Phone for old person

[Flyingfemme]

My mother had a PAYG (with another network) on an old Razr. She knew it and was able to use it. Earlier this year I set her up with an EE subscription so she wouldn't run out of minutes - dementia means she cannot manage a topup any more and I was worried about her.
After a very fraught week it turned out that new SIMs do not work with 2g phones, so I had to buy her a new one. The choice of "old person" phones (simple with big buttons) is not very wide and many being sold are still 2g.................I found one that works on 4g but she refuses to use it, says it "doesn't work" and she will not charge it or carry it. Consequently she is in danger from multiple health conditions and being out of touch. It is not a flip phone, so does not look familiar, and requires an extra button press to unlock, which she cannot get to grips with.

Two questions - exactly which protocols do the newly issued EE SIMs work on (3g?, 4g?) and does anybody know of an "old person" flip phone that I can buy for her?

It seems ridiculous that the phones they are selling for people in difficulties are still so complex. They don't need fancy cameras, radios, email - just a phone and, maybe, a text. But they need to work on modern protocols for when SIM card are renewed or replaced!

[Northerner]

Hi @Flyingfemme 

EE will be shutting down their 2/3G networks next year. As a result you want a 4G phone.

As for phones Doro provide 4G flip phones and they are feature phones designed for the elderly. They are cheap as well. Search Argos, Amazon. 

Thanks 

[Flyingfemme]

Thanks for the info.

There only seems to be one flip phone that works on 4g and it doesn't get good reviews on Amazon. Unreliable is not much good since I live 3 hours away and cannot "pop round" to fix problems. And £95 for the simplest phone!

The phone she currently has is dual SIM compatible - a total own goal because she only has one SIM so it always says "insert SIM" on the screen. She thinks something is wrong and, with dementia, it happens every time she picks the phone up!

[Schockwave]

@Flyingfemme , it should not do that, unless she has not inserted the SIM card or it is not properly inserted. The same would be for E-Sim, this should not happen, not heard anyone else having this problem. I have a physical SIM card, but can also have an E-Sim, if I want or instead of the physical SIM card, and have never seen that come up. What phone does she have?

I knew 3G was being shut down, did not know that 2G as well.

[Flyingfemme]

It's a Nokia 105 4G. The SIM that I put in works fine. But the constant "insert SIM" message throws Mum every time. That and the need to press another button to unlock it.

The 2G/3G being phased out was a surprise to me - especially since lots of these type of phones are still being sold for older people. I only found out that new SIM cards don't have 2G/3G capability at all after I had set up the new account and got a new card. Would never have bothered if I had been told...........I even had the old phone with me and was waving it around when I was enquiring about monthly accounts.

[Northerner]

Hi @Flyingfemme 

https://www.doro.com/en-gb/products/mobile-phones/

There are a few phones. You can check them on Amazon etc. Unfortunately they won't de cheap as they are SIM free. As for that message you can likely deactivate one SIM under the network settings.

@Schockwave 

https://www.reuters.com/technology/britains-bt-phase-out-3g-next-two-years-it-ramps-5g-2021-07-14/

Thanks 

[bristolian]

There are no current plans to remove 2G, new kit is still being installed.

EE SIM's are not technology-specific and will work on any radio layer that's available. They're not "G"-specific.

[Schockwave]

@Flyingfemme not sure, but are not able to make sure that it automatically unlocks? I presume that one does not have Face ID either or Touch ID, that would have made it easier for her. You may have to take a look at the settings to see why it asks for her to insert the SIM card, could be a fault with it. You may also find instructions for that phone online.

[Schockwave]

@Northerner , thank you for that, lifelines run on 2G, I believe, so when 2G is switched off, they will have to be replaced, but it looks like there is still time before that.

I will send my sister the link for Doro phones, as her husband will be moving from Virgin to EE at some point and will want a new phone, not sure what whether this will suit, but food for thought!

[Flyingfemme]

It will auto unlock when receiving calls but not for making them.

Can't do anything about the dual SIM from 160 miles away. And she has lost it now anyway (maybe).

A smartfone is not a good idea for so many reasons............she has an old iPad that I set up so she could get emails without the PC (that she cannot work any more) and use Facetime. But in 2 years she still cannot remember how to use that, even though I go through it with her every visit.

Old people are just not able to learn new stuff or retain information when they have dementia. We need a way to keep things relevant for them so their long term memory can still be used.

Dual SIMs, flashlights, radios, cameras are all extraneous rubbish that distract from the purpose of the tool.