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Damn, this is the primary way I talk to my parents and my grandmother. Genuine question, what do people here recommend as a replacement for non-technical peopl
by tombert 2y ago
Damn, this is the primary way I talk to my parents and my grandmother.
Genuine question, what do people here recommend as a replacement for non-technical people? I'll need to walk my grandmother through the process of setting something remotely.
No one in my family but me has iPhones, so I think Facetime is out, and I'd need something that can run on a computer. I suppose I'll have to talk my parents into installing Signal desktop, but I was kind of hoping for something that gave you the "user is online" status thing like Skype does.
- sumitgt 2y agoWhy not just use something like Google Meet? You send a link and the other person just needs a browser. It's a pain to deal with syncing issues on Signal Desktop.
- jjice 2y agoGoogle Duo (might be lumped in with Meet now) worked well for me when I was on Android and everyone around be was iOS. It's cross platform and worked out of the box. Discord probably has a bit more going on since it also has a community focus, but it may be worth looking into since it's a platform that won't be going away anytime soon. It also works from the browser if having them download something is a headache.
- aaomidi 2y agoI gave my grandmother an old iPad I had. It’s been amazing. She’s also in Iran, so it’s one of the only services that somehow the govt doesn’t target when killing video call apps.
- blakeashleyjr 2y agoI would make the jump to Signal. It's super easy and secure. Has all the features you'd need (minus the online status). It's how I communicate with my whole family.
- tombert 2y agoI use Signal, and I've gotten my parents to use it for texting as well, but I don't think that they have used Signal desktop. That's likely what we'll end up using since I've already onboarded my mom and my dad on this.
- randerson 2y agoWhatsApp works well for most people and runs on any device. I gifted a MacBook, iPhone and Apple Watch to my elderly father, and I now use FaceTime. He came from a PC and is not technical, but he adapted fairly easily. (The fall detection feature on the watch gives us both some peace of mind.)
- paulddraper 2y agoIf your grandmother happens to have a Google account already, Google Hangouts. [1] Wouldn't need to set up anything. And works as reliably as anything I've seen. EDIT: Signal is a very HN recommendation for drop dead simplicity. Syncing keys? [1] https://hangouts.google.com https://hangouts.google.com
- tombert 2y agoActually I just realized my grandmother doesn't have a smartphone of any kind, so I think Signal is out regardless. I might see if I can just migrate her to the free Teams service from MS. It hurts me a little as an annoying Linux guy but I think this would be the easiest option.
- renata 2y agoI mean, Signal works as TOFU if you're not sharing state secrets or anything.
- geocar 2y ago> No one in my family but me has iPhones, so I think Facetime is out, So FaceTime lets you make a link that you can give to someone with a web browser and they can use it to reach you, and it works pretty well. You might just try it. > I suppose I'll have to talk my parents into installing Signal desktop, but I was kind of hoping for something that gave you the "user is online" status thing like Skype does. That's probably the biggest limitation: It's a webpage for calling you (the person with the iPhone), not a page for you to call them. If you want them to open a app/page when they are available, I think Messenger is best in terms of features and usability. If your parents/grandmother aren't already on WhatsApp I don't think you should link their phone number (which might be linked to their banking etc) with a public chat system because there are a _lot_ of online scams targeting the elderly through WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and linking to the mobile number associated with other (higher value) services. It is very easy to lock-down Messenger so nobody who isn't already a friend can't target them.
- tombert 2y agoI was looking into it, and it looks like there's a free version of Teams. I think that might be the easiest to get them to onboard to simply I suspect it'll be easier to talk them into something with the "Microsoft" branding. I hadn't really thought about scams. I'll keep that in mind.
- paulddraper 2y agoFaceTime requires the initiator have a Mac. Mac users can call others. Others cannot call Mac.
- tombert 2y agoYeah, and I don't have a Mac computer anymore, and neither do my parents or my grandmother. I coordinated with my parents, we're gonna try the free Teams thing.
- geocar 2y agoExactly wrong in every way. FaceTime requires the Mac or iPhone or iPad user create a link. It's a regular (persistent but revokable) link to a web page with javascript and shit, but anyone can click the link which initiates the call; Others can call Mac, it's Mac which can't call others.
- vinni2 2y agoMy parents and grandparents are non techies and don’t have a lot of experience but they can make whatsapp calls easily. It takes bit of getting used to though.
- kjsingh 2y agoWhatsapp voice/video calls?
- LorenPechtel 2y agoYeah, it used to be how she kept in touch with her family. Now most of them are on WeChat but once in a while we dust off the credit she still has and use it to call someone she doesn't have a WeChat contact for. The last time we used it the experience was bad--wouldn't stay signed in, multiple annoyances in the way of simply making a call. You don't need to tell us every time that 911 won't trace properly!