More and more elderly people are encouraged to use new technologies to keep in touch with their loved ones. However, mobile applications are not always as intuitive as developers believe. And things get more complicated if the user is not a digital native.
How to make WhatsApp easier to use for older people
Fortunately, we can make things a little easier for our elders if we apply certain settings to improve the display of the WhatsApp screen. These are the main tricks to simplify the use of the messaging platform as much as possible.
Enlarge font size
Make WhatsApp's font size larger to see it better
One of the main barriers for older people is the small font size of the screen. However, on Android, you can increase the font size from the device settings menu or from WhatsApp. Just follow these steps:
- Tap the three dots icon in the main menu and select Settings.
- Tap on Chats.
- Go to Font Size and select Large.
- If this is not enough, look for the Text Size section in the device settings menu.
Pin the most important chats to the top
Pin the chats of your favorite contacts with this icon
WhatsApp lets us pin the most important contacts at the top so that they can be accessed more quickly and are always at hand. When dealing with elderly people, it would be ideal to pin down those conversations with close relatives, emergency contacts, or even emergency services. To do so, just do this:
- Keep your finger pressed on the chat you want to leave on the main menu screen of the app.
- Tap the pushpin icon at the top of the screen.
Adding a shortcut to the most important contacts
Related to the previous point, WhatsApp also lets us create shortcuts to our favorite contacts on the desktop of the device. It is as easy as doing this:
- Leave your finger tapped on the contact.
- Tap the three dots icon in the main menu.
- Choose Create shortcut and give the corresponding system permissions.
Enable automatic updates
Automatic updates guarantee that we are always going to have the latest version of the app
Many times, when an app does not work properly, it is because we do not have the latest version installed. To avoid this problem and avoid headaches for the elderly, it is advisable to always keep the app up to date by leaving automatic updates enabled. It is done as follows:
- Open the Google Play Store app.
- Tap the avatar that appears in the top bar and select Settings.
- Tap on Network Preferences and leave Automatically update applications checked.
- Choose whether you want them to be updated on any network or only over wifi.
Place the WhatsApp icon in a clearly visible area on the desktop
The clearer the desktop of the phone, the easier it will be to use. To make it easier to use for the elderly, it is advisable to select only the essential icons, placing the WhatsApp icon in a prominent place.
Enable automatic downloads
Enabling automatic downloads helps us to download photos, videos, audios, and documents automaticall
To simplify the use of WhatsApp, another thing we can do is to enable automatic file downloads, including photos, videos, audio, and documents. This step runs the risk of filling up the memory of the device too quickly, but it greatly simplifies its use. It works as follows:
- Tap the three dots icon in the main menu and select Settings.
- Go to Storage and data.
- Go to Download with mobile data or Download with WiFi (or both) and check all options.
Prevent WhatsApp downloads from being mixed with other photos
Hiding WhatsApp files in the gallery can help us not to mix our photos with the files downloaded thr
When enabling automatic downloading of WhatsApp content, the gallery of the phone will probably be filled with images and videos that we do not want to be mixed with family photos. To keep both types of files separate, just follow these steps:
- Tap the three dots icon in the main menu and select Settings.
- Got o Chats.
- Uncheck the Media file visibility checkbox.
Adjusting the privacy settings
From WhatsApp's privacy menu we can choose who can see our account's personal information
It is advisable to customize the privacy settings so that your personal data is only visible to your contacts. It is done as follows:
- Tap the three dots icon in the main menu and select Account.
- Go to Privacy.
- Choose My Contacts from all the Who can see my personal information options.
Activate backups
Google Drive allows us to store a free backup of our WhatsApp account
WhatsApp backups can be used to save messages, photos, videos, and anything we have received or sent. To avoid losing anything, it is advisable to activate daily backups through your Gmail email account. To do so, follow these steps:
- Tap the three dots icon in the main menu and select Settings.
- Go to Chats and search for Backup.
- Tap Save to Google Drive and choose Daily.
