10 Best

Jitterbug Phones

of December 2023

Perhaps you or a family member would like a cellphone to be able to talk and send text messages with ease. But a standard cellphone might be a bit difficult to use. Journey Health and Style makes a series of products for senior citizens for their comfort and to improve their quality of life. Lively is their brand of cell phones and personal emergency response systems. Lively’s Jitterbug phone is a cell phone with special features for senior citizens to easily make calls and send messages.

The Jitterbug comes in two models: 1) a phone with an activated flip that has basic calling and texting features, or 2) a smartphone with a larger display, a list-based display, video chat, and much more! And they both allow direct, quick access to health professionals in the event of an emergency, at all hours of the day or night.

We’ll examine some of the features of the Jitterbug phone, as well as some of the other options on the market. It’ll help you make a decision as to which phone can help you keep in touch with your loved ones!
 

What’s special about a Jitterbug phone?

A Jitterbug phone, like many other phones for senior citizens, has special features that make it easier to make and receive calls. If it’s a flip-activated phone, it has larger buttons. If it’s a smartphone, it has a touchscreen with larger icons or a large list-based menu. There are also options for consulting health professionals in the event of a medical emergency.

Looking at the Best Reviews Guide’s list of Jitterbug phones, we see that the most recent models are the Flip2 and Smart3:

• Flip2: The Jitterbug Flip2 Cell Phone for Seniors is a flip phone with a large screen and larger buttons which can be programmed for speed dialing. You can get and receive SMS text messages and pictures, but no Internet access. Despite its simplicity, it also has a front and rear camera and video recording capability. There is also an “Urgent Response” button to get you access to health professionals, whether you need a registered nurse or someone just to assess your health situation.

Jitterbug Flip2 Cell Phone for Seniors

• Smart3: If you want smartphone features, Lively makes the Jitterbug Smart3 Smartphone for Seniors. It uses the Android 10.0 operating system, 4G technology, and WiFi connectivity to allow access to email and the Internet. Besides the 24/7 access to health professionals, the Smart3 has useful features such as a large touchscreen menu, voice typing, and video chat. It has a large 6.2” screen and can be charged with a USB-C cable.

Jitterbug Smart3 Smartphone for Seniors

Here are some customers’ impressions about the Jitterbug phone they bought:

• Smartphone more intuitive: One customer who bought the Flip2 said that they were disappointed because they had to put their parent through at least 4 key presses to get to the Contacts list and find the desired phone number. Having a keypad that says “OK” when you really intend “Call” is not very intuitive! The customer said that a smartphone would have been a wiser choice, because the touchscreen is much more intuitive.

• Voice typing: The Jitterbug Smart3 also has “voice typing”, to allow you to send text messages by just talking into the phone! That’s a big time saver, as an alternative to typing each letter separately.

Here are some features and options to look for when choosing a Jitterbug phone:

• Lively is the phone carrier: The Jitterbug Flip2 and the Smart3 are unlocked phones, which means that you can transfer over your existing phone number. But, you have to activate it by calling your Lively agent, and there is an additional $35 fee for activation. The phone is compatible only with Lively as the wireless carrier, so you don’t have the option of using another carrier.

• Carrier issues for other senior citizen phones: Jitterbug has its own parent company, Lively, as the service provider. There are other manufacturers of flip phones for seniors, such as Easyfone or Ashata. They have some nice features over the Jitterbug, such as a flashlight and an FM radio. However, you’ll have to make sure that the SIM card that you purchase to operate the phone is from a compatible provider. For example, people who bought the Ashata Big Button Flip Mobile Phone discovered that it won’t work with T-mobile, Straight Talk, Verizon, or AT&T as their phone provider. The Easyfone T300 Classic 4G LTE Flip Cell Phone is compatible with T-Mobile, MetroPCS, Tello, SpeedTalk, and RedPocket. But it won’t work with CDMA carriers (which don’t use a SIM card) such as Verizon, Sprint, Boost, US Cellular, or PagePlus.

• Good for children as well: The same features that make a Jitterbug easy to use for seniors make it appropriate for children as well. The simple flip phone only can send text and make calls, which allows you to keep track of where your children are and what they’re doing.

• Easy-to-read keypad: Besides having a large keypad, the Jitterbug Flip2 has a backlight on the keypad. That way, you can make and answer phone calls even if you’re in a place with limited light conditions.

• Limited and unlimited plans: If you purchase the Smart3, Jitterbug offers two plans:

  • $14.99/month for 300 minutes of calls and 10 cents per text message

  • $19.99/month for an unlimited number of call minutes and an unlimited amount of text messages.

Since you’ll be given Internet access, you’ll also be required to sign up for a data plan for your talk/text plan selection. The data plan allows transmitting data over the Internet in things like emails, streaming music, or WhatsApp.The minimal plan is 100 MB of storage at $2.49/month.

Final Verdict

We went through some of the features of Jitterbug’s flip phone and smartphone offerings for senior citizens. There isn’t a very big difference in price, although the Smart3 will involve the added expense of purchasing a data plan to use the Internet. Ultimately, you’ll have to decide depending on how tech-savvy you or your loved one is. The Flip2 has fewer features and thus may be simpler to use because there are only a few things to learn. But, the Smart3 may ultimately be a better choice, since the touchscreen with big icons makes every selection more streamlined. But a Jitterbug phone will give you phone access, as well as the assurance that your loved one can get health assistance at the press of a button!