4 Best Cellphones for Older Adults in 2024

We like that the Jitterbug Smart4 combines standard smartphone perks such as internet browsing, apps, email, video calls, and a high-quality camera, with accessibility features. Some of our favorite accessibility features:

• Simplified, list-based navigation menu
• Hearing aid compatibility
• Large screen and text
• Speech-to-text
• Live call captions

You can decide how customized or simple to make your Smart4. Download your favorite apps on Google Play, such as Facebook, your local weather app, and more—or keep your smartphone straightforward with only these apps: phone, text messaging, camera and photos, web browser, email, maps, and Google Assistant.

Lively offers additional emergency and wellness features for the Jitterbug Smart4 and Flip2, allowing your phone to double as a medical alert system. The three plans:

• Basic: Unlimited talk and text, Lively customer support, Lively Rides ($19.99 per month)
• Preferred: Everything in the basic plan, plus Urgent Response 24/7 monitoring and Lively Link caregiver notification ($39.99 per month)
• Premium: Everything in the preferred plan, plus Care Advocate and Nurse On-Call ($49.99 per month)

You must choose one of the above monthly plans with your Jitterbug phone. One drawback is you’ll need to pay for a data plan on top of the above packages if you’re interested in using apps, like email, online browsing, maps, and social media, without a Wi-Fi connection. Data plans start at $5 per month for one gigabyte and go up to $30 per month for unlimited data.

Ease of Use

While some users may like the large screen (the length of two credit cards), it may be more difficult for others to navigate and hold the Smart4. Weight is an important feature to consider when shopping for phones for older adults, especially if the user has dexterity issues or limited mobility. The Jitterbug Smart4 weighs almost 7 ounces, which is heavier for phones. For reference, the iPhone 14 is 6.07 ounces.

The Google Assistant app allows you to make calls, send text messages, check the weather, and ask general knowledge questions with your voice. Use this hands-free feature by saying, “Hey Google,” followed by a question or command.

Like all cellphones in this review, you can keep your same phone number when switching to a Jitterbug phone. We also like that you have the option to activate your Jitterbug phone online or by phone.

Keep in mind if you’re switching to the Smart4 from an iPhone or other smartphone, it may take some time to learn the new layout and button placements.

Kate V., based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, purchased the Jitterbug Smart3 (discontinued but available until stock is gone) for her mother and found that the learning curve was difficult since her mother was familiar with an iPhone.

She gave the example of her mother pressing the side button, thinking it was similar to an iPhone “wake” button, but instead, she was turning the ringer volume down.

“If the person has previously used an iPhone and has memory loss, switching to a Jitterbug smartphone may be confusing and counterintuitive,” Kate said.

The Verve Snap from Consumer Cellular is a simple flip phone with helpful accessibility features and, most notably, no internet access. We recommend the Verve Snap if you’re interested in calling and texting close friends and family—and nothing else. Here are some of our favorite accessibility features:

• Simple, list-based navigation menu
• Backlit, large keypad
• Hearing aid compatibility
• Phone call captions
• Display color management

Like most flip phones, you can still take pictures and videos on the Verve Snap. We also like the “Favorites” button at the bottom of the keypad that allows you to access your top contacts quickly.

The Verve Snap has the lowest one-time equipment fee in our review, and Consumer Cellular even offers financing if you’d like to pay for your cellphone over time. AARP member discounts are also available.

You can also add the following features to your Verve Snap cellphone:

• Protection plan: You can make up to three claims in a 12-month period and get unlimited battery replacements ($3 per month).

• Roadside assistance: Receive vehicle towing (up to 10 miles), fuel delivery (up to 3 gallons), jump starts, stuck vehicle assistance, flat tire service, and lockout service ($3 per month).

Ease of use

The Verve Snap weighs slightly less than a baseball, making it one of the lightest phones on this list. Users with dexterity or mobility issues may find it easier to navigate and hold this phone for longer periods of time. We also like the rubber keypad and textured back of the phone to help keep your fingers and thumb from slipping.

A charging cradle is available as an add-on for $29, but we wish it came with the Verve Snap like it does with the Jitterbug Flip2.

The Jitterbug Flip2 offers the simplicity of a flip phone paired with voice-assistance technology through Amazon Alexa. Make calls, send text messages, and ask questions by saying, “Alexa,” followed by your question or command. This voice assistant distinguishes the Jitterbug Flip2 from other flip phones and is an easier way to navigate your phone with your voice.

The Flip2 also offers the following accessibility features:

• Backlit, large keypad
• Compatibility with hearing aids
• High volume setting
• Read-aloud menu setting

We like that the Flip2 doesn’t require a monthly data plan. While opting out of a data plan saves you $5–$30 per month, keep in mind without a data plan you can’t access Amazon Alexa unless your phone has a Wi-Fi connection.

On top of the one-time equipment fee, you’ll choose one of the three Lively plans mentioned in the Jitterbug Smart4 section. Each monthly plan has unlimited talk and text, and you can add extra health and safety features to enhance your Flip2 phone.

GPS location trackingⓘ GPS technology uses satellites to provide users with positioning, navigation, and timing services. Examples include driving directions and realtime weather conditions. isn’t available with the Lively Basic plan. If location tracking is a priority, you can purchase the preferred or premium plan—both have 24/7 monitoring and location tracking.

See our full Jitterbug review to learn more about Lively Jitterbug phone safety features.

Ease of use

One of our Reviews Team’s favorite accessibility features is the read-aloud setting, which reads the navigation menu aloud as you scroll through your Flip2. This is especially helpful for users with low vision.

We also like that the Flip2 has a charging dock and a standard charging cord. The charging dock may be easier to use than a cord for those with limited dexterity, mobility issues, or low vision. The phone also beeps when charging, giving you verbal confirmation that it’s been placed in the charging dock correctly.

The RAZ Memory Cellphone is one of the only cellphones specifically designed for users with dementia. The touch-screen phone features one screen with six contact names and photos, allowing users to call a family member or friend by pressing and holding the contact icon. To keep things even simpler, the RAZ phone only makes and receives calls—other features, like text messaging, a camera, and internet access, are not available.

The phone also has the following accessibility features:

• Volume always at maximum
• Hearing aid compatible
• Verbal cues to confirm charging
• Verbal announcements for incoming calls
• Low vision mode and tremor mode: The six contact pictures are replaced with two contact icons in large text only, and the 911, Answer, and Hang-Up buttons are enlarged

“The press and hold access method is genius,” said Christoper Norman, a geriatric nurse practitioner based in New York state. “The cognitive processing speed and reaction times in people with cognitive impairment (generally) make a person more prone to press and hold rather than a simple tap as many of us are accustomed to with electronic device use.”

The RAZ Memory phone is known for its simplicity. While it’s specifically designed for users with dementia, the basic one-screen layout is fitting for anyone who prefers a no-frills phone that only makes calls. The default layout fits six contacts, but you can add up to 30 contacts.

If your care recipient has made false alarm calls to 911 in the past, you may consider adding the RAZ Emergency Service to their phone. Verified monitoring agents intercept any calls to 911 from the RAZ phone and immediately text designated contacts asking if they should dispatch emergency services. We verified with a customer service representative that if none of the emergency contacts answer this text, the agent decides whether or not to send emergency services based on the situation.

The RAZ Emergency Service is available as a yearly subscription ($99.99) or monthly subscription ($9.99, plus a one-time $20 activation fee).

Ease of use

The RAZ Memory phone is designed to be as simple as possible to use. We like that the single home screen never locks or sleeps. This “always-on mode” means the six contact names and photos are constantly displayed, so the user doesn’t need to unlock their phone or “wake it up” by pressing the screen to use it. A customer service representative warned us that this drains the battery more quickly than standard phones, meaning the user or caregiver will need to charge it every day since the battery lasts about 12 hours.

To make the RAZ phone even easier for your care recipient to use, you can manage the phone with the Remote Manage app. You can do the following in the app:

• Create and edit contacts
• Send reminders to the user’s phone
• Schedule hours the user can’t place calls
• Monitor the phone’s location
• Check battery level and cellular network signal
• Restrict incoming spam calls

The Remote Manage app is available to download in the App Store or Google Play.

Keep in mind every type of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, Lewy body dementiaⓘ In this type of dementia, protein deposits called Lewy bodies develop in the brain’s nerve cells. Symptoms include cognitive problems, visual hallucinations, and movement disorders , and vascular dementiaⓘ Vascular dementia, which is caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow to the brain, is characterized by problems with reasoning, judgment, memory, and other thought processes. , progresses differently. The type and stage of your care recipient’s dementia may affect how easy or difficult it is for them to adapt and use the RAZ Memory cellphone.

Norman emphasized that the device needs to fit the person using it. “What works at one stage of dementia may not work in the next or later stages of dementia,” he said.