How to Set Up Your New Smartphone — Step by Step Guide for Australians Over 60

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Getting a new smartphone is exciting — but the setup process can feel overwhelming if you’ve never done it before. The good news is that modern smartphones are designed to guide you through the process and with a little patience most people have their new phone up and running within an hour. This simple step by step guide walks you through everything you need to know to get your new smartphone set up and ready to use.

Before You Start

Before turning on your new phone make sure you have these things ready:

• Your old phone if you’re upgrading — for transferring contacts and photos
• Your Apple ID email and password if setting up an iPhone — or your Google account email and password for Android
• Your home WiFi network name and password
• A charged phone — most new phones come partially charged but plug it in if the battery is low

Setting Up an iPhone — Step by Step

Step 1 — Turn on your iPhone Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. Your iPhone will start up and display a “Hello” screen in multiple languages.

Step 2 — Choose your language and region Tap your language — English — and then select Australia as your region.

Step 3 — Connect to WiFi Select your home WiFi network from the list and enter your WiFi password. Connecting to WiFi now means you can download apps and set up features without using your mobile data.

Step 4 — Set up Face ID or Touch ID Your iPhone will ask you to set up Face ID — facial recognition — or Touch ID — fingerprint recognition. Follow the on screen instructions. This keeps your phone secure and makes unlocking it quick and easy.

Step 5 — Create or sign in with your Apple ID If you already have an Apple ID — the email and password you use for iTunes or the App Store — sign in now. If you don’t have one tap Create a Free Apple ID and follow the steps. Your Apple ID is important — write it down and keep it somewhere safe.

Step 6 — Set up iCloud iCloud automatically backs up your photos, contacts, and settings to the internet. This means if you ever lose your phone or it breaks your information is safely stored. Tap Enable iCloud Backup and follow the prompts.

Step 7 — Transfer from your old iPhone If you’re upgrading from an old iPhone your new phone will offer to transfer everything across automatically. Follow the on screen instructions — this process takes anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour depending on how much data you have.

Step 8 — Increase text size Once setup is complete go to Settings → Accessibility → Display and Text Size → Larger Text. Drag the slider to increase text size to a comfortable level. This makes everything significantly easier to read.

Step 9 — Turn on Silence Unknown Callers Go to Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers and turn it on. This sends calls from unknown numbers straight to voicemail — dramatically reducing scam calls reaching you.

Step 10 — Set up emergency SOS Go to Settings → Emergency SOS. Make sure Emergency SOS via satellite is enabled. You can also add emergency contacts by opening the Health app and tapping your profile photo → Medical ID → Emergency Contacts.

Setting Up an Android Phone — Step by Step

Step 1 — Turn on your phone Press and hold the power button until the screen lights up. Your phone will display a welcome screen.

Step 2 — Choose your language Select English and tap the arrow to continue.

Step 3 — Insert your SIM card If you haven’t already insert your SIM card from your old phone into the new one. Your phone will detect it automatically.

Step 4 — Connect to WiFi Select your home WiFi network from the list and enter your password. Tap Connect.

Step 5 — Sign in with your Google account Your Google account is your Gmail email address and password. Sign in now — this connects your phone to all your Google services including Gmail, Google Maps, and the Google Play Store where you download apps. If you don’t have a Google account tap Create Account and follow the steps.

Step 6 — Set up fingerprint or face unlock Follow the on screen prompts to set up a fingerprint or face unlock. This keeps your phone secure and makes unlocking quick and easy.

Step 7 — Transfer from your old phone If you’re upgrading from an old Android phone you’ll be offered the option to copy data from your old device. Follow the on screen instructions to transfer your contacts, photos, and apps.

Step 8 — Turn on Easy Mode (Samsung phones) If you have a Samsung phone go to Settings → Display → Easy Mode and turn it on. This simplifies the entire interface with larger icons and fewer options — highly recommended for anyone new to smartphones.

Step 9 — Increase text size Go to Settings → Display → Font Size and drag the slider to a comfortable size. Larger text makes everything easier to read.

Step 10 — Enable spam protection Open the Phone app → tap the three dots in the top right corner → Settings → Caller ID and Spam → turn on Filter Spam Calls. This reduces scam calls reaching you.

Setting Up Essential Apps

Once your phone is set up these are the most useful apps to install first:

Video calling:

• FaceTime — already installed on iPhone, free video calls to other Apple users
• WhatsApp — free video and voice calls to anyone, works on both iPhone and Android. Download from the App Store or Google Play Store

Messaging:

• Messages — already installed, for texting
• WhatsApp — also excellent for messaging family and friends

Navigation:

• Google Maps — download from the App Store or Google Play Store. Free turn by turn navigation available everywhere in Australia

News:

• ABC News app — free, reliable Australian news
• Your preferred newspaper app

Health:

• MyGov app — access your Medicare, Centrelink, and other government services

Important Settings to Check

Automatic updates — turn these on Making sure your phone updates automatically keeps it secure and working properly.

• iPhone: Settings → General → Software Update → Automatic Updates → turn on
• Android: Settings → Software Update → Auto Download and Install → turn on

Screen brightness Increase screen brightness for easier reading — particularly outdoors.

• iPhone: Settings → Display and Brightness → drag the brightness slider up
• Android: Settings → Display → Brightness → drag the slider up

Do Not Disturb Set up Do Not Disturb to silence your phone during sleep hours without missing emergency calls.

• iPhone: Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb
• Android: Settings → Sounds and Vibration → Do Not Disturb

Getting Help if You’re Stuck

Setting up a new phone can feel overwhelming at times and that’s completely normal. Help is available:

In store help JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, and all major telco stores will help you set up your new phone in store. Don’t hesitate to ask — staff are used to helping people with this.

Be Connected Program The Australian Government’s free Be Connected program offers free digital skills help for older Australians including smartphone setup assistance. 🌐 beconnected.esafety.gov.au 📞 1300 795 897

Ask our community Join The Good Years Club on Facebook and ask our community — thousands of Australians over 60 who are happy to help with technology questions. 👉 Join The Good Years Club on Facebook

The Bottom Line

Setting up a new smartphone takes a little patience but the process is more straightforward than most people expect. Take it one step at a time, don’t rush, and remember that help is always available if you get stuck. Once it’s set up you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.