Choosing a Phone for Grandparents: What Actually Matters

Start with what your grandparent wants to do

Before comparing models, ask a simple question: what should this phone make easier? For some grandparents the answer is answering calls and phoning family in an emergency. For others it is seeing the grandchildren, receiving photos, or joining a family chat.

If voice calls are all they need, a basic phone with large physical buttons, a loud speaker, and a long battery life may be the least stressful option. If video, photos, or messages matter, a smartphone is usually necessary—but it should be set up so it feels much simpler than a typical phone.

Big-button phone or smartphone?

Big-button and senior-focused phones are easy to understand, often have very loud ringers, and their batteries can last for days. Their limitation is that video calling, photo sharing, and modern apps are restricted or missing, so grandparents may feel left out of the way the rest of the family communicates.

A smartphone can do everything, but out of the box it is full of notifications, small icons, and settings that can be confusing. The good news is that both iPhone and Android include ways to simplify it: iPhone offers Assistive Access, a streamlined interface with large buttons, and many Android phones—including Samsung models—include an Easy mode with a simpler layout and bigger text.

Familiarity matters too. If your grandparent already uses a particular phone confidently, simplifying that phone is often better than introducing a new device they need to learn from scratch.

Features that make a real difference

Screen and text size: choose a phone with a large, bright screen, then increase the text and display size in settings. Sound: check the earpiece and speaker volume, turn the ringtone up, and if they wear hearing aids, look for a phone that is hearing-aid compatible and can pair with them directly.

Battery and charging: a phone that dies is a phone that cannot ring. A charging dock or stand at a fixed spot—next to their favourite chair or on the kitchen table—helps the phone stay charged and easy to find. Emergency features: set up emergency contacts and, where available, the medical ID or emergency SOS options so help can reach the right people.

Set it up together, then keep it stable

Remove apps they will not use, put the most important ones on the first screen, and add family members as favourites with photos so they recognise faces instead of reading names. Turn off unnecessary notifications so the phone only demands attention when something matters.

Afterwards, avoid rearranging things. A grandparent who has learned where the call button is should find it in the same place next week. Large changes—a new launcher, moved icons, or a surprise app update—are one of the most common reasons older adults give up on a phone.

Make calling the family the easiest thing on the phone

For many families, the whole point of a grandparents’ phone is staying in touch. That is where MiNonna fits: it turns a familiar smartphone into a simple way to video call family. A relative sets up a private family group, and the grandparent sees large photos of the people they love—one tap starts a video call, and incoming calls have one large answer button.

MiNonna does not replace the phone’s other features, but it removes the menus, contact searches, and small controls that often stand between a grandparent and a conversation with their grandchildren.