How to Set Up a Smartphone… For Someone Who’s Never Used One Before
The smartphone—an integral part of our lives and one that we almost certainly take for granted. At this point, smartphones are so commonplace that it’s almost more of a surprise if you meet someone who doesn’t have one. But the thing is, these people exist (though, admittedly tend to land in a more senior sector of life) and just because they don’t have a smartphone now, doesn’t mean they won’t ever.
Smartphones can make seriously great gifts. But, if you’re not careful, can end up feeling like more of a burden to the giftee than anything else—they can be tricky to set up and for someone without an experience using one, can feel almost uncrackable.
But never fear!—smartphones are totally teachable (just remember your first time) and with a few simple adjustments, tricks, and tips, you’ll have your grandma taking her first selfie in no time. Yeah, she totally #wokeuplikethis. Set It Up!
One of the most complicated (or at least, seemingly so) parts of using a smartphone up is the initial setup. There are a lot of things that go into making sure your smartphone is good to go and quite frankly, this isn’t something your 70-year-old grandpa should have to worry about.
For example, selecting the language, setting up a new Gmail or iTunes account, even enabling the lock screen (though be sure to copy down that original passcode), can all be done before you hand over the phone. Essentially, there are four things that should be pre-setup.
1. Save Their Login information After setting up their new user information for things like iTunes or Google, write it down for them and put it in the box. Save it for yourself too—they’ll mostly forget and will turn to you for help. If you can, create logins and passwords that are simple and easy to remember, while still remaining secure. Password managers like LastPass and 1Password can help create passwords that are pronouncable but secure, so they’re easy to remember. 2. Enable Find My Phone Whether you personally use this function or not, it’s seriously important to set this up for your new smartphone user. During the setup process in iOS, make sure you choose yes to activating Find My iPhone. Android users can go into the Google Settings app and Android Device Manager to enable remote wipes. Both of these functions will help locate the phone if it gets lost or stolen or falls between the cushions in the couch.
3. Set Up Lock Screen By setting up a lock screen before giving the phone as a gift, you get the new owner in the habit of using a lock screen, which helps keep their data and information protected. Simple as that.
4. Download Some Apps Take the time to download some apps that everyone should have and, of course, a few you think the person might enjoy. This will help them feel like they’re not just starting from scratch and will get them used to playing around with apps and other functions.
What Does This Button Do?
We can hear the internal groan all the way from here but we promise, this is necessary for someone that’s never used a smartphone before. While you may have just gone through and pressed every single button on your phone without a care in the world, trying to figure the thing out, for the most part, those in older generations don’t want to do this. They just want to be told what buttons do what, at least once, and this tutorial can help them get comfortable with using their phone right off the bat.
Show Them Around Once you’ve given the phone, you’re going to want to sit down with them and go through all of the apps, one by one. Swiping, tapping, tapping and holding are new skills for people who've never had a touch device. You'll need to demonstrate how to move between screens, switch between apps, swipe down for the notifications bar, and how to move things around by touching and dragging. The built-in apps you should help them play around with include:
Phone and contacts
Camera
App Store
Notification Center
Settings
Messages
From those basics, move onto the more complicated. Show them around Facebook (if they use it) and things like banking apps, Instagram, and Pandora or Spotify. Don’t take anything for granted—this is all new to them! And the more time you spend with them now, the less questions you’ll get in the future—though, you’re still totally getting some.
Did we miss anything—let us know in the comment box below! We can’t wait to hear from you!