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Trying to keep up with technology like mobile phones, tablets, e-readers and computers is a never ending cycle. Just when you think you've got the hang of a gadget or service, something changes or something new comes out. Add that to the deterioration in hearing, eyesight and mobility that some of us experience with getting older and it's no wonder we can sometimes struggle a bit.
So, here are a few resources that you can call on if you need some help or suggestions to make things a bit easier, like adjusting the display or volume settings of your device, setting up voice activation to make it easier to use, getting articles read out to you or sharing your location with family or friends:
The Library
The Library
East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure offer free, one-to-one support sessions and have learning advisors if you need help with smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. Have a look here:
...or pop into our local library and ask about it. They don't do it in Neilston Library but I'm sure they can put you in touch with someone to help you.
Charities
Charities
Age UK - have step-by-step guides on making your smartphone, tablet or computer easier to use. They also offer a downloadable PDF version here.
AbilityNet - offers free in-person I.T. support by phone or home visits, and has lots of online resources to help individuals with any disability and of any age to use all kinds of digital technology.
Independent Age - a UK charity with lots of advice and information for older people trying to get online.
Scope - a disability equality charity in England and Wales that has some useful tips on using your smartphone.
Whatsapp
Whatsapp
Since we use WhatsApp for our group chats, here's a few things that might be useful:
How to format your messages - this'll tell you how to format text as bold, italic, underline, quote or code; or create bulleted or numbered lists.
How to use polls - polls are a simple way to ask questions and get real-time answers.
How to use live location - this'll let you share your location with a contact or group chat.
WhatsApp Tip and Tricks - a PDF cheat sheet for Android and iOS WhatsApp users.
You can see the full range of WhatsApp help topics here: https://faq.whatsapp.com/
Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger
If you use FaceBook Messenger, here's a few things that might be useful:
Polls on Messenger - polls are a simple way to ask questions and get real-time answers.
Send your current live location - this'll let you share your location with a contact or group chat.
Send a pinned location on Messenger - useful for sharing things like places to meet or places of interest.
You can see the full range of FaceBook Messenger help topics here: https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/
Online Safety
Online Safety
Here's a few resources on keeping yourself and your devices safe online:
Ask Silver - a free, AI-powered scam checking tool that lives inside of WhatsApp and is also available via Get Safe Online and Friends Against Scams (both listed below).
CheckMEND - A low-cost way to check the world's largest source of used mobile phone and consumer electronic device history, including data from police, insurers, retailers and networks.
Friends Against Scams - a National Trading Standards Scams Team initiative that aims to protect and prevent people from becoming victims of scams by empowering people to take a stand against scams.
FCA Firm Checker - a Financial Conduct Authority online tool that lets you check if a financial firm is FCA authorised and has permission to provide the services it's offering.
Get Safe Online - provides practical advice on how to protect yourself, your computers and mobiles devices against fraud, identity theft, viruses and many other problems encountered online.
Google Safe Browsing - a free, online utility to let you check if Google thinks a website is currently dangerous to visit.
ICO: For The Public - the Information Commissioner's Office information portal where you can find out about your data protection and information rights including how to make a SAR, how to make an FOI request, home CCTV and data protection, protecting yourself against nuisance marketing and more.
Immobilise - the UK National Property Register, allowing you to record ownership details of your valued possessions, which are are accessible to the police giving you a significantly higher chance of item recovery if lost or stolen.
Malwarebytes Mobile Security App - a free app for Android and iOS that simplifies scam prevention by providing real-time feedback via an easy-to-use AI-powered chat. Just submit a screenshot, paste suspicious content, or share texts and numbers, and it’ll give you immediate personalized guidance and safety tips.
millersmiles.co.uk - an online source of information about spoof email and phishing scams and offers daily reports of new scams that are in circulation.
NCSC Cyber Aware - the UK government's advice on how to stay secure online.
NCSC Email Security Check - a free, online application from the UK National Cyber Security Centre that can be used to identify vulnerabilities pertaining to spoofing in mailing systems and issues related to breaches of privacy.
ScamAdviser - a consumer advice service that lets you check if a website is fake or a scam.
Police Scotland: Scams and Frauds - information on different types of fraud and advice on how you can try to avoid becoming a victim.
Report My Loss - an online service allowing the public to report lost property, a step that is often requested by insurers but cannot always be carried out by police forces.
Scam Spotter - an initiative by Google and the Cybercrime Support Network designed to help people spot the most common patterns used by scammers and offers some practical advice to help you avoid them.
Stop Scams UK - the organization behind the 159 phone number that provides an easy route back to safety when you get an unexpected phone call about a financial matter. 159 works in the same way as 101 for the police or 111 for the NHS. It’s the number you can trust to get you through to your bank safely and securely, every time.
Take Five - To Stop Fraud - a UK campaign that offers straight-forward and impartial advice to help everyone protect themselves from preventable financial fraud.
Think Before You Link - a free app for Android and iOS from the National Protective Security Authority (the UK Government's technical authority on physical and personnel security).
Telephone Preference Service - a free opt out service enabling you to record your preference on the official register and not receive unsolicited sales or marketing calls to your landline or mobile in the UK.
Trading Standards Scotland Scam Share - a weekly newsletter and podcast keeping you up to date with the latest phone, email, doorstep and online scams affecting Scottish consumers.
Which? Scam Alerts - a newsletter that keeps you informed about current and ongoing scams.
Which? Scam Sharer - an online scam reporting tool from Which? magazine.
Who Called Me? - a free UK service that helps you to avoid nuisance calls and scams.
Scanning
Scanning
If you've got a mobile phone with a camera, then that can make it a very useful document or photo scanning tool to, for example:
Store copies of bills, invoices, receipts, letters, travel documents, permits, etc.
Digitize printed photos and then edit or enhance them.
Use OCR (optical character recognition) to extract text from documents or images for editing, use elsewhere or translation to another language.
Scan QR Codes.
If you store your scans online, then you can share them with others like friends and family or even extract any text from them. Here are some useful starting points:
Adobe Scan - Adobe's document scanning app for Android or iOS. It uses AI to correct image perspective, sharpen handwritten or printed text and remove glares and shadows. With OCR, you can convert scanned documents into editable, searchable PDF files instantly.
Google Drive - Google's cloud storage app or Android and iOS has a built-in document scanner and, if you open a scanned document or image in Google Drive, you can then use OCR to extract any text.
Google PhotoScan - an app for Android and iOS that makes scanning physical photos easy, even glossy prints or those under glass. It stitches multiple images together to remove glare and has automatic edge detection, perspective correction, and smart rotation.
Google Lens - An app for Android that will let you extract and translate text using your phone camera. It can even describe what you're looking at, identify plants and animals, help with homework and more.
Microsoft OneDrive - Microsoft's cloud storage app for Android and iOS has a built-in document scanner that can turn your paper documents, receipts, whiteboards, and even ID cards into PDFs and it'll let you extract text from them, even that in images. Here's how:
If you're fixed on only using Apple tools, then you can use the Apple Notes or Apple Files apps to scan and you can use the camera to extract or translate text and scan QR Codes. Here's how:
You can also use your phone's camera to scan QR Codes. Here's how:
NB: All of the above solutions are either free or have free plans with no functional restrictions.
Others
Others
Here are a few more useful online resources about making things easier for older folks:
Sharing your mobile device's location can be a useful thing to set up if you're prone to wandering or getting lost so here are guides on how to set that up:
If you know of any similar technology-oriented sites or apps not shown here, then please e-mail the details to neilstonmensgroup@gmail.com
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