Living Well at Home UKClear, practical guidance for later life
Equipment guide

By Does Your Duck Quack

Easier-to-use phones

Compare big buttons, clear sound, photo dialling and simpler phones. Check hearing-aid access, sight-loss features and digital landline arrangements.

Checked: 18 October 2026 · Next review: 18 April 2027 · Applies to: UK, with nation notes
How this guide was prepared

Purpose: urgent guidance · Level: detailed

Checked by: Does Your Duck Quack. Sources are linked below; seek professional advice for individual circumstances.

The short answer

What to do first

Compare big buttons, clear sound, photo dialling and simpler phones. Check hearing-aid access, sight-loss features and digital landline arrangements.

Start here: Make a short list of essential tasks: answer an incoming call, contact a familiar person, dial a new number, end the conversation and check a missed call. Ask which existing actions feel comfortable and which have become frustrating. Try adjusting the current phone’s available settings before deciding what to replace. Include the person in choosing the size, layout and location of a new handset. During a demonstration, ask them to repeat the task without coaching and describe any obstacle. Compare the experience with their current routine, rather than counting features. Keep written notes about what worked so another relative does not have to repeat the whole selection process.

Do not wait: If the phone or connected alarm no longer works as expected, report the problem to the relevant service and ask what interim arrangement they can provide. Tell them about hearing, sight, mobility or communication needs, and request instructions in a format the person can use. Keep the agreed support contact somewhere accessible.

Visual guides

See the decision at a glance

Choose a phone the person can use
  1. Handle itTry answering, entering numbers and finding a saved contact.
  2. Hear and see itCompare speech clarity, call alerts, contrast and spoken feedback.
  3. Check the connectionAsk about digital service, connected alarms and backup arrangements.
  4. Plan supportAgree setup, charging, costs and help with later changes.

Scope of this guide

This guide helps you understand the options and questions to ask. It is not personal medical, legal or financial advice. Check the official sources for your nation and seek qualified help for high-stakes decisions.

If someone may be in immediate danger

Call 999 for a life-threatening emergency. For an urgent problem that is not clearly life-threatening, use the official NHS urgent-care route for the UK nation you are in. Have the address, symptoms, onset time, medicines and allergies ready.

Who this guide is for

Older people finding their phone hard to handle, hear or see, and relatives helping them choose a more accessible phone.

Choose a phone around the person who will make and answer calls. Start by finding out whether the difficulty is seeing a number, pressing a key, hearing speech, remembering a sequence or managing charging. Try the everyday tasks together before changing the handset. A larger keypad may help with one difficulty while leaving another unresolved. Include any hearing aid, usual glasses and preferred contacts in the demonstration, and ask the landline provider about digital migration before buying replacement home-phone equipment.

What to do now

1. Decide what the person needs to do

Make a short list of essential tasks: answer an incoming call, contact a familiar person, dial a new number, end the conversation and check a missed call. Ask which existing actions feel comfortable and which have become frustrating. Try adjusting the current phone’s available settings before deciding what to replace. Include the person in choosing the size, layout and location of a new handset. During a demonstration, ask them to repeat the task without coaching and describe any obstacle. Compare the experience with their current routine, rather than counting features. Keep written notes about what worked so another relative does not have to repeat the whole selection process.

2. Compare corded, cordless and mobile options

Consider a corded handset that stays beside its base, a cordless handset with a charging base, or a simple mobile for calls away from home. Try lifting, holding and replacing each option. Ask about charging, locating the handset and recognising whether it is ready for use. For a mobile, check the service and reception where it will normally be used, and ask for a demonstration of its menus. Photo dialling links a picture button with a stored contact. Some mobile help buttons call or text stored numbers; ask exactly whom the button contacts, how it is set up and what happens without a reply. Discuss the arrangement with the intended contacts before relying on it.

3. Test hearing features in a real conversation

Ask to compare the ring alert and the sound of the caller separately. Can the person notice an incoming call, then understand speech through the handset? Ask about adjustable volume, tone, a visible call alert and hearing-aid compatibility. RNID explains how compatible landline phones can work with a hearing aid’s loop setting; ask the audiology service whether that setting is available and needs activation. Use the person’s own hearing aids during any trial and ask for help with positioning the handset. Record the chosen settings in an accessible format. The hearing-aid care guide can help organise questions about the aid itself, while RNID can advise on telephone access.

4. Make numbers and controls easier to find

For sight loss, compare large, separated keys, tactile controls, clear contrast and a display the person can read in the intended location. Ask to try the options rather than assuming the largest handset is easiest. RNIB describes talking phones that announce button presses and menu choices. Ask whether speech guidance covers the tasks the person needs, including stored contacts and missed calls. Try any simplified menu, text-size or contrast settings with the user. Agree which contacts to save and how to identify them. Ask RNIB about accessible technology support if the choice remains unclear. For someone who also wants video conversations, see tablets and video calling alongside the phone options.

5. Check the landline change and connected alarms

Before a change to digital service, tell the landline provider about access needs and any alarm using the telephone line. Ask both the landline and alarm service to check the arrangement before migration. The provider should explain whether a router, adaptor or handset is needed; request an installation plan suited to the person. GOV.UK explains that digital landline equipment needs backup power during a power cut, and connected telecare may also be affected. Ask what backup will be supplied and what the household should expect if power or service fails. Record who will check the alarm after the change. Read personal alarms when comparing the phone and alarm arrangements together.

6. Agree the cost, setup and follow-up support

Compare the handset cost with ongoing line rental, calls, mobile service and any optional support. Ask for the total in writing and check the return terms before paying. Ofcom describes social tariffs for people receiving qualifying benefits; check eligibility and available service through the social tariffs guide. Ask Citizens Advice for free independent help if a contract or charge is unclear. Read consumer rights when choosing accessible equipment before accepting a sales offer. Agree who sets up contacts, explains the instructions and helps with later changes. Arrange another ordinary call after the phone is installed so the user can identify any difficulties in their own surroundings. Use daily living aids to prepare questions about VAT relief, an occupational therapy assessment and trying equipment before buying.

Warning signs and checks

Common questions

What is a big button phone?

It is a phone with larger keys or number markings intended to make dialling easier. Compare the layout, spacing, contrast and feel of the buttons with the person who will use it. Ask them to answer a call, enter a number and find a stored contact during a demonstration. Larger buttons alone do not settle questions about hearing, menus or charging. Consider photo dialling or spoken feedback if those features fit the person’s needs, and check the full arrangement before buying.

Will my phone still work after the digital landline switchover?

Ask your provider about the particular handset and connection before replacing equipment. Ofcom says some households may need a router, adaptor or handset, and the provider should explain the arrangements. Tell them about a connected care alarm and any need for installation support. Ask how the setup will work during a power cut, and have the alarm service confirm its own requirements. Keep the agreed plan and contact details so the person knows who to approach if calls or alerts fail.

What phone features help with hearing loss?

Compare the incoming-call alert with the clarity of the conversation: they are different needs. Ask to try volume and tone controls, a visible ringing signal and compatibility with the person’s hearing aids. RNID explains the hearing-loop option for suitable landline phones and hearing aids; an audiologist can advise about the aid’s settings. Arrange a demonstration with the actual user, then note which adjustments worked. Do not choose solely from a description such as loud or amplified without trying the conversation.

What phone features help with sight loss?

Try tactile keys, contrasting numbers, an easy-to-read display and spoken feedback with the person who will use them. RNIB describes accessible telephones and talking controls, while different mobiles offer different accessibility arrangements. Ask for a demonstration of finding a contact, checking a missed call and returning to the starting screen. Include the lighting where the phone will normally sit. Agree a format for instructions and contact labels, and ask RNIB for guidance if the person cannot comfortably complete the everyday tasks.

Differences across the UK

Ofcom’s communications guidance applies across the UK, including England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Start with the provider responsible for the phone service and the organisation supplying any connected alarm. If phone access is part of a wider equipment assessment, ask council adult social care in England or Wales, council social work in Scotland, or the Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland which local service can advise. Provision and local support vary, so request an individual answer about any funded equipment. RNIB and RNID offer specialist information, and the person’s audiology service can answer questions about their own hearing aids.

When to get urgent help

If the phone or connected alarm no longer works as expected, report the problem to the relevant service and ask what interim arrangement they can provide. Tell them about hearing, sight, mobility or communication needs, and request instructions in a format the person can use. Keep the agreed support contact somewhere accessible.

Primary sources

The publisher checked this guide against the 7 official sources below. This is an editorial source check, not approval by a clinician, lawyer or benefits adviser.

Editorial note: By Does Your Duck Quack.