How to set up a tablet for an elderly parent

A tablet can be a lovely thing for an older parent. Big screen, no keyboard, faces of the people they love on a video call. But out of the box, it's built for someone who already knows how it works. Tiny text, a screen that keeps going to sleep, and a stream of pop-ups asking for updates, ratings and permissions.

The good news is that Apple and Google both build in plenty of help. It just takes an hour or so to switch it on. Menus move about between versions and makers, so if a setting isn't exactly where we say, use the search box at the top of the Settings app.

Before you start

• Ask what they'd like to do with it. "Would you like to see the grandchildren on video?" is a better starting point than "I've bought you an iPad". The fewer jobs it has, the easier it'll be.
• Gather the basics: their Wi-Fi name and password, a stand, and a charging cable long enough to reach from the socket to their chair.
• Sort out the account. An iPad needs an Apple Account and an Android tablet a Google account. Make sure you both know how to get back into it, and agree with your parent where the passcode is kept.
• Do it together. Set things up with them beside you, so they see what you're changing and why. It's their tablet.

Step 1: Make everything easier to see

On an iPad

Apple's support guide explains that text size and bold text live in Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. Turn on Bold Text. Then tap Larger Text, turn on Larger Accessibility Sizes and drag the slider until your parent can read it comfortably from where they sit. Ask them, rather than guessing.

If they need things bigger still, Settings > Accessibility > Zoom magnifies the whole screen. Some iPads also offer Display Zoom under Settings > Display & Brightness, which makes everything a little larger.

On an Android tablet

Google's accessibility help says you can open Settings, search for Font size and move the slider. Display size makes everything on screen bigger, not just the words. Bold text is under Settings > Accessibility > Display size and text. On a Pixel Tablet, Google puts all three in Settings > Display & touch > Display size and text.

Step 2: Stop the screen going dark too soon

Nothing is more off-putting than a screen that switches off mid-sentence. On an iPad, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and choose a longer time. On Android, it's usually Settings > Display > Screen timeout (on a Pixel Tablet, Display & touch > Screen timeout). A longer time uses more battery, which is one more reason to keep the tablet on its charger.

While you're there, ask whether they'd like the screen brighter, and adjust the brightness slider until it's comfortable.

Step 3: Turn the sound up

Use the volume buttons on the side to turn it right up, and check it isn't on silent. Play a video or a song so your parent can tell you if it's loud and clear enough. If they wear hearing aids, ask their audiologist whether the aids can connect to the tablet directly.

Step 4: Clear the home screen

Most of the apps on a new tablet will never be used, and every extra icon is something to tap by mistake. Leave a handful: the video call app, photos, the radio or a favourite website, and a shortcut or two you'll add in the next step.

• On an iPad: touch and hold an app, choose Remove App, then Remove from Home Screen. It stays in the App Library, so nothing is lost.
• On Android: touch and hold an app, then choose Remove or drag it there (the wording varies by maker). It stays installed in the full list of apps.

Put the most-used app in the same spot every time, ideally on the first screen at the bottom, where a thumb naturally rests.

A simpler mode for the whole iPad

Recent iPads have Assistive Access, in Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Access. It replaces the normal layout with large buttons for only the apps you choose. Apple suggests it's easiest to set up with a "trusted supporter", such as a family member who knows the person well. It changes how the whole iPad works, so try it together, and check that everything your parent needs works in it before you leave. Some Android makers have similar simplified modes; look in Settings for something like "Easy mode" or "Simple mode".

Step 5: Add shortcuts to the things they love

If your parent likes a particular website, such as the local paper, a radio station or a recipe site, you can put it on the home screen as an icon, so they never need to type an address.

• On an iPad: open the website in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen.
• On Android: open the website in Chrome, tap More (the three dots), then the option to install it or add it to the home screen, and follow the steps. Google's Chrome help calls these "web apps".

Give each icon a plain name, like "Radio" or "News". The same trick works for Dottie, our AI voice companion, which runs in the tablet's web browser with nothing to install. You connect it once and add it to the home screen, so it's one tap away. Our how it works page shows the steps.

For video calls, save your own number as a favourite, with a nice clear photo of your face, so calling you is as easy as tapping a picture.

Step 6: Turn off most notifications

Pop-ups are confusing and, sometimes, alarming. "Your storage is almost full!" can sound like an emergency. Turn off notifications for everything except the apps that really need them, like video calls and messages from family.

• On an iPad: go to Settings > Notifications, tap each app and turn off Allow Notifications.
• On Android: Google's help says to go to Settings > Notifications > App notifications, pick the app and switch it off. You can also touch and hold a notification when it appears, tap the settings icon and turn it off there.

Step 7: Lock it to one app, if that helps

For some parents, especially those with memory problems, the biggest difficulty is ending up somewhere unfamiliar and not knowing how to get back. Both systems can keep the tablet on a single app.

Guided Access on iPad

Apple's guide explains how: go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access, turn it on and set a passcode. Open the app you want, triple-click the top button (or the Home button on older iPads) and tap Start. To end it, triple-click again, enter the passcode and tap End.

App pinning on Android

Google's help says to turn on App pinning in Settings, usually under Security and then Advanced. Open the app, swipe up and hold to see your recent apps, tap the app's icon at the top of its preview, then tap Pin. Unpinning needs a swipe-and-hold or a button combination, and then the tablet's PIN.

Use these with care. Locked to one app, your parent can't take a call or change what they're doing without you. For many people a tidy home screen is enough.

Step 8: Wi-Fi, a stand and a charger by their chair

Connect the tablet to their home Wi-Fi and check it reconnects by itself after a restart. Write the Wi-Fi name and password on a card and keep it somewhere sensible, so a visitor can reconnect it if needed.

Then give the tablet a home. A sturdy stand on the side table by their favourite chair, or on the kitchen table, means it's always at eye level and always charged. A tablet that lives in a drawer with a flat battery is a tablet that doesn't get used. A long cable means it can stay plugged in all day.

Step 9: Set up a way to help from afar

Something will go wrong, usually on a Sunday evening when you're 200 miles away. Plan for it now.

On an iPad: FaceTime screen sharing

Apple's personal safety guide explains that during a one-to-one FaceTime call, your parent can share their screen with you. You can then request remote control, and once they tap Allow you can open apps and change settings for them. You can't change their Apple Account or Face ID settings, use Apple Pay or erase the device. They can tap Stop at any time, and ending the call ends it too. Practise once while you're with them, so the steps feel familiar. If you don't see the option, check that you're both on a recent version of iOS or iPadOS.

On Android: share the screen in Google Meet

Google Meet's help explains that, in a video meeting, your parent can tap the screen, tap More, then Share screen and Start sharing. You won't be able to control their tablet, but seeing what they see makes it much easier to talk them through it.

A help card

Write the three things they do most, step by step, in big letters on a card kept by the tablet. "To call Sarah: tap the green camera. Tap Sarah's face." It saves a lot of phone calls. If they'd like to learn more, many libraries and some local Age UK branches run beginner sessions.

Step 10: Stay safe from scams

A tablet brings the world in, and some of the world is up to no good. The US Federal Trade Commission explains that scammers often pretend to be from a bank, a government agency or a well-known company, invent an urgent problem like a virus or a debt, pressure you to act at once and ask for payment in unusual ways like gift cards or transfers.

• Agree one simple rule. Never act on a call, message or pop-up that asks for money, a code or a password. Hang up and call back on a number you already know, or call you first.
• Never let a stranger in. Nobody genuine will ring out of the blue and ask to take control of their tablet.
• Keep it updated. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre recommends installing updates promptly, because they include security fixes. Turn on automatic updates.
• Protect the account. The NCSC also suggests a strong, separate password for the email account and turning on 2-step verification.
• Fewer apps, fewer risks. The tidy home screen from Step 4 helps here too.

Age UK's scams advice and our guide to supporting a parent who lives alone have more on staying safe at home.

The settings at a glance

All in the Settings app. Exact names vary by version and, on Android, by maker.

Questions families ask