On an iPhone:<\/strong> Tap and hold on the home screen until the icons wiggle, then drag them around to rearrange or tap the X to uninstall them.<\/p>\n One of the best things you can do is place shortcuts on the home screen to make it easier for them to call or message their closest contacts with a single tap.<\/p>\n On an Android phone:<\/strong> Tap and hold on the home screen and select Widgets<\/em>, choose the Browse<\/em> tab, then scroll down to Contacts<\/em>, choose Direct dial<\/em>, and select a contact. You can place the shortcut anywhere on the home screen, and they can call that person simply by tapping it. You can add Direct message<\/em> shortcuts in the same way.<\/p>\n On an iPhone:<\/strong> Use the Shortcuts<\/em> app. If you create a folder for the home screen, you can potentially add multiple shortcuts. You can tap the plus (+) icon at the top right to add a new shortcut, search for or scroll down to Phone<\/em> or FaceTime<\/em>, tap on it again, then tap Contact<\/em> and pick the contact you want to add. Tap at the top and choose Rename<\/em> to give the shortcut a name, choose the icon, and Add to Home Screen.<\/em> You can also tap and hold on the home screen until the icons wiggle and tap Edit<\/em> at the top left, then Add Widget<\/em>, and choose Contacts<\/em>, then select the contact you want to add, but this will require an extra tap when they want to call.<\/p>\n Call contact shortcut on Android<\/p>\n <\/span>Screenshots: Simon Hill<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n With Android phones, you can change the \u201clauncher,\u201d which determines the look of the whole interface, including things like app icons and font size.<\/p>\n Samsung phones<\/a> have an alternative launcher called Easy Mode built in. To toggle it on, go to Settings<\/em>, Display<\/em>, and choose Easy Mode<\/em>. There are loads of alternative Android launchers that you can install, and several simplify the phone experience with big icons. Simple Launcher<\/a>, Big Launcher<\/a>, or Senior Home<\/a> are all worth a look.<\/p>\n To make the font more readable, you can increase its size. There are loads of other handy smartphone features for folks with vision loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n On an Android phone:<\/strong> Go to Settings<\/em>, Display and touch<\/em>, and choose Display size and text<\/em>, then drag the slider to adjust. You can also get there via Settings<\/em>, Accessibility<\/em>, then Display size and text<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nAdd Shortcuts for Useful Tasks or Apps<\/h2>\n
![\"Screenshots](\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/694b0816783521992c968ea5\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/How%2520to%2520Set%2520Up%2520a%2520Smartphone%2520for%2520Elders%2520-%2520Call%2520Contact%2520Shortcut%2520Android%2520Steps%25201-3%2520Reviewer%2520Screenshots%2520SOURCE%2520Simon%2520Hill.jpg\"\/)
<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\nConsider a Simple Launcher (Android Only)<\/h2>\n
Increase the Font Size<\/h2>\n