 10 or later, you can switch between the two by following these steps:

1. Open your device's Settings app and go to Accessibility > System controls > System navigation. On some devices, you may need to head to Display > Navigation bar > Navigation type.
2. From here, select the classic 3-button navigation style.

With this change, your seniors can navigate their Android devices more easily.

6. Activate Easy Mode on Samsung Devices

If you have a Samsung phone, you can turn on Easy mode to simplify the interface and make it easy to use for seniors.

Go to Settings > Display > Easy mode and toggle on the feature to activate Easy mode. If you don't find Samsuns's Easy mode simple enough, the senior-optimized Android launchers we discussed earlier, like Elder Launcher and BIG Launcher, would be better.

7. Set Up Call Shortcuts

Your grandparents don't have to search for their contacts whenever they want to make a call. Set up call shortcuts so your elders can easily make phone calls without navigating much on their phones.

Use the built-in speed dial feature if you have a Samsung phone. Open your Phone app and navigate to the Keypad tab. Long press any unassigned number and select a contact. Now, your elderly relatives can call by long-pressing the assigned number on the keypad.

Alternatively, you can create quick and easy call shortcuts on other Android devices with the Direct Dial widget. Follow these steps:

1. Press and hold a blank area on your Home screen.
2. Tap Widgets.
3. Locate the Direct Dial widget under Contacts and drag it to your desired position.
4. Select a contact.

Now, you have a one-tap shortcut on the Home screen to call that specific number quickly. This is perfect for important contacts like family members or frequently called services.

Making Android devices senior-friendly doesn't have to be complicated. With these simple tweaks, you can transform any Android phone into an easy-to-use device. This way, your grandparents can enjoy their smartphones, even the latest ones, without the usual frustrations.

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