Mobile phone or tablet

Set up your mobile phone or tablet and learn to adapt the settings to your needs.

Jump to chapter

Introduction 1. What to check first 2. Get started with settings 3. Make it work for you 4. Keeping your device safe

Introduction to 'Mobile phone or tablet'

Many people use touchscreen devices like mobile phones and tablets. In fact, 95% of adults in the UK own a smartphone.

This lesson will help you learn how to set one up and adapt it to your needs.

If you need help with setting up a device for the first time, our Digital Helpline can help. Free to use, just call us on 0345 222 0333. It’s open Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm.

You can use this service if you live in the UK or Channel Islands and you’re over 18 (or supervised by a parent or guardian if under 18).

Not sure whether you need our Digital Helpline? Use Chapter 1 to test what you know. You can also use it to help someone else.

Once you’re set up, this lesson can help you make the most of your device, including how to adapt it to meet your needs.

What you'll learn

  • How to check you're ready to set up your device.
  • The settings - what they are and where to find them.
  • Ways to make your device work better for you.

How long it takes

9 minutes

Chapter 1 - What to check first

What to check first

Chapter 1

How long it takes

1 minute

How to check you know the basics

 

Are you or the person you’re trying to help able to:

  • Turn on the device?
  • Use the controls?
  • Understand the parts of the device? For instance, charger, screen, volume buttons.
  • Access the home screen?
  • Touch, tab and swipe to find your way around?
  • Lock and unlock the device?

 

How did you do?

I answered no

You may need some extra help before starting chapter 2. Our Digital Helpline is free to use, and we’ll help you get started. You can call the Helpline on 0345 222 0333.

I answered yes

Great, you’re ready to go straight on to chapter 2.

Introduction - Mobile phone or tablet
Chapter 2 - Get started with settings

Get started with settings

Chapter 2

How long it takes

1 minute

Getting started

Changing some settings on your device can make it easier for you to use.  

In this chapter, we’ll look at device settings. Each device is different, so we won’t be able to tell you exactly where to find these features on yours. But we’ll give you some general tips on what settings there are, what they do and where to look for them. 

 

Find your settings

The first thing you need to do is find your settings.

 

You can:

Tap the Settings app

Most touchscreen devices, like a mobile or tablet, have a Settings app on the home screen. That’s the first screen you see when you turn on your device.

Look for an icon that looks like a small cog or gear. It will also usually have the name 'Settings'.

Swipe

Can’t find the app on your home screen? You might need to swipe. For some devices, you swipe down from the very top of your screen. For others, swipe up from the very bottom.

This will bring up a small window – look for the cog or gear icon here.

Search

There may be a search option on your device – look for a magnifying glass symbol. It’s often towards the bottom of the screen.

You can use this to search for ‘Settings’.

What these settings do

When you first go into the Settings app, you may see lots of different groups of settings. It’s good to explore these, but there are some you’ll want to use and change early on. 

 

These include:

How the screen looks

Ways to make it easier to use

How to keep it safe

We'll look at each of these in the rest of the lesson.

Chapter 1 - What to check first
Chapter 3 - Make it work for you

Make it work for you

Chapter 3

How long it takes

5 minutes

Personalising your device

Now you’re in your settings, you can start to change your phone or tablet to suit your needs. This might include changing the look and feel of it. In Settings, you might find these in ‘Display’, ‘Wallpaper’ or ‘Home screen’.

 

Making your device easier to use

Most devices have an 'Accessibility' section in their settings. These help to make your device easier to use. They can help you with three main things: vision, hearing and interaction. 

 

How to adapt your device to suit your needs - select each heading to learn more:

  • Most mobile phones and tablets will have a display option in the settings. Here you can change some things to make your screen easier to read.

     

    You can:

    Change the text on your screen

    You might find the text on your screen is too small to read. Maybe you're out and about and don't have your reading glasses.

    In your display settings, you can make text bigger or bolder and easier to read.

    Pick light or dark mode

    Some devices also have a light and dark mode. This means you can change between white writing on a dark background, or dark writing on a white background – whichever you prefer.

    Adjust the brightness of your screen

    Do you find it hard to look at your screen for a long time, or to see the text on it? If so, you can make your screen darker or brighter to suit you. You can also use ‘automatic mode’. This works out how bright it is where you are and automatically changes your display to match.

    So if you’re in a dark place, your device will lower the brightness to protect your eyes. If you’re in a light place, your screen will be brighter and easier to see.

    Adjust eye comfort settings

    All devices use 'blue light'. This makes your screen easier to see, but it may also strain your eyes. If you struggle to sleep at night, it might be because you're looking at your screen too close to bedtime. The blue light convinces your brain it's still the middle of the day.

    Most devices now have a filter setting, to switch this on and off. You can also set 'night mode' to come on in the hours before you go to bed.

    Adjust the display size

    This affects how large things appear on your screen so you can see them better.

    Pick a colour mode

    Some devices let you change the colours on your screen to make them more or less vivid. This can help if you're finding colours too intense or struggling to see them.

    Screen reader settings

    This can help anyone who's blind, partially sighted or just finds it hard to see the screen. Depending on your device, these might show as 'TalkBack', ‘Read and Speak’ or ‘Voiceover’. They can either read everything on each screen aloud, or just the screen content you need, when you need it.

    You’re usually able to change the voice and how fast or slow the device speaks, too.

  • Hearing support settings can help if you’re not able to hear very well.

     

    You can:

    Connect with hearing aids

    You may need to switch on Bluetooth first (search for this in Settings if you’re not sure where to find this). The device can then connect with your hearing aid. There may be other settings to improve the quality of sound when using your hearing aid like this.

    Change your audio settings

    You can usually adjust your device’s audio. For instance, you can switch it to ‘mono’, so you hear sounds in only one headphone. This means you don’t miss any sounds if you struggle to hear in one ear.

    Improve the sound quality

    Depending on your device, this may include being able to filter out or boost certain sounds. For instance, you may be able to reduce background noise on phone calls.

    Use captions

    If you prefer or need to read because you can't access audio, you can also turn on captions and subtitles.

  • Mobile phones and tablets generally work by you touching the screen in different ways. If you find it hard to use your device like this, there are settings that can help.

     

    You can:

    Use switches

    Most devices can work with switches. There are apps that can help you use switches, too. Look for ‘Switch control’ or ‘Switch access’ in your settings. This  can help if you find it hard to use the controls and touchscreen on your device.

     

    Use these settings to:

    • Set up one or more switches.
    • Tell your device what you want each switch to do on it.

    Change touch settings

    If you find your phone doesn’t respond to your touch, you can adjust its touch sensitivity.

    You can also set shortcuts and gestures.

    For example, say you find it hard to use touchscreen to answer calls. You may be able to change your device to answer calls when you lift your phone to your ear or press one of the bigger buttons.

    Use your voice

    Voice control is another useful tool to help you control your device if you find it hard to do it by touch. Like speech-to-text or dictation settings, you can say what you want to write instead of typing.

    You can also use voice instead of gestures to find your way around your device.

    Plus, voice-activated features like Siri and Google Assistant can help with tasks, reminders and other device controls.

Remember

There's no right or wrong way to use these settings. All devices are different, too.

The best way to make the most of yours is to explore the different options and find out how they can help you.

Chapter 2 - Get started with settings
Chapter 4 - Keeping your device safe

Keeping your device safe

Chapter 4

How long it takes

2 minutes

Managing your privacy and security settings

These are part of your system settings. Use them to make sure you’re happy your device is safe and secure. You can do this by giving or taking ‘permissions’ from each app. 

 

Here are some ways to keep your device safe.

Keep your software up to date

Your device provider will always be looking for new ways to improve your experience. This includes sending you updates that improve your security or fix any security issues they find.

Most devices let you know if you they need an update, but it's good to check it's always up to date.

You can also set these updates to run automatically, as soon as they’re available.

Lock and unlock your device

Another way to keep your device safe is by setting up a lock for it. In your settings, you can set a password, PIN or code for your device. This will let you lock your device, open it and keep others out. Some devices also use ‘patterns’ where you swipe your screen in a certain pattern to unlock it.

Most devices will also let you set up 'biometrics'. These are ways of locking your device that are unique to you, and no one can copy. For example, your fingerprint, your voice or the shape of you face. If you lose your device, it adds an extra layer of safety.

Set up 'Find my device'

Many devices have a 'Find my phone' or 'Find my device' app or setting.

Once you set this up, you can use it to track the location of your device. So if it's lost or stolen, you can track it down more easily.

Some 'Find my device' apps let you make it play a loud sound so you can find where it is, or lock it so no one else can open it.

Activity

There are many other settings you can use to make your device suit you. Spend some time now to look through your settings, then answer these two questions.

What will be helpful for you in future?

Is there anything you want to change to make your device suit you more?

Need more help?

If you need more help using or changing these settings, you can:

  • Check your device's instructions.
  • Ask a friend or family member.
  • Call our Academy Digital Helpline on 0345 222 0333.
  • Go to AbilityNet.
Chapter 3 - Make it work for you

Want to learn more?

There are many more lessons to help you build your digital confidence.

Go to Build your digital confidence

Back to Set up a device

Scottish Widows Be Money Well is committed to providing information in a way that is accessible and useful for our users. This information, however, is not in any way intended to amount to authority or advice on which reliance should be placed. You should seek professional advice as appropriate and required. Any sites, products or services named in this module are just examples of what's available. Scottish Widows does not endorse the services they provide. The information in this module was last updated on 9th February 2026.

Back to top Click to jump to top of page

Related lessons

Laptop or desktop

4 chapters

Set up your laptop or desktop and learn to adapt the settings to your needs.

Go to lesson

Connect to the internet

4 chapters

Set up the internet and safely get online for the first time.

Go to lesson

Get started with online safety

3 chapters

Learn the benefits and basics of staying safe online, so you can protect yourself and the people you love.

Go to lesson

Ten tips for staying safe

1 chapter

Learn top tips for staying safe online and the main things to look out for.

Go to lesson

Stay safe on social media

2 chapters

Know how to get the benefits of social media while staying safe.

Go to lesson

Search for information online

4 chapters

Learn to search online and find what you need.

Go to lesson

Look after your personal details

1 chapter

Learn how and why you should keep your details safe.

Go to lesson

Use documents

4 chapters

Learn how to use and access documents on your device.

Go to lesson

What online services can do for you

3 chapters

Unlock the benefits of doing your day to day tasks online.

Go to lesson

Shop online

5 chapters

Know how to shop online safely.

Go to lesson

Access healthcare online

1 chapter

Learn how getting online can help you look after your health and access the things you need.

Go to lesson

Manage bills online

2 chapters

Know the benefits of managing your regular costs and paying bills online.

Go to lesson

Access universal credit

5 chapters

Learn if you can apply for benefits and how to start.

Go to lesson

Bank online

4 chapters

Get started with online banking.

Go to lesson

Budget tools

4 chapters

Use tools and online support to make budgeting easier.

Go to lesson

Make payments online

2 chapters

Discover different ways to pay and receive money online.

Go to lesson

Use email

4 chapters

Learn to use email to stay in touch.

Go to lesson

Use messaging

4 chapters

Learn to message people on a device using various tools.

Go to lesson

Use social media

4 chapters

Use social media to stay in touch.

Go to lesson

Video calling

5 chapters

Learn to make video calls using various tools.

Go to lesson