stephanier.1765 Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 My parents who are in their upper 70's would like to be able to Facetime with their grandchildren but they aren't about to buy an iPhone or any phone with those capabilities. Is there anything else in a much lower price range that will still allow them to video chat with family? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 WhatsApp would probably do the job just fine. Our family and our HOA use WhatsApp, extensively. However, it is owned by Facebook now, so if you want to be away from Facebook, I would try an App called Signal. https://signal.org/ https://signal.org/ Both Apps are Free and will run fine on an Android phone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Do they have a computer? If so, skype 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 I do have an iPhone but I can and do FaceTime using my iPad or iPod touch too. My in-laws use an iPad for FaceTime “If you're using an iPad or iPod touch, register your email address by tapping Settings > FaceTime > Use your Apple ID for FaceTime, and sign in with your Apple ID. Make a FaceTime call To make a FaceTime call, you need the person's phone number or registered email address. There are a few ways to make a FaceTime call: In the FaceTime app, tap the plus button and type the person's phone number or email address. Tap the number or address, then tap Audio or Video . If you have the person's phone number or email address saved in your Contacts, you can start typing their name and tap the name when it appears. Then tap Audio or Video . ” https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204380 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 My in-laws can’t navigate an iPhone , iPad, or even a computer anymore. On Black Friday, we bought Amazon Echo Shows. We are hoping they will be able to use the voice commands and do it that way. I don’t know if it will work yet, as we have not tried, but it’s sort of our last hope. 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 There’s also the Portal, which seems to be a dedicated device designed to allow grandparents to video message via FB messenger. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 3 hours ago, Lanny said: WhatsApp would probably do the job just fine. Our family and our HOA use WhatsApp, extensively. However, it is owned by Facebook now, so if you want to be away from Facebook, I would try an App called Signal. https://signal.org/ https://signal.org/ Both Apps are Free and will run fine on an Android phone. You should see their phones. It's a sad state of affairs the technology they have available via those cell phones. 😁 I try to send them videos on the only phone that can receive them but the screen is so small they can't see them. To make matters worse, my mother can no longer walk to their office to watch videos, see pictures or use Skype on the computer. My father has to print every picture out so she can see them. I really need something basic and either mobile or small enough to stay in the family room. It's hard watching them lose touch because of their loss of mobility. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 3 hours ago, Spryte said: My in-laws can’t navigate an iPhone , iPad, or even a computer anymore. On Black Friday, we bought Amazon Echo Shows. We are hoping they will be able to use the voice commands and do it that way. I don’t know if it will work yet, as we have not tried, but it’s sort of our last hope. 🙂 Thank you, I'm looking into that one. The price is better than a lot of other things I've seen and hopefully it's easy to use. Last year they got an Echo and enjoy it so maybe something in the same family will feel familiar to them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrips Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) What about an inexpensive chrome book and google chat? Or is that still more than they want to spend? It’s under $200. Maybe everyone can go in on a gift for them. That’s what I did for my very tech challenged mom. There was so much less on a chrome book to mess up. I made it all super simple for her. She could also access the internet, email, and watch movies on it. They come with various size screens. We have the 15” ones. Example https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-15-6-chromebook-intel-atom-x5-4gb-memory-16gb-emmc-flash-memory-granite-gray/6359610.p?skuId=6359610 Edited December 10, 2019 by matrips Link 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 4 hours ago, regentrude said: Do they have a computer? If so, skype I was going to say Skype on an inexpensive laptop or tablet that they can set up on their dining room table or somewhere central. Affordable, fast internet is the key in our neck of the woods. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) Have you seen the new ad for GrandPad? It's supposed to be a simple tablet device that allows video chats, photos, and other apps in a user friendly way for people who don't have much computer experience. Maybe this would work. https://www.grandpad.net/ Edited December 10, 2019 by mom2scouts 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 6 minutes ago, mom2scouts said: Have you seen the new ad for GrandPad? It's supposed to be a simple tablet device that allows video chats, photos, and other apps in a user friendly way for people who don't have much computer experience. Maybe this would work. https://www.grandpad.net/ Not the OP, but thanks for this! It looks promising for my tech challenged mom! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 7 hours ago, stephanier.1765 said: You should see their phones. It's a sad state of affairs the technology they have available via those cell phones. 😁 I try to send them videos on the only phone that can receive them but the screen is so small they can't see them. To make matters worse, my mother can no longer walk to their office to watch videos, see pictures or use Skype on the computer. My father has to print every picture out so she can see them. I really need something basic and either mobile or small enough to stay in the family room. It's hard watching them lose touch because of their loss of mobility. a small tablet computer? inexpensive and portable. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 I like the Chromebook suggestion, but then I'm a huge Chromebook fan (and I'm relatively tech savvy). I had to use a Windows laptop for a bit this weekend and the clunkiness about drove me batty after being used to the ease of a Chromebook. You could probably get a decent Chromebook for not much more, and maybe less than, a crappy tablet. And it would likely be easier for them to use. I'd add in a wireless mouse. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threewishes Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 I can't help you with this, but I find it so funny that my 83 year old dad and his 86 year old sister both have I phones and couldn't live without them. My dad and i were on face time just last week. I guess we are a tech savvy family. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Even the cheapest tech device -- laptop, phone, iPad, etc. -- would allow a video chat. If they had the app installed on their device (whether it's FaceTime or Skype or whatever), all they'd need to do is know is how to accept the call. You could set it up on their device, and you would call them, and they'd click on the right button to accept the call. My father has FaceTime on his device. My dd calls him once/month from across the ocean. She calls him on FaceTime and all he needs to do is answer it. He's 92, and he really treasures those visits with her! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Do you mean; 1) people with limited money to buy tech equipment AND/OR 2) people with limited technology knowledge and comfort? You say "OLD" but you may mean something else. I would also be careful that there can be bad people who get through to vulnerable people (such as the elderly) through e-mail/phones and lay "traps" seeking money. They can pretend to be "Skype" and try to charge for this service. This happened with my parents and they were spooked and gave up pretty much everything visual on an electronic device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted December 11, 2019 Author Share Posted December 11, 2019 2 hours ago, wintermom said: Do you mean; 1) people with limited money to buy tech equipment AND/OR 2) people with limited technology knowledge and comfort? You say "OLD" but you may mean something else. I would also be careful that there can be bad people who get through to vulnerable people (such as the elderly) through e-mail/phones and lay "traps" seeking money. They can pretend to be "Skype" and try to charge for this service. This happened with my parents and they were spooked and gave up pretty much everything visual on an electronic device. They are people who have the money but can't fathom spending the kind of money required to have a phone that allows video chatting. My dad grew up dirt poor in the sticks and my mother's upbringing wasn't much more financially stable. I also think part of it is the fear of being overwhelmed by that much technology, which I kind of get since I'm overwhelmed by my sewing machine. 😁 Thanks everyone for all the advice and options. I truly am checking them all out and putting them past my kids to make sure the technology will work both ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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