GUIDE

Every new way of sharing photos needs setting up, and I live too far to show my mom. How do I help from here?

By the seenow! teamLast updated:

Stop switching methods: choose one way to share photos and stay with it. Then teach it from a distance with a screen recording of your own phone doing each step, which she can replay as often as she likes, plus a printed card by her phone. Save anything that needs her passwords for an in-person visit.

WHY

Why this happens

The problem is often not your mom. It is the turnover. One year the family uses a shared album, the next year a new app, then a group thread. Each switch brings a new download, a new account, a new password and new buttons. For someone who learned the last method by repetition, every change wipes out that progress, and you are a phone call away, trying to describe a screen you cannot see.

She is far from alone. In a 2017 Pew Research Center report, 48% of adults 65 and older said that when they get a new device, they usually need someone else to set it up or show them how to use it. AARP's 2019 Grandparents Today survey found that 39% of grandmothers and 36% of grandfathers say keeping up with technology is difficult.

Phone help from a distance usually breaks down in the same place: "Tap the button on the top right." "Which one?" You each picture a different screen, and both of you end up frustrated. The fix is to let her see exactly what you see, at her own pace, and to cut down how often she has to learn something new.

HOW TO

What you can do starting today

  1. Pick one method and promise not to change itNo app needed

    Sit down with your siblings or partner and choose the single way that photos of the kids will reach your mom. Tell her it will stay the same. Fewer methods mean fewer things to forget, and a promise of no more switching lowers the pressure of learning this one.

  2. Record your own screen doing each stepNo app needed

    On iPhone, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, touch and hold the gray Record button to turn on the microphone, then tap Record and wait for the countdown. On Android, swipe down twice from the top of the screen, tap Screen record, choose to record audio and show touches, and tap Start. Walk through one task, such as opening the photos, while you explain out loud. Send her the video by text message. She can pause and replay it as many times as she wants, without feeling that she is bothering you.

    Source: Apple Support: Record the screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch / Android Help: Take a screenshot or record your screen on your Android device

  3. Make one short video per taskNo app needed

    Keep each recording to one job: "How to open the new photos," "How to make a video bigger." A 30-second clip she can find again is more useful than a ten-minute tour she watches once.

  4. Leave a printed card by her phoneNo app needed

    Write the three or four steps she uses most in large print on a card, with the name of the app or button exactly as it appears on her screen. Tape it near where she charges her phone. When she gets stuck, the card is the first stop, and you are the second.

  5. Save passwords and account setup for a visitNo app needed

    Anything involving her passwords or account settings is easier and safer to do side by side. Keep a short list of these jobs and do them on your next visit, or ask a trusted relative who lives near her to help.

WITH SEENOW!

Doing it with seenow!

seenow! is a family app for sharing short videos, about 2 seconds a day. If your family is choosing its one method, it is designed to need as little teaching as possible.

  • The app has two main actions, take and watch, so there are only a few things to learn and your screen recording can be very short.
  • To join, she opens an invite link you send her by text message.
  • The basic features are free with no monthly fee, so there is no subscription for her to manage.

What seenow! can’t do

  • You cannot set up seenow! on her phone from your phone. She still needs to install the app and open the invite link herself, so the screen recording and printed card above still matter.

POINT

Things to watch for in this situation

Don't take over her phone without asking

It is tempting to change her settings during a visit so things are easier for you to explain. Tell her what you are changing and why, and leave anything she likes the way it is. It is her phone.

Let her say what she wants to learn

She may only want to see new photos, not take or send them. Teach that first and stop there. More features can wait until she asks.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I show my mom what to do over a video call?

You can, but it is hard to point at buttons on her screen. Many people find a recording of their own screen, sent ahead of time, easier to follow, because she can pause it and try each step while watching.

What if she still can't do it after watching the video?

Ask her which step stops her and record a new clip just for that one. If it involves passwords, put it on the list for your next visit.