1. Increase Font and Icon Size
One of the most common complaints you’re likely to hear from elderly family members about using a smartphone is difficulty in reading. Thankfully, to make text more readable for them, you can increase both the text and display size on their Android device.
2. Increase Screen Contrast
We also recommend turning up the contrast and vividness or saturation of the device. This will not only make text even more readable, but the enriched color grading of the device may help people with poor eyesight to read the screen more clearly. The relevant settings may not be available on all devices so if you don’t find them on yours, you can skip this tweak.
3. Use a Simpler Launcher
One of the best ways to make the interface more accessible is to install a third-party launcher that is easy to operate. Here are a few good options to consider:
Apex LauncherNova LauncherSmart Launcher 6
To install a third-party launcher:
4. Change the Keyboard Size
It’s common to have eyesight issues with old age, which can make it hard to read the small alphabets on a phone’s keyboard. Generally, the default size of keyboards is set to less than one third of the screen, but we recommend changing it from the Settings menu. Your keyboard should now be larger than it was.
5. Enable Android Accessibility Features
Android devices are pretty flexible when it comes to customization. They pack a bunch of options under accessibility settings. You don’t need to enable all of the available features. Feel free to only select the ones that you think will help the elder you are setting up the phone for. Here are a few we recommend.
TalkBack
Talkback is designed for visually impaired people. It basically reads out all the text on the screen and guides the user about what they tap on, and even reads out all the options that they get if they open a menu. To enable TalkBack:
Color Accessibility Mode
For people who are partially blind or for those who have trouble perceiving colors, you can switch the phone to color accessibility mode. When you enable this feature, Android replaces the colors of the device display with high-contrast colors, which makes it easier to read the screen. This mode also helps in reading text from a screen easily in harsh lighting conditions. Now all the text on your screen will have an outline of a color contrasting with the color of the text.
Magnification
If you’re dealing with a phone that has a small screen, enable the magnification feature to help zoom in on the active screen.
6. Set Up Google Assistant for Voice Control
Does the elder in question find it challenging to use various apps and menus despite all the tweaks mentioned above? Set up a voice assistant for them — it can execute most, if not all, basic tasks by following simple voice commands. After this setup is complete, they can simply say “OK Google” followed by the command they want to execute. They’re free to use natural language commands. With the voice assistant enabled, they can call people, search the internet, ask about the weather forecast, open apps, play music, etc. without having to perform these tasks manually.
7. Remove Apps That Get in the Way
An Android device is likely to come with a lot of unnecessary apps like social media apps and games. If the senior you’re setting up the phone for is likely to find these unwanted apps a stumbling block, it’s best to remove them altogether for a more accessible device. (Of course, setting up a simple launcher also helps.) Here’s a list of the type of in-built apps that you should consider uninstalling: Some Android phones also have a lot of bloatware installed, which counts as a system app that is hard to uninstall. Fortunately, there are ways to uninstall bloatware and system apps without root. Image credit: Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels Additionally, some smartphone brands like Samsung use their own voice assistants like Bixby, which you can use as an alternative to Google Assistant.
