Our smartphones are cluttered. In one pocket-sized rectangle, you have unlimited access to all human knowledge published on the Internet, instant communication with friends and family, and six seasons of “Love Is Blind.”
It can be a little.
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A recently added setting on iPhone and iPad devices makes devices less complicated. It can turn a smartphone into a feature phone, a landline replacement, a kid’s phone, and even an iPod. Called Assistive Access, the setting was introduced in September in iOS 17 as an accessibility option for people with cognitive disabilities. Like many accessibility features, it has potentially useful applications for everyone.
When activated, it switches to a basic home screen that displays one or more apps as larger-than-usual icons. It makes smartphone and tablet navigation easier by minimizing the number of options and adding more visual controls.
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How to set it up
Assistive Access works on any iPad or iPhone running iOS 17. If you have old iPhone, you can update the OS and repurpose it, or buy a compatible used device starting at $100-$200 online. Once iOS 17 is installed, go to Settings → Accessibility → Assistive Access (in the General section at the bottom). We’ll walk you through the setup instructions.
Five Apple apps are simplified in this mode: Calls (a combination of the Phone and FaceTime apps), Camera, Messages, Music, and Photos. You can include any other app, and most will ask privacy questions when you add them. All apps in this mode will appear slightly smaller with a large “Back” button below.
Choose whether you want applications in list or grid form. You can customize several other options, such as whether the battery level is displayed, whether Siri is turned on, and whether the volume buttons work. The device will still receive notifications for other apps, so turn them off completely or be prepared to exit Assistive Access mode to check them.
You will set a password that is required to exit the mode. If you need to set up this phone securely so that someone else can use it, choose a password that they won’t know or guess, and make it different from your phone unlock code. Press the side button three times to exit.
If you’re looking for speed or a mode you can dip in and out of frequently, this isn’t the best choice. More traditional controls, such as screen time or focus modes, could work better. Assistive access is slow to navigate and turn on and off.
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A safe phone for children
Many parents want a kid-friendly phone that lets them make calls without the trappings of a smartphone. Options include feature phones with keyboards and kid-friendly devices like the Gizmo and Gabb, but depending on their age, your child may be uncomfortable being seen with them. If your family is in the Apple ecosystem and you have an old phone, try this as a compromise.
Assistive Access is like parental controls turned all the way up. Apple has extensive built-in controls, but setting them up and operating them isn’t easy – and kids are constantly finding workarounds. This mode offers tighter restrictions and ease of use. Many parental controls such as website restrictions will still work when the device is in Assistive Access mode and needs to be set up properly first. Some apps may still allow plenty of internet access in this mode.
When setting up your child’s device, select Selected contacts in the calling and messaging apps to manually select contacts for incoming and outgoing calls. If your device doesn’t have a SIM card, select Select a contact, the name of the person you want to approve, and tap Call to select FaceTime or another app that allows Wi-Fi calling, such as WhatsApp or Viber. Show your child how to call 911.
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A simple phone for the elderly
If you or an older family member struggles with using a smartphone, this method can be less confusing or intimidating than the usual layout and can minimize mistakes. If you’re posting for someone else, always explain what you’re doing and ask for permission when possible. Apple’s Satellite SOS feature doesn’t work in this mode, but people can use the phone to call emergency services via the keyboard or by triple-pressing the side button on most devices. Health monitoring and sharing features still work.
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A device for music only
Remember the iPod? Discman? Walkman? People who want an audio-only device have a few options, such as the Mighty or the Yoto. Or you can take an older iPhone or iPad and only allow music apps. If you have an existing digital music library, you can load it onto the device since the storage is not used for other applications. If you want to take it on a run or drive, most music apps allow you to download it for offline listening, so there’s no need to pay for mobile service. If it’s for kids, add headphones if you don’t want to hear their music and make sure you’ve turned on any parental controls in the services. (Yes, even music and audiobook apps have inappropriate content.)
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Home phone
There are fewer and fewer landlines, and even less than a quarter of Americans use them. Having a central home phone that everyone can use has advantages, like letting your child call 911. If you don’t want to get VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), you can use an old iPhone. For this use, you should add an additional line to your mobile plan. While you can set up a device with apps like WhatsApp and Viber that allow WiFi calling or only contact people who use FaceTime, it’s safest to have a cellular connection for emergencies. You can call 911 from a phone in the United States even if it doesn’t have a SIM card.
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A less annoying phone
Many people struggle with using their phones, so much so that tech companies have screen time controls that help us use their products less. On the iPhone, there are options to set time limits for apps and get weekly reports on how much time you spend on the device. That’s not enough for everyone, and some are reverting to feature phones or “dummies,” like classic flip phones — or trying other ways to block themselves from being on devices too much.
“I think a lot of people are interested in [stepping back]but I think very few people can succeed,” said Jose Briones, a 28-year-old digital minimalist advocate from Colorado.
Assisted Access is an extreme option that can help with the self-monitoring aspect, especially if you’ve asked someone else to set the password. Choose only the apps you need and don’t include your usual time wasters. You can find the list of culprits by going to Settings → Usage time → See all app and website activity and looking at your most used apps.
“At the end of the day, you have to get to a decision point,” Briones said. “Am I going to rely on self-control all the time, or am I going to eliminate myself from this environment?”
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