poppy Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 My mom has a 15 year old flip phone. She really needs a replacement. Her friends try to text her, and she wants to reply, has one of those phone where you press 1 twice to get to letter "B". (Remember that?) She wants minimal bells and whistles. I want something durable, can hold a charge, easy to use.She is a widow, doesn't want to have to do anything tech-y, she lives alone. I am a 2 day drive away so I can't just do everything for her. So simple- simple - simple is key. I have an iphone. I'm willing to get her one even though she would scoff. But something less finicky (fewer system updates required) would be best. Would LOVE any experienced advice. I'm guessing I'm not the only one with this kind of mom. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 There is a more advanced Jitterbug now available that would let her text and send or view images. Beyond that, an iPhone is actually among the most simple to operate and customize for ease of use and accessibility/accommodations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Strangely my 84 year old tech-adverse Mom has fallen in love with her Iphone. She only uses it for a few things, but loves to ask Siri questions. LOL She had a flip phone before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 My 80 mil uses an iPhone. Once she figured out Siri, it was easy. The apple store here runs a class for seniors on the iphone. The teacher is blind! Sent from my LG-H345 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 The other advantage of the iPhone is the tech support. Not only do they offer free classes at Apple stores for use, they can also help out with any number of pickles relating to setup and operation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted November 17, 2016 Author Share Posted November 17, 2016 There is a more advanced Jitterbug now available that would let her text and send or view images. Beyond that, an iPhone is actually among the most simple to operate and customize for ease of use and accessibility/accommodations. I saw an ad for Jitterbug about 20 years ago, it never occurred to me it's still a thing! There is something to be said for getting her the same phone I have, because, then if she needs help I can walk her through anything. But: $500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 You could get her a used one for cheaper if you wanted, that's always an option too. And they can frequently be used with discount carriers too, though they lack the warranted and customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 My 75 year old mother went from ancient flip phone to iPhone. Apple Store or any retailer that sells iPhone should be able to help her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Whatever you do, get one that has a cradle that she can "hang it up" in to charge it, and a chip or one of those things attached for helping one find one's things. I will see if I can find out what I THINK I saw awhile back when we were looking into this, where there is one of those text/call phones that also acts in the role of help i've fallen and i can't get up buttons. That's what I wish my mom had. I took her cell phone away because she never kept it charged, or wouldn't turn it on because she didn't want to wear out the battery. I think if I had said, No, you are going to give up your land line and make this work, it would have been a better thing all around...but...there ya go. :0) If you find out that an iPhone 4s or 3G would fill the bill, PM me. ETA: One advantage of getting a "senior" phone is that the speaker tends to be a little larger than in the regular phones. I get around this by using a headset, but the iPhone 5 and previous were hard for me to hear when I used them by my hear. My 6s and now the 7 seem to have big enough speakers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 There is an "Extra" about this. I've seen it several times, when viewers in the USA are watching commercials. The AARP has a course for this. . There is a URL on aarp.org about this. I suggest you get her a low end Android phone (Motorola's are excellent and have a rather pure version of the Android OS) or an iPhone. There is *so* much one can do with a "Smart" phone that one cannot do with a "Dumb" phone. After she learns how to send/receive voice calls and SMS Text messages, she might surprise herself (and you) and discover that there are Apps that are helpful to her life or that she enjoys. I have a low end Samsung Android phone, but Samsung modifies the Android OS more, so I would go with a Motorola or a Lenovo (Lenovo owns Motorola Mobility) or an iPhone. GL to her http://aarptek.aarp.org/tablets-phones/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 I have a note 3 (which should be cheaper due to age) - it has an "easy" software plat form option just for whose uncomfortable with tech. we've talked about something like that for dh - he still uses a flip phone. don't know how much texting he actually does . . . . when we'd looked into upgrading for him before - verizon would only allow an upgrade to a particular smart phone because his contract wasn't up. which is really stupid of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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