....As the title says. If I live long enough I will NEVER make that kind of mistake again. It's a Samsung, although I think that probably ALL are pretty much like it. There were no instructions whatsoever included.... although in all honesty it is probably true that it would be next to impossible to provide instructions. I am completely downhearted and ready to toss this into the nearest trash can. And why not? After all, I've managed to live all these years without one of them. Shouldn't be too much trouble to complete the tour without one. Go ahead & pile on....FredT

I’m willing to bet there are multiple members near you willing to share some knowledge and experience in person.

Flesh - I'm sure that's probably true, but I have come to believe that the problem is that I'm too stupid to use the thing. I simply cannot tell you how stupid and incompetent and inadequate I feel. If Samsung's goal was to make me feel inadequate, they have succeeded - in spades.

Well, I beat you (77). I didn't get one until last fall.

My land line went out last year and Verizon never fixed it. I was working out at the lot cutting down trees, etc and over exerted myself. I started to feel bad so I came home.

I started checking my email and had a stroke. They didn't find me for nine days. I crawled around on the floor getting food that I had stocked for the virus. Luckily, the frig had a water dispenser that I could reach to fill a one quart container.

quote:

had a stroke. They didn't find me for nine days.

Good grief! How are you doing now?

Once you get the hang of the thing (and you will unless it's defective), you will love it. I was in the same bat when I bought my first one. Now I can't imagine not having on. Take it back to the store and ask for help. There should be something on YouTube that can help you. Google Samsung and see if you can get help there. Perhaps you can exchange it for an IPhone. I'm told those are easier to use.

Consumer Cellular has some excellent, bite-sized, phone-specific tutorial videos on their website specifically tailored for old folks figuring out their first smart phone. I showed those to my 77-year-old mother-in-law when I got her her first smart phone two years ago. Now she’s a pro (at least she can make calls and text).

-Rob

Still use a flip phone and will until it no longer works. I have a phone to use as a phone and don't need all the bells and whistles.
I have been bound to a cell phone most of my adult life, due to service work, and am tired of it.

The manual should be on line to download.

Should have gone with Apple. No where near as many settings as Android. Plus all the customiseable features.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by rbert0005:
The manual should be on line to download.

Should have gone with Apple. No where near as many settings as Android. Plus all the customiseable features.

Bob

Plus it's a lot more intuitive.

I've had Android for a long time. My office ditched desk phones/hardlines and gave us all apple cell phone (12 I think) and I didn't find it at all intuitive. Luckily I have a daughter that loves apple stuff and was able to help me.

Bulldog (and ALL the others who responded) - I don't mean to sound unappreciative but I have already tried most of the things you have suggested. Have been back to the store, have leaned heavily on my 13-year-old daughter, have watched youtube videos until I feel that I am going blind (and I can't BEGIN to keep up with those.... and then FINALLY - last night - I found a "chat connection" for Samsung & exhausted that resource. All Samsung's customer service people want to do is get a few keywords from you so they can enter something into their computer. I have also explored the book selection on Amazon. They will tell you outright that in order to get help from their books you MUST HAVE prior experience - and knowledge. Here's where I think the problem is: I believe that ALL the smart phone manufacturers have ASSUMED that ALL THE WORLD already has a wealth of experience with these phones and that therefore it is NOT necessary at all to give instruction on HOW to use them. Well, common sense tells even the most casual observer that this cannot possibly be the case. The result is that there are many, many people like me who are left "out in the cold" - and frustrated to the point where we are ready to literally throw the phone into the trash can. I all seriousness -> I am ready to throw the thing away and TRY to forget that I made this incredibly stupid mistake. Again, my "THANKS" to all who replied......... FredT

Check out the Grandpad, my 80 year old Dad didn't even want to use a flip phone he had. My Mom bought him a Grandpad and he took to it well. He now emails, posts pics, phone calls and video calls

My mother was in her mid 70s when she took on the challenge and bought an iPad. She put the work in and learned how to use it. 10 years later she has upgraded the iPad to a newer one and has is also on her second iPhone (a 12). She is not technically savvy in any way but she was not afraid of learning new things.

My point is if she can do it, anyone can.

Your attitude towards this bothers me a little, you sound down on yourself over this and you should not be. Modern smart phones are complicated devices and thinking you can just open the box up, hit the power button and hit the ground running is not a realistic expectation. I've got years of experience in mobility including running our company's mobility program where I managed over 1,400 iPads and when I just got my new samsung S21 ultra I had to go online to figure out how use it.

You manage to post on an internet forum so you have theb basic technical expertise to operate a smart phone, its just different and you need to learn how to do it. Operating manuals are only available online because of the size of them. You can also just google your phone model and what you specifically want to do and you will find instructions.

If you don't have anyone you can turn to for assistance feel free to email me and I will give you a hand with mastering it.

I got my MIL an iPhone XR and iPad last year, she was 68 at the time. Little rough at first, she was constantly calling my wife for help. But now she loves the devices. Facetimes her grandkids, watches videos and plays word games.

Like anything else, it will take some time and using it more and more to get used to.

Start by making calls and entering contacts. Move on to text messaging. Small steps. There is a lot of crap that is on the phone that you will never need.

Fred, you're in the right place. Just continue to ask any question and I'm sure that many of the members here will be more than willing to help in any way, evidenced already by some of the kind offers posted. In fact, I've never been in a group of folks more than willing to go to the extra mile to help others in need..of most anything! A wealth of knowledge to draw on. I'm coming up on my 70th and I'm still learning and playing catch-up with new everyday tech.

Besides para providing this wealth of knowledge from so many good individuals, I can't imagine a day without a good read from sources here. Both the good and not so good, it helps me stay abreast of whats happening in just about all things, politics, music, humor, kindness and people that really care and may identify with your situation and offer needed help. I've been on both sides Android and iPhones, both have pro's and cons. Don't give in, we're here to help. If I had recent Android experiences I'd offer some info, but I'm thick into iPhones and still navigating my way around with each new generation of phone or updates.

jtedescucci, what, exactly, is it you're trying to do you cannot seem to figure out?

These new phones can do an incredible number of things and if you try to master everything, it will feel overwhelming.

Start with a basic task, like making phone calls. Ignore the other stuff. Just use it as a phone. Repetition is your friend. Once you're comfortable with that, move on to a related task, such as building and maintaining you directory (contact list). Take it one task at a time, the things that you will actually use, and ignore the huge collection of other stuff.

It might help if you got a teenager to show you how to move the task icons around on the phone. Clear the "home" screen by moving everything that you're not using, to another page. The phone will not look as intimidating.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

jtedescucci, what, exactly, is it you're trying to do you cannot seem to figure out?

Trying to put myself in his place, I believe that there is so much stuff that is new and strange, that I would feel I don't even know what I don't know. First exposure to something as complex as a modern Android phone can be really intimidating.