Simple settings to make your Android phone easier to use

Small adjustments to your phone can make a real difference, and changing just one setting may be enough. This guide covers dark mode, a plain contrasting background, screen brightness, text size, bold text, screen zoom, larger app icons, keyboard contrast and size, and switching to a single tap to answer calls. Separate steps are given for Samsung and Google phones, as the menus differ.

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Light/Dark theme.

Simply changing the theme to dark can help if you struggle with the brightness of the white system background.

Samsung

Go to Settings →Display → the simply select Light or Dark mode

Google

Go to Settings → Display and touch → scroll down to appearance → Dark theme → select to turn on

Contrasting Background

This is basically keeping tour phone home and lock screen simple and contrasting. The easiest thing here is a plain black background. This makes it easier to see the time and notifications.

Samsung

Go to Settings → Wallpapers and Style → Change Wallpapers → Gallery (to access camera photos) or Colour’s (for block colour’s)

Google

Go to settings → Wallpapers and style → More wallpapers → Solid colour → Select colour → you will see a preview, at top right of screen select Next → Apply

Screen Brightness

Simply adjusting the brightness levels on your screen can also help you see things more clearly.

Go to Settings → Display → Brightness → adjust slider to desired level

Or you can adjust your brightness using the notification panel at the top of your screen. There is also an Adaptive Brightness setting which will adapt to the light around your phone.

Eye comfort shield – Will limit the blue light and use warmer colours.

Google

Go to Settings → display and touch → Brightness level → move slider to adjust brightness

Adaptive brightness – will automatically adjust screen brightness to your environment. You can manually move brightness slider while adaptive brightness is on to help learn preferences

Go to Settings → display and touch → adaptive brightness off/on

Night light – Will tint your screen a warmer colour, this can be set to a timer and intensity.

Go to Settings → display and touch → Night Light → use night light off/on

Text size

If you find the default system text too small you can change the size.

Samsung

Go to Settings → Display → Font size and style → and slide along the bar to see which size suits you best.

Google

Go to settings → Display and touch→ Display size and text → Font size → use slider to increase size

Bold Text

Sometimes the text being bolder can make the words easier to read.

Samsung

Go to Settings → Display → Font size and style → Bold font → toggle the button On and Off

Google

Go to Settings → Display and touch → display size and text → Bold text → select to turn on/off

Screen Zoom

If you find the biggest font is not big enough, you can use screen zoom to make the screen larger. Note – some apps may not be optimised for this feature.

Samsung

Go to Settings → Display → Screen Zoom → drag the slider to the right (preview box will show changes)

Google

Go to Settings → Display and touch → Display size and text → Display size → drag the slider across to the right to increase

Apps

You can select grid the size of the app icons. The smaller grid makes the icons bigger.

Samsung

Go to Settings → Home screen → Home screen grid → select size (will preview for you in real time) 4×5  for the bigger icons → Done

Repeat the above action but for the app screen grid. Again 4 x 5 seems to be the biggest.

Google

Go to Settings → Display and touch → Display size and text → Display size → drag the slider across to the right to increase

• Also, with apps you can arrange them on your home screen where you want them, this makes the device easier to navigate if you know where your apps are always going to be.

Keyboard

There are changes you can make to your keyboard so you can see the letters better (Samsung Device other android devices may differ)

Samsung

Go to Settings → General Management → Keyboard → High Contrast Keyboard → Toggle on or off

**Only available on Samsung**

You can also change the keyboard size in the Keyboard sizing and font size.

Samsung

Go to Settings → General Management → Keyboard → Size and Transparency or Font Size

Google

Whilst keyboard is on the screen, along the top of the keyboard on the right, second icon in you will see a  this is the keyboard settings menu → click to open → Theme → select best colours for your vision.

To change the size of the keyboard:

Whilst the keyboard is open, along the top of the keyboard on the left, the first icon you see a  (four small boxes making a square) → click this → you will see a icon which looks like a square made of dashed lines saying Resize beneath → click this → this will highlight the keyboard box and allow you to resize.

Answering calls

You can change settings in your phone to change this action from a swipe to answer to a single tap.

Samsung

Go to Settings → Accessibility → Interaction and Dexterity → Assistant Menu – Replace swipe with single tap (**Note – this will also activate another menu that you may want to utilize**)

This will allow you to single tap to answer your phone, alarms, timers etc.

Google

Open your phone app → At the top left of the screen you will see  which will open a menu → Settings → Incoming call gesture → click on Incoming call gestures → select either Horizontal swipe or single tap

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