Making Text Larger
Small text is one of the most common complaints about smartphones. Both iPhone and Android let you increase the text size throughout the entire phone.
- 1On iPhone: go to Settings → Display & Brightness → Text Size. Drag the slider to the right to make text larger. For even larger text, go to Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Larger Text and turn it on.
- 2On Android: go to Settings → Display → Font size and style (the exact path varies by phone brand). Drag the slider to increase the font size.
Tip: You can also make everything on the screen larger — not just text. On iPhone: Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Larger Text. On Android: Settings → Display → Display size.
Making the Screen Brighter and Easier to See
A brighter screen is easier to read, especially outdoors.
- 1Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings panel.
- 2Find the brightness slider and drag it to the right.
- 3On iPhone, you can also go to Settings → Display & Brightness and adjust the brightness there.
- 4Consider turning on Bold Text: on iPhone, go to Settings → Display & Brightness → Bold Text.
Increasing the Volume
If you find it hard to hear calls or media, there are several ways to increase the volume.
- Press the volume up button on the side of your phone during a call to increase call volume.
- On iPhone: go to Settings → Sounds & Haptics and drag the Ringer and Alerts slider to the right.
- On iPhone: go to Settings → Accessibility → Audio/Visual → Phone Noise Cancellation — turn this on to reduce background noise during calls.
- On Android: go to Settings → Sound and increase the Call volume, Media volume, and Ring volume sliders.
Enabling Magnifier
The Magnifier turns your phone's camera into a magnifying glass — useful for reading small print on labels, menus, or documents.
- 1On iPhone: go to Settings → Accessibility → Magnifier. Turn it on.
- 2To use it: triple-click the side button (or Home button on older iPhones). The camera will open as a magnifier.
- 3On Android: go to Settings → Accessibility → Magnification. Turn it on.
- 4To use it: triple-tap the screen (or use the accessibility shortcut).
Tip: The Magnifier is one of the most useful accessibility features for seniors. It works anywhere — at a restaurant, at the pharmacy, or reading the back of a medicine bottle.
Simplifying the Home Screen
A cluttered home screen with dozens of apps can be overwhelming. Simplifying it makes the phone easier to navigate.
- Remove apps you do not use: press and hold an app icon, then tap Remove App (iPhone) or drag it to the trash (Android).
- Organize apps into folders: press and hold an app, drag it onto another app to create a folder.
- On iPhone: use the App Library (swipe left past all your home screen pages) to access all apps without cluttering the home screen.
- On Android: use a simplified launcher app like Simple Launcher or Big Launcher, which displays large icons and a clean interface.
Enabling Voice Control and Siri/Google Assistant
Voice assistants let you use your phone without typing or tapping small buttons.
- On iPhone: say "Hey Siri" to activate Siri. You can ask it to call someone, send a text, set a reminder, or answer questions.
- On Android: say "Hey Google" to activate Google Assistant.
- To enable: on iPhone, go to Settings → Siri & Search → Listen for "Hey Siri." On Android, open the Google app → Settings → Voice → Voice Match.
Enabling Hearing Aid Compatibility
If you wear hearing aids, your phone has settings to improve compatibility.
- On iPhone: go to Settings → Accessibility → Hearing Devices to pair and manage hearing aids.
- On iPhone: go to Settings → Accessibility → Audio/Visual → Hearing Aid Compatibility — turn this on for better audio quality with hearing aids.
- On Android: go to Settings → Accessibility → Hearing Enhancements for hearing aid and audio settings.