Help choosing phone for elderly lady

freccles

Help needed please. Recommendations for an android smart phone for an elderly lady with very limited mobility. Currently in hospital so contract not needed as she can connect via wifi and keep in touch via Whatsapp which she knows how to do. Needs to be able to facetime or whatever you call it these days!

Emmia

freccles said:

Help needed please. Recommendations for an android smart phone for an elderly lady with very limited mobility. Currently in hospital so contract not needed as she can connect via wifi and keep in touch via Whatsapp which she knows how to do. Needs to be able to facetime or whatever you call it these days!

What's your budget? No contract indicates purchasing a SIM free handset.

Vitor

FaceTime is an Apple service so if that's non-negotiable you'll need an iPhone, not Android. 

flaneurs_lobster

Was going to say get a tablet if you don't need the phone capability (bigger than a phone) but that's more complicated if you want to use WhatsApp since that needs a mobile connection (at least to set it up).

Could your elderly lady use another video messaging service like Google Meet or Zoom?

Abbafan1972

If she uses WhatsApp anyway, there is a video call function on that. 

glennevis

freccles said:

Help needed please. Recommendations for an android smart phone for an elderly lady with very limited mobility. Currently in hospital so contract not needed as she can connect via wifi and keep in touch via Whatsapp which she knows how to do. Needs to be able to facetime or whatever you call it these days!

Let's call it WhatsApp Video Calling so you can ignore references to Apple and iPhones.

If she already uses WhatsApp, which requires a mobile number, then doesn't she already have a smart phone?

When you say very limited mobility do you mean dexterity? Is she looking for a tablet which is larger than a phone? In which case, there are ways to link the two so you can use WhatsApp on a tablet which has no SIM card.

531063

Vitor said:

FaceTime is an Apple service so if that's non-negotiable you'll need an iPhone, not Android. 

Incorrect, you can video call via WhatsApp on a android phone, the OP did say they were unsure of the correct terminology 

Vitor

The OP needs to be sure if FaceTime and/or WhatsApp is being used. 

DREKLY

Hello Glennevis, I am curious to know how it it possible to do this,
Quote --
  you can use WhatsApp on a tablet which has no SIM card.

Report
I have an Android phone with Whatsapp, and also an Amazon Fire tablet,  but have been unable to use W/App on the tablet  🤔

Any ideas how it's done ?

I hope I am not hijacking the thread ... TIA

flaneurs_lobster

DREKLY said:

Hello Glennevis, I am curious to know how it it possible to do this,
Quote --
  you can use WhatsApp on a tablet which has no SIM card.

Report
I have an Android phone with Whatsapp, and also an Amazon Fire tablet,  but have been unable to use W/App on the tablet  🤔

Any ideas how it's done ?

I hope I am not hijacking the thread ... TIA

Only works on a second device (WhatsApp call it a Companion Device) if you can install the WhatsApp app. The Fire app store doesn't have WhatsApp.

You can run WhatsApp in a browser on the Fire and link to your phone's account, bit like having a second screen, not full functionality.

You can "jailbreak" your Fire and install the full Google Play Store, no guarantees if WhatsApp downloaded from there would work and the hacking can brick your tablet if done erroneously.

JSmithy45AD

flaneurs_lobster said:

DREKLY said:

Hello Glennevis, I am curious to know how it it possible to do this,
Quote --
  you can use WhatsApp on a tablet which has no SIM card.

Report
I have an Android phone with Whatsapp, and also an Amazon Fire tablet,  but have been unable to use W/App on the tablet  🤔

Any ideas how it's done ?

I hope I am not hijacking the thread ... TIA

Only works on a second device (WhatsApp call it a Companion Device) if you can install the WhatsApp app. The Fire app store doesn't have WhatsApp.

You can run WhatsApp in a browser on the Fire and link to your phone's account, bit like having a second screen, not full functionality.

You can "jailbreak" your Fire and install the full Google Play Store, no guarantees if WhatsApp downloaded from there would work and the hacking can brick your tablet if done erroneously.

I've sideloaded Whatsapp on the wifes Fire tablet previously and linked it to the sim in her dumb phone. The only issue was that notifications don't always appear so I switched her to FB Messenger instead. No need to jailbreak a Fire tablet for Whatsapp.