GUIDE
We're giving our 90-year-old grandma a spare iPad so she can see the great-grandkids, but even the TV remote is hard for her. How do we make video calls one tap?
By the seenow! teamLast updated:
Turn on Assistive Access in the iPad's Accessibility settings and add only the Calls app. Put two or three family members in Favorites as video contacts, so her first screen shows their faces and one tap starts a call. Set it up in person and keep the Assistive Access passcode yourself.
WHY
Why this happens
A spare iPad seems like an easy gift: a bigger screen than a phone, and everyone else in the family already video calls. But a regular iPad Home Screen is a wall of small icons, notifications and pop-ups. For a 90-year-old who finds the TV remote confusing, every extra choice is a chance to end up somewhere she did not mean to go, and then the tablet goes into a drawer.
She does not need a smartphone for this to work. The tablet needs Wi-Fi at her home and an Apple Account of its own, and the family needs to reach her by that account. What she needs from the screen is much smaller: see who is calling, tap to answer, and tap one face to call back.
iPads have a built-in mode for exactly this, called Assistive Access. It replaces the Home Screen with a few large buttons for the apps you choose, and the person who sets it up, which Apple calls a trusted supporter, decides who can call and be called.
| Setting | What to choose for her |
|---|---|
| Apps | Calls only, at first. Add Photos later if she asks |
| Layout | Grid, for larger buttons with pictures |
| Make Calls To | Favorite contacts only |
| Receive Calls From | Contacts, so a cousin calling from a new device can still reach her |
| Favorites | Two or three people, each added as Video, with a clear photo |
| Show Notification Badges | On, so a missed call shows on the Lock Screen |
Source: Apple Support, Assistive Access User Guide for iPad: Set up and use Calls with Assistive Access
HOW TO
What you can do starting today
Prepare the iPad before you hand it overNo app needed
Update the iPad, connect it to her Wi-Fi, and sign it in to an Apple Account that belongs to her, not to the relative who used it before. Apple's setup guide says the account shown should be the account of the person who will use Assistive Access. In her Contacts, add the family members she will call, with a recent photo of each face. A photo of the great-grandkids is easier to recognize than a name.
Source: Apple Support, Assistive Access User Guide for iPad: Set up Assistive Access
Turn on Assistive Access with only the Calls appNo app needed
Go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Assistive Access, and follow the setup. Choose the Grid layout and add the Calls app. Set Make Calls To to favorite contacts only. Then add favorites: select a contact, choose Video, and pick the address the family uses for video calls. Those faces appear on the first screen when she opens Calls, so a single tap on a face starts a video call.
Source: Apple Support, Assistive Access User Guide for iPad: Set up and use Calls with Assistive Access / Apple Support, Assistive Access User Guide for iPad: Set up Assistive Access
Keep the passcodes simple for her and safe for youNo app needed
Assistive Access has its own passcode, separate from the iPad's. It is needed to leave the mode or change settings, which is what keeps her from ending up in the regular screen. Write it down for yourself and one other relative, and set up a recovery Apple Account during setup. Apple notes that without one, a forgotten passcode means resetting the iPad.
Source: Apple Support, Assistive Access User Guide for iPad: Enter and exit Assistive Access
Practice answering, hanging up and calling backNo app needed
Ending a call takes two taps on purpose: End Call, then End Call again to confirm. Declining also takes two taps. Practice each one with her a few times while you are there. Then leave, call her from your car, and let her answer on her own. If it works once without you in the room, it will usually keep working.
Source: Apple Support, Assistive Access User Guide for iPad: Set up and use Calls with Assistive Access
WITH SEENOW!
Doing it with seenow!
seenow! is a separate family app for short daily clips in a private group. Video calls on her tablet do not need it. If the family later wants her to see everyday moments between calls, keep it to one small addition.
- The app has two main actions, take and watch, and family members get a notification when someone posts. A relative near her could check it with her during a visit before you decide whether to add it to her tablet.
What seenow! can’t do
- seenow! does not make video calls, and it is not built into Assistive Access's simple layout. For her, the Calls setup above comes first.
Core features are free.
POINT
Things to watch for in this situation
Ask her who she wants on the first screen
Two or three faces she knows well are easier than eight. Ask her who she would like to call, and add more people only after she is comfortable.
Agree on calling times as a family
A tablet that rings at dinner, at nap time or late at night can be startling. Pick a regular time with her, and let relatives in other time zones know it in her local time.
Leave a card next to the tablet
A short note in large print, such as "Tap a face to call. Tap End Call two times to stop," and where the charger goes, helps on the days she forgets.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does my grandmother need a smartphone to video call on an iPad?
No. The iPad needs Wi-Fi and its own Apple Account. Family members call her at the address on that account, and she answers on the tablet.
What if she accidentally leaves the simple screen?
Leaving Assistive Access requires a triple-click of the Home or top button and the Assistive Access passcode, so it is hard to do by accident. Keep that passcode with the family, not on her card.