FYI Jitterbug Cell Phones for Seniors

Jitterbug Cell Phone

Call to Lively

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend planned for yourselves. Today, I want to share an experience that may be helpful for you. We recently purchased a Lively Jitterbug Smart 4 cell phone for my parents. 

And I think I'll start my review with the phone call I made to Lively to ask a question before purchasing. I can't remember what that question was now. 😄But during that phone conversation, I explained to the representative that my parents are in a nursing home and they had requested to have a phone. And that my husband wants to retire soon, so their phone prices and plans looked more affordable than anyone else's. Plus the Jitterbug has attractive features for much-older seniors. After some back and forth, he convinced me to buy an open box Smart 4 Jitterbug for a much reduced price. We have the option to return the phone for just the cost of a $10 restocking fee if it doesn't work out. So, if you are looking at a phone option for your parents, that might be something for you to look into. On a side note, their phones operate on 4G when using cell towers. That isn't a problem for us, but I wanted to mention that in case that matters to you.

The young man I spoke to also waived the $35 activation fee. I didn't request that; he simply offered it. And he offered free FedEx shipping, which would normally be $10. It's all in black and white on the emailed receipt I received. We did get free shipping. However, we were still charged the $35 activation fee. More on that in a moment.

Image courtesy of Lively via Amazon

Plan and additional monthly fees

My parents don't talk, text, or browse much anymore. So, we purchased the basic plan (lowest price) that includes unlimited talk and text with 1 GB of data usage. Since they are in a nursing home, they don't need the Urgent Response option. I signed up for paperless billing that saves us $5 each month. So, the $24.99 plan costs only $19.99 plus taxes and fees. Those taxes and fees are about $15! So, just be aware of that. The bulk of those fees is a USF surcharge fee that the FCC charges all networks for 'rural, low-income, schools, libraries, and health care providers'. Lively actually passes that cost along to their customers where most providers do not. And Google AI says that USF surcharge fees change quarterly. 

Activation Fee

When I found out the day after receiving the phone that we were charged the $35 activation fee, I called Lively customer support. The way that representative I talked to described it was that the fee might be waived but I still had to pay it because the phone was activated. That doesn't make any sense to me, but I really don't know how to argue my point. So, I accepted his answer at the time. I'll have to say that the representatives are pleasant and friendly so far. But I'm basing that on two phone calls. 😁

Still unsatisfied with the customer service representative's answer about the phone activation fee, I decided to send a message via their contact form the following day, in which I provided my order number and the code that was used to waive the $35 activation fee. That was four days ago, and I still haven't received a reply. I wouldn't be upset with that fee, except it was freely offered to me. I didn't request it. So, just be aware that if you do get offered that or even if you request it and it is confirmed, you may still get charged. Thus, my advice to you is to set aside the money for that activation fee.

Setup

Once we received the phone, I spent a few hours setting it up. One reason for some of the additional time was due to creating a Google account for them, because I thought they had to have a Google account for the Android phone. And Google now has a new sign up feature that requires scanning a QR code and providing a phone number before the new account sign up is complete. In the end, we chose not to use the Google features since there are no contacts in the new email account. Also, they don't use Google Play, and they don't have the money to make Google purchases. But it appears that they still get a few features such as Google weather. 

I don't recommend letting your parents set this up themselves. I'm pretty savvy when it comes to 'simple' stuff like this, but this phone isn't that simple to set up. But because I setup the phone from home, I was able to use our WiFi to avoid using any cell tower data usage. The new phone number shows up on the locked screen. But if it doesn't show up right away, you can do what I did, which was to call myself from their phone. 😜I don't know for sure, but using the call-a-representative option may be helpful for you during the setup stage. There is $3.?? option to activate the phone yourself. And a $4.?? option to call a representative for help with the activation. This pricing information is up-to-date as of March 20, 2026. So, if you are viewing this information beyond that date, please check on the Lively website or call them for the most up-to-date fees.

Features

One of the features I liked most about the phone besides the big buttons was the fact that you can use "Hey Google" to voice activate a phone call or text message. But you have to be setup on WiFi. The nursing home does have guest WiFi, but no one but the administrator has that password. So, the day I took the phone to Mom and Dad was the only day she hasn't in her office for over a year. One of the aides said she would make sure to get that added to the phone for them. But as of now, it hasn't been. Maybe the administrator will be in her office the next time I visit. 

The reason I know the WiFi password hasn't been added is because one of the features I have with the online Lively account is to view the data usage. So, if they were on WiFi, that cell tower data usage shouldn't go up. And if they use beyond the 1 GB provided with the plan, we will be charged 2 cents per mb used beyond that. There is an option to buy 5 GB for and additional $5 a month. We'll see which route is more affordable - if needed at all.

I was allowed to change the button options on the home screen so my parents could see the text, phone, and contact options right away. I removed the maps and directions button, the web button, and the email button from the home screen, hoping to reduce the curiosity to browse. BUT the 'View All Apps' button can't be removed from the home screen, so I placed that button at the bottom so they have to scroll to even see that button. I'm not trying to be mean, but they're both bedridden, so the maps and directions is simply not an option they need. Texting and calling get quicker responses than emailing people. And I can't think of a thing they need to look for on the web.

There are also two buttons on the very bottom of the home screen - Back and Home - to push if they get lost in random navigation.

Ease of Use

Dad has severe dementia and can't remember what was discussed usually more than a few seconds after a conversation. But when I showed him how to use the phone, he was excited, because it was very simple to push the contact button, select the person to contact, them select phone call or text message. That stuff is in his brain's long-term memory from previous use of cell phones, so he should be able to navigate that very well. 

His hands are crippled with arthritis though. So, we bought a case with a strap on the back that can help him hold the phone himself. And if one of the nursing home aides will help him. The strap also serves as a kickstand if he's unable (or doesn't want) to hold the phone. That way, someone can put the phone on speaker and set it in front of him on his tray so he can talk or send a brief text.

image courtesy of Sitikai via Amazon

Although his hands are crippled, I did try to mimic how he would have to peck on the buttons to use them, and that worked fine. I didn't use the pads of my fingers, just the fingertips.

Mom will probably use it more than Dad. But when she decides to sleep for three of four days in a row and Dad thinks she's dead, he should still be able to use it.

I did NOT set up a PIN or face recognition, because I think that will cause more confusion for them.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Overall, the experience is going well with a few hiccups in the expense category. I hope you found this product review to be helpful.

Have a blessed day,

Patricia