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Simple phone screens for older people: five options compared

If a parent has stopped calling because the phone is in the way, you have more than one option — and only some of them mean buying anything.

The five below solve the same problem in different ways: a built-in setting, a launcher that replaces the home screen, two dedicated devices, and a web app that adds one icon. Which one fits depends on the phone they already have and on whether you can hold it in your hands.

How this list was put together

Each entry names the platform it runs on, how it is paid for, the situation it fits and what it cannot do. BabushkApp is one of the five and is listed with its limits, not as the answer. Prices change often, so they are described in kind rather than in numbers — check the vendor before you buy.

  • Samsung Easy Mode

    Runs on
    Samsung Galaxy phones only.
    Cost
    Free — already in the phone settings.
    Fits when
    They have a Galaxy phone and the trouble is mainly small text and small icons.
    Cannot do
    Enlarges the standard screen; it does not give one button per person, and it opens no chat directly.

  • BIG Launcher

    Runs on
    Android only — not available on iPhone.
    Cost
    Paid app, one-off; a limited free version exists.
    Fits when
    They use Android and you can set the phone up yourself, with the phone in your hands.
    Cannot do
    Replaces the whole home screen, which some people find disorienting, and its buttons dial rather than open a WhatsApp or Telegram chat.

  • RAZ Memory Cell Phone

    Runs on
    Its own phone — you buy the device.
    Cost
    Device purchase plus a monthly mobile plan.
    Fits when
    Memory loss is advanced, and every extra choice on a screen causes trouble. Relatives manage the contacts remotely.
    Cannot do
    Means a new phone and a new number to learn, and ties you to one supplier.

  • GrandPad

    Runs on
    Its own tablet.
    Cost
    Subscription that includes the device and data.
    Fits when
    You want photos, video calls and email in one simplified place, and a subscription is acceptable.
    Cannot do
    A tablet is not a phone in a pocket, and the service stops when the subscription does.

  • BabushkApp

    Runs on
    iPhone and Android, in the browser — added to the home screen as one icon.
    Cost
    Free, no account.
    Fits when
    They keep the phone they already have, and each button should open one thing: a call, an SMS, a WhatsApp or Telegram chat. You can set it up on your own phone and send the buttons as a link.
    Cannot do
    It does not replace the home screen — they can still leave it. Buttons live in that phone’s browser, so save a copy. It is not an emergency or monitoring service.

Which one to start with

  • On an iPhone, launchers are not an option at all — iOS does not allow replacing the home screen. That leaves the built-in accessibility settings, a web app icon, or a separate device.
  • On Android you can try the free route first: Easy Mode if the text is the problem, a one-screen app if choosing the right chat is the problem.
  • Buy hardware when the phone itself has become the obstacle — when notifications, updates and stray taps undo whatever you set up.

Start with what costs nothing. If a simpler screen on the current phone is enough, you will know within a week, and a dedicated device is still there if it is not.

Checked in August 2026.

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