These days, we can’t imagine life without our smartphones — they’re practically glued to our hands. But what really makes them awesome isn’t just the fancy cameras or sleek designs; it’s the accessibility features that make sure everyone, no matter their abilities, can use them with ease. Think voice control, screen readers, display options and customizable settings — these aren’t just cool extras, they’re game-changers.

First, let’s delve into why accessibility features are game changers. These options enable us to personalize our phones and tablets to suit our specific needs. As we age, our fingers may become less nimble or our vision may change. The default settings on our devices that worked when we were 40 may not be sufficient to fully utilize our devices when we are 75.

These options in the accessibility settings allow us to compensate for the physical changes in our bodies. Dictation may replace typing, voice-overs help with diminished sight and hearing aids can be controlled from our devices.

Perhaps most importantly, these accessibility features may extend our ability to stay connected to the outside world, whether it be through the internet, email or texting. Staying socially connected is one of the important aspects of healthy aging.

Here are a couple of FAQs related to accessibility features:

1. How do we find these accessibility features? On an Apple device, go to Settings and scroll down to Accessibility. You will find the following categories: Vision, Physical and Motor, Hearing, and Speech. On an Android device, you will also find Accessibility as a category in your Settings. Because Android devices sometimes vary by manufacturer, there is not a uniform set of features. Some include a variety of options for the display, the ability to magnify, braille and screen reading. However, all of the newer devices have some features.
2. I worry about messing around in Settings. Might I really screw up my device? Anything you change in Settings, you can change back. Just don’t tap the “Return to Factory Settings” button!
3. Are these features difficult to use? Some of them do take practice. For example, on my iPhone, I was experimenting with “Eye Control,” where I can control my screen with my eyes instead of my finger. I had to read the directions carefully a couple of times and then try out the feature. I wasn’t successful the first few times, but I did get the hang of it. It’s a pretty slick feature if your fingers are stiff or your hand is in a cast. So … carefully read any directions, and remember, you can find a video on YouTube that will demonstrate how to use any feature. Be sure to put the specific model of your device in the search bar.

Here are two ways to get started: Control the brightness of your screen and the size of your text. I find that as I have gotten older, I prefer to have a bright screen, even though every time I increase the brightness, I see the warning that I will be using more battery power. So what? Recharging 10 minutes earlier is better than squinting to read. Making the text size bigger also makes reading more enjoyable. If you can’t find these controls in Accessibility features, check the Display category.

Other vision options include Classic Invert (Apple) or Color Inversion (Android), which switch the usual black text on a white background to white text on a black background. Some folks find the latter easier to read. Also, some Accessibility features include Color Filters. These filters are a great help to people who are color blind or have difficulty reading text on the screen.

Spoken Content (Apple)/Select to Speak (Android) are features on almost all phones and tablets. These options allow you to have the text on the screen read aloud. Most devices also have a Live Caption feature that displays the words being spoken by people on the screen.

A new feature on my Apple devices is called Motion. It is designed to help with motion sickness as it helps coordinate what the eyes see with what the body feels. As one who pops a Dramamine every time I get on a boat or go for a ride in the mountains with its many switchbacks, I can’t wait to try out this option.

We at BoomerTECH Adventures urge you to delve into the accessibility features on your devices or help someone who may benefit from these options experiment with their own device. Being able to use a phone or tablet independently can be a game-changer for many folks and help them maintain a healthy quality of life.

AI note: We are all learning about AI, so I like to share how I use it in my writing. Writing the opening paragraph of any piece is my least favorite thing to do, followed closely by a final edit for grammar and spelling. I used Apple Intelligence to suggest an opening by asking it to create an informal and engaging paragraph about accessibility features on a smartphone. I used part of it in this piece. Then I ran the entire column through the Grammarly website for editing purposes. Ed and Chris are always my final set of eyes on a piece.

BoomerTECH Adventures (boomertechadventures.com) helps boomers and older adults navigate the digital world with confidence and competence. Active boomers themselves, they use their backgrounds as Maine teachers to support individuals and groups with online courses through Maine Adult Education (tinyurl.com/BTAclasses) articles, videos and presentations to organizations upon request.