A new iPhone straight out of the box is set up for someone who already knows iPhones. A little time on these settings makes it much easier, and safer, for a parent who doesn’t.
Do this together if you can. It’s their phone, and they should know what you changed and why. Menu names below are for recent versions of iOS and may differ slightly on yours.
1. The Apple Account
- Use an email address your parent actually checks, and a password they can remember. Write both down and keep them somewhere safe at home.
- Add a recovery contact: Settings, then their name, then Sign-In & Security, then Account Recovery. You can be the person who helps them get back in if they’re locked out.
- Consider a Legacy Contact on the same screen, so a trusted person can access photos and data later.
2. Make it easy to see and hear
- Bigger text: Settings, then Display & Brightness, then Text Size. Turn on Bold Text too. For even larger sizes, go to Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, then Larger Text.
- Display Zoom: Display & Brightness, then Display Zoom, makes icons and buttons bigger.
- Louder ringer: set the ringtone volume high and pick a ringtone they can easily hear. Turn on vibration as well.
- Hearing aids: many hearing aids pair with an iPhone under Accessibility, then Hearing Devices.
3. Emergency information
- Open the Health app and fill in Medical ID: conditions, medications, allergies and emergency contacts. Turn on Show When Locked so paramedics can see it.
- Check Emergency SOS in Settings. Show them how it works so they don’t trigger it by accident.
4. Cut down scam calls and texts
- Turn on Silence Unknown Callers (or Screen Unknown Callers) in the Phone settings, and Filter Unknown Senders in Messages.
- Before you do, add family, doctors, the pharmacy and anyone else who calls regularly to Contacts, so their calls still ring.
- Talk through the basic rule: nobody legitimate asks for codes, gift cards or passwords by phone. Our scam guide has more.
5. A calmer home screen
- Put the five or six apps they use on the first screen: Phone, Messages, Camera, Photos, and maybe FaceTime or the weather. Move everything else to a second page.
- Add family members to Favorites in the Phone app so calling is one tap.
- For someone who finds the standard iPhone overwhelming, look at Assistive Access under Accessibility. It turns the phone into a much simpler version with big buttons and only the apps you choose.
6. Backups and finding the phone
- Turn on iCloud Backup so photos and contacts survive a lost or broken phone. Check whether they need more iCloud storage.
- Make sure Find My is on. If they’re comfortable with it, share location with a family member.
- Turn on automatic software updates. Updates fix security problems.
7. Leave a cheat sheet
Write down, in large print, how to answer a call, make a call, check voicemail and send a photo. Tape it inside a kitchen cabinet or keep it by their chair. It saves a lot of "how do I…" calls, and builds confidence.
Not sure the iPhone is the right choice for a tablet, too? See choosing a tablet for a senior parent.