How to Teach Grandma to Use FaceTime Step by Step

Use the free tool — Grandparent Tech Card

The Call That Ends With "It Disappeared"

Every family has that call. You're trying to walk grandma through FaceTime over the phone, and then the screen changes and "it disappeared." This guide is about a free tool that turns that call into a printed card instead.

What You Get

Tell the tool the phone your grandparent actually has and which app you want them to use — FaceTime, WhatsApp, Google Meet, Zoom, or Messenger. You get:

A one-page card, in big type
Numbered steps with the exact words and icons that should appear on their screen
What to do if it goes wrong
English and Spanish, no account needed, free

How It Works

Name the phone and the app. Model and rough age of the phone. The app you want to use. Their name and yours.
Get the card. Numbered steps with the exact words and icons on their screen, what to do when it goes wrong, big type.
Print and tape. Put it by the chair or on the fridge. On your next visit, walk through it once together.

What This Tool Is Not

This is not made by Apple, Google, Samsung, Meta, Zoom, or any phone carrier. It writes instructions based on the phone model and app you name, as those apps commonly appear. It cannot actually see your grandparent's device.

Good to Know Before You Start

A software update can move a button around, so the card may not match perfectly on the first try. That's why it helps to walk through the card together on your next visit, at least once. The tool describes itself as free with no account required, but it doesn't say more than that about how your information is stored — treat this as a printed guide, not a tech-support service.

What to Do Next

The free tool reads the phone and app you tell it about and builds the card from that. Have the phone's model and rough age ready, decide which app you want to use, and let the tool write the one-page card for you to print and tape up.

Use the free tool

Grandparent Tech Card writes instructions from the phone model and app you name; it cannot see the device, and interface details change with software versions. It is not affiliated with Apple, Samsung, Google, Meta, Zoom or any carrier.