My parents (in their 60s) bought new phones, and asked me to transfer their data to it from the old ones.
One thing was surely on them: not knowing their passwords.
(Also I am talking about Android phones now. Where I live, iPhones are quite pricey.)
However the rest felt like a fever dream. I was after work, so I was also a bit tired but man... All the extra bullshit these phones have. I am tech savvy, but I genuinely got tired checking all the options for use this AI, subscribe to this service, try this cloud at every waking step.
From their perspective, they just had some old and slow phones, and they want a faster one so they can take photos, talk with their kids, sometimes do a word puzzle.
This tech is straight up hostile. It adds no benefit, no one needs 3 different AIs on their phone. No one should have to set up 1-2 new accounts for some bullshit service just because they want to send cat photos.
If I wouldn't be there, I have no idea how they'd fare with this, and I absolutely cannot blame them. It's shitty and hostile design.
Totally agree. Modern phone setup feels designed for upsells, not normal people. Older users just want calls, photos, messages, and simple apps, but instead get accounts, cloud prompts, AI popups, and subscriptions. Tech should reduce stress, not create daily homework.
