This article introduces seven practical iPhone tips designed to make smartphones easier and more enjoyable for seniors to use. It highlights built-in accessibility features, communication tools, and safety settings that help older adults stay connected and confident with their devices.
What you’ll learn:
How to enlarge text and icons for better visibility
Simple ways to enable text-to-speech and voice dialing
How to customize ringer volume, vibration, and LED alerts
Setting up Favourite Contacts and emergency SOS
Helpful tools like Magnifier, VoiceOver, and Family Sharing
Phones and mobile devices are essential tools for use in our day-to-day lives. People can use these devices to connect with friends, listen to the radio, play games, browse the internet, and engage in many other activities.
Hence, it is always beneficial to orient older adults with the technologies that can help them connect with friends and family remotely using a mobile device, such as an iPhone.
The iPhone brand lineup is straightforward, making it an ideal smartphone choice for older individuals. However, despite its simplicity, navigating some mobile interfaces can sometimes be challenging due to their technicalities.
At Seasons Retirement Communities, our caring and dedicated staff are always ready to assist residents with their inquiries. They possess the tech-savvy awareness to help answer fundamental questions regarding mobile devices, such as iPhones. We have a helpful article that answers many questions you might have on suitable tablet mobile devices for seniors here.
This article focuses on iPhone basics for seniors, providing seven valuable tips and tricks to enhance the user experience for older adults using their iPhones.
The ‘Display Zoom’ function is a great option to help our parents and grandparents see the text and visuals on their phone’s screen more clearly. This feature, which the user can activate in Settings, enlarges the selectable icons on the phone to make them more prominent and legible, while also making them easier to press.
Here’s how you can enable this feature:
Display Zoom enlarges every item on an iPhone screen, but you can still take additional steps to provide better reading options for your loved ones. This is where increasing font size comes into play.
To increase the text size on an iPhone:
Here’s what to include in your iPhone “cheat sheet” – if the largest text size isn’t enough for clear visibility, you can activate the ‘Larger Accessibility Sizes’ option to increase the text sizes further.
If the screen text isn’t very legible or you’re looking for an audible option instead, you can activate the ‘Speak Selection’ feature on your loved one’s iPhone to allow text to be read out loud.
To enable Speak Selection:
Additionally, you can enable the ‘Speak Screen’ feature to read out the screen’s content after making a gesture – swiping with two fingers from the top of the screen.
You can adjust your options for a more customized experience, including the ‘Highlight Content’ setting to follow the text being read aloud and the ‘Speaking Rate’ setting to control the voice’s speed.
It can be helpful to increase the ringer volume on your mobile device; by doing so, you are less likely to miss calls, texts, and notifications. A higher volume level is suggested as part of the standard and ideal iPhone settings.
To increase ringer volume:
You may also choose to disable the ‘Change with Buttons’ feature to disallow the volume buttons on the side from controlling the volume of calls, notifications, and media sounds.
Furthermore, it is a good idea to enable the ‘Vibrate on Ring’ and ‘Vibrate on Silent’ features, as they also help reduce the chances of missing notifications on the iPhone.
Here is another one of the iPhone tips for seniors – for visual signalling, you may want to enable the ‘LED Flash for Alerts’ feature to allow the camera light to flash when there is a notification.
To use the ‘LED Flash for Alerts’ feature:
Customizing ‘Favourite Contacts’ is another essential item on our list of iPhone basics for seniors. Keeping a Favourites list makes it easier to find frequently used numbers and quickly get in touch with them when necessary.
To add essential contacts to an iPhone Favourites list:
You need to repeat the process for every contact you wish to add to the Favourites list.
Siri is the iPhone’s assistant. It is a program that enables users to give voice commands to their smartphones without needing to touch the screen.
Instead of manually dialling a phone number, Siri can help your loved one place a call by simply using the ‘Voice Dial’ feature.
To enable this feature:
The SOS feature, which can serve as a Medical Alert System, is an essential tool for emergencies that older adults can utilize. As part of the iPhone basics for seniors, the SOS feature is programmed to alert emergency services and contacts when your loved one needs help.
To activate Emergency SOS on iPhone 8 and later models, press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons for a few seconds. Meanwhile, press the side or top button five times for earlier iPhone versions to activate the SOS function.
This action brings the Emergency SOS slider to the screen, and your loved one only needs to drag the slider to complete the emergency call.
iPhone 8 or later users can place an emergency call by holding the side button and the volume button for approximately 15 seconds.
One of the most practical features of an iPhone is its accessibility shortcuts. These allow users to enable frequently used accessibility tools with a simple tap of the side or home button. For older adults, this can reduce the need to navigate through multiple settings screens.
For example, shortcuts can be set up for Magnifier, VoiceOver or AssistiveTouch. Magnifier turns the iPhone’s camera into a digital magnifying glass, VoiceOver provides spoken feedback, guiding users through what’s happening on the screen, while AssistiveTouch allows them to access standard functions with just one tap.
To set up an accessibility shortcut:
This minor customization can make everyday tasks smoother and more intuitive for seniors.
Older adults may rely on reading glasses, but there are moments when those aren’t nearby. The iPhone’s built-in Magnifier app offers a convenient solution by turning the phone’s camera into a digital magnifying glass. It can enlarge objects or text, making it easier to read fine print on medication labels, product packaging or restaurant menus.
The Magnifier also allows users to adjust the brightness and contrast to enhance visibility in various lighting conditions. A helpful extra feature is the ability to take a freeze-frame image, so there’s no need to hold the phone steady while reading. This simple tool can make everyday tasks more manageable and accessible.
VoiceOver and Dictation are two powerful tools that can make using an iPhone easier for seniors who prefer speaking to typing or tapping.
VoiceOver provides spoken descriptions of what’s on the screen, including buttons, icons and text, which can be helpful for those with visual impairments. It can also guide users as they navigate through apps.
Dictation allows users to compose messages, search online or write notes by speaking instead of typing. This can be particularly useful for those with arthritis or limited hand mobility.
To enable VoiceOver and Dictation:
This hands-free functionality can help seniors stay connected, navigate their device confidently and communicate more comfortably.
Another useful feature for older adults is Family Sharing, which enables trusted family members to assist with app purchases, share calendars, and even track locations (if enabled).
Family members can also help set up essential services remotely, making it easier to manage updates or troubleshooting without being physically present. This can provide peace of mind for seniors and their loved ones.
To set up Family Sharing:
Family Sharing can make iPhone use feel like a collaborative and supported experience rather than a solo effort.
For some older adults, constant notifications can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, the iPhone allows users to manage and customize notifications so that only the most critical alerts come through.
Users can decide which apps send notifications, how they appear, and whether sounds or banners accompany them. This can help reduce distractions and make the phone experience feel simpler and less cluttered.
To manage notifications:
For seniors, keeping notifications limited to phone calls, messages, or health-related apps can make their phone use feel more peaceful and manageable.
Having read through this iPhone tutorial for seniors, you may notice that most of these tips fall under the ‘Accessibility’ tab in settings. Exploring this tab in more detail will allow you to discover additional features to adjust, making it easier for your loved ones to use their iPhones.
Adjusting these settings to what works best, using a mobile device like an iPhone, can be highly accessible and convenient. For any further questions or support about specific features or settings on iPhones, the caring staff at Seasons Retirement Communities can be contacted for additional assistance.
Use Display Zoom and Larger Text to make the screen easier to read.
Display Zoom: Go to Settings → Display & Brightness → View → Zoomed → Set, then restart the phone.
Larger Text: Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Larger Text, and move the slider. If needed, turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes for even bigger text.
