Hope you backed up your photos, mom.
Posted by SLJ7@reddit | talesfromtechsupport | View on Reddit | 43 comments
My motbher is using my old iPhone 8+. She's been refusing to upgrade it for years, even though her provider would definitely give her a much better phone for free at this point. The battery is completely shot.
Today I found out (after her phone was already almost dead) that the phone isn't charging anymore. She doesn't have a wireless charging pad so we don't know if it's just the lightning port, but I told her to go to an electronics store ASAP and find out. She called me long enough to tell me about the phone, and said "It's no problem; I'll just call you from my iPad." Her iPad has no cellular data on it. I told her this. She then said "Oh, okay, i'll text you then." "With what internet, mom!"
I thought she'd understood, but after sending her a follow-up text telling her to get a wireless charger, she texted back and said "Okay, phone's at 23%, I'm turning it off and I'll text you from my ipad."
~~Le sigh~~
grasib@reddit
The concept of WiFi, Data, Internet, Cellular and cellular data is really tough to explain to someone which never dealt with that before.
Simlish@reddit
"My phone won't connect to my home WiFi when I'm not home. Fix it!"
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
You never said it was only for the home!
Simlish@reddit
"Why should I plug it into the power point? It's WIRELESS! DUH!"
syntaxerror53@reddit
It'll Excel in it's Accessibility. But don't take my Word for it.
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
Yeah, and I also had cellular activated on that iPad for a long time, so the confusion is warranted.
Merithay@reddit
She (or you) can get at least the battery replaced and try cleaning the charging port if she’s very attached to keeping the same phone. It might be worth a try.
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
Her phone is coming up on nine years old and no longer getting updates. Replacing both the lightning port and the battery would cost more than a much nicer refurbished phone. Most carriers in Canada will give out old phones for $0 if you stay with them for two years. It's just not worth trying to keep this one. If wireless charging doesn't work, we might have to get it fixed long enough to get the data from it, but I suspect most of it is backed up and I'm pretty confident a wireless charger will still power the phone. Either way, this old one is probably not worth salvaging.
ShalomRPh@reddit
I don’t know, I’m posting this from an iPhone SE 1st gen (so basically a 6S in a 5S case). It just updated, I replaced the battery a few years ago, and I have a new charging port in my briefcase for the next time I’m in the mall for the guy in the kiosk to install. I have no plans to replace this, even though Vzn will give me a free one. Some people just don’t like to change things.
(I would miss the home button and the headphone jack.)
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I know getting the newest phone is not always the best solution, and I also miss the headphone jack. But we don't have the spare parts and she's often not near a place that can source them easily, so if we can't immediately revive this one, I'd rather get her find her something that's newer and still supported. She also wants a better camera which is why I keep suggesting she ask her carrier about it. No idea if she'll like the new edge-to-edge design of iPhones, but at minimum I could find her a 2022 SE, which still has the home button with internals that are 4-5 years newer.
SabaraOne@reddit
I have a blind friend who ran an iPhone 7 into the dirt and then replaced it with an SE3 last year because they like being able to use the phone without taking it out of their pocket.
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
Funny, I'm the OP and I'm also blind. I've moved onto flagship iPhones because there are too many compromises with the 2022 SE now, but I did enjoy being able to unlock my phone without removing it from my pocket (or from under the blanket, for that matter). I'm also constantly annoyed by the apps that unexpectedly scan my face because when I'm using my phone, it's usually not pointed at my face. I test a lot of devices and I have two modern Android phones with great fingerprint readers, so Apple's choice to exclude this from the iPhone is part of a long list of annoyances I have with the company. But I can't deny they've done a lot of work to make their devices accessible.
SabaraOne@reddit
I jumped from the SE 2020 to the 16e. I'm low vision myself and I'd probably find the loss of TouchID a lot more annoying if I used VO as my primary interface instead of a backup to Zoom (Or for that matter if I used my iPhone as anything more than a glorified MP3 player that makes phone calls while doing all my non-phone phone stuff on my iPad)
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
Once you disable the "Require Attention for Face ID" setting (which happens automatically if you have VO enabled during setup), it's a lot more forgiving and works relatively well. The problem is that it's too forgiving, and it looks at a quarter of my face and triggers a face ID failure instead of just recognizing the need to see the my entire face. So if I send money on Wise or do something else with a delayed face ID pop-up, the phone will either immediately recognize my face or immediately fail and ask me to try again.
As an unlock method though, aside from the need to hold the phone near my face, I don't find it much worse than touch ID. I'm more annoyed on principle that we can't choose between either or both methods like we can on almost every modern Android.
SabaraOne@reddit
In this friend's case it's specifically the need to bring the phone out. I pull out my phone all of about five times a day, two of which are turning a timer on and off so I don't really mind. Plus the 16e was the cheapest iPhone my carrier had when my SE2 got smashed up in a bike accident so that made the choice a lot easier.
bob152637485@reddit
I really don't like the push for all headphones to be wireless only. I'm weird, but I genuinely prefer wired mice, keyboards, and headphones. Let me keep my aux!
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
It's not weird. Bluetooth is worse in measurable ways. The push started long before Bluetooth was truly ready to replace wired connections, and almost ten years after the headphone jack was removed from the iPhone, I still don't think we're really there. People tolerate the restrictions of Bluetooth in exchange for the convenience of wireless headphones, but there's a loud minority who still hates it and wants to hold onto wired connections for as long as possible. In fairness to Apple, the AirPods go a long way to solving some of those problems, but they're still small battery-powered devices that are easy to lose.
Merithay@reddit
Doesn’t it happen that iphones of a certain age can’t be updated to newer ios versions any more, and certain apps won’t update to the old ios which is the last version the device can use?
Asking because this happened to my previous ipad – it was still working but it won’t accept updates to newer ios, and YouTube no longer works on the ios version that is on the ipad.
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
Yeah, the iPhone 8 and 8+ stopped receiving updates after iOS 16, and iOS 17 was released in 2023. There are still occasional security releases, but it's effectively EOL. Android phones still receive updates to system apps and Google Play services, but all those things are bundled with iOS, so being stuck on an old iPhone is a lot more limiting. iOS app developers are also a lot quicker to drop old iOS versions from newer app updates, as you experienced with YouTube. My mom hasn't complained about this yet, but she's still in the habit of doing everything on the web, so I'm sure she doesn't notice or care as much. All the same, this phone is old and probably much slower than intended because of the degraded battery, and I think she'd notice an upgraded device and newer camera. So hopefully this is the push she needs to get to a phone store.
techsupportrathalos@reddit
I 100% advocate for keeping phones as long as you can (free phones are not free, your monthly plan goes up like $20/30 depending on your provider, unless you never put it down when the last phone got paid off but that's a different rant about CDN cell providers.), but at nine years, I'd be keeping an eye on EOL for security updates before sinking funds into fixing something that old. Once there's no more security updates, it's probably time to switch.
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
Apple did release a security fix going all the way back to the 2013 iPhone 5S recently, maybe even further back than that. But the iPhone 8 is effectively EOL and has been for a few years. I definitely think the justification for keeping the old phone is weak, and if nothing else I'm hoping I can convince her to switch to a 2022 SE even if it's a smaller phone.
Unusual-Economist-64@reddit
It's almost always just dust in the charging port, grab a toothpick and clean it out. Or the charging cable gets all bent and broken and needs to be replaced after a while.
DiodeInc@reddit
Carriers in Canada do that?
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
If you're smart about it, yes. Canadian providers are very predatory and deliberately confusing and inconsistent. But they often bring the cost of device financing down to $0. Brand new Samsung and Apple devices aren't going to be anywhere close to free, but older ones are often dirt cheap. Not all plans are compatible and sometimes that comes with the requirement that you return the device after two years. But for instance, last year I got the newly-released Pixel 10 pro XL for $0 on a plan that's roughly $40 USD per-month, if I returned it after two years. Alternatively, I could pay the non-return fee over those two years at $15/month. So I effectively got a top-of-the-line Google phone for $360 CAD (less than $300 USD). I'll look through offers with my mom and probably find something similar on an older-but-still-very-upgraded iPhone.
DiodeInc@reddit
Wow! I got my Pixel 9 for 10 a month CAD
thevoidhearsyou@reddit
Most likey she did not. However if she has an IPad then most likely her phone is connected to an apple account which backs up the content of the devices connected to it automatically through the icloud. All you have to do is log in to her apple account and look at her icloud to verify her phone has been backed up.
However should the unlikely event occur that she does not then a simple connection to a pc and copying every from the phone to the pc would be needed.
Also you can have the battery replaced but given is an apple product you might have to have a shop replace it for you. Just not a certified apple repair shop since they may just tell you to replace the phone.
CloneClem@reddit
A simple backup to a computer will do wonders for you and her, before this thing dies and all is gone.
do it.
Chocolate_Bourbon@reddit
Do the backup secretly. If it was anything like my relationship with an older relative, if all data is lost and OP will be blamed.
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
It's probably enabled already, but she used to toggle settings without really understanding them. Once she disabled location and cellular permission on her Maps app (not globally, just for that one app) and then called me because driving directions weren't working. So I can't take anything for granted. She does have an iPad, and she'd probably notice if photos weren't syncing between them, so I'm guessing it's enabled. If she gets a new phone though, I'll make sure it is.
themissingone2020@reddit
Turn screen time ON on her new phone when you get it and add content restrictions in screen time settings which will limit her random toggling. Do it while setting it up to prevent her clocking what you're doing.
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
I won't force restrictions on her. If she wants me to set her up that way, I will. But she's not old and she's not showing any signs of mental decline. If she changes a setting, it's because she decided to do it, and I'm not interested in trying to predict the ways in which she might break her phone, especially since that hasn't happened in a serious way for the 12+ years she's owned an iPhone.
wrincewind@reddit
I wouldn't wait. That thing could die at any moment, a d if it goes kaput, so do all those photos. Two is one, one is none... You can't be too careful.
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
Sounds like her photos are fine, but the battery isn't charging, so she's going to a phone store. She was going to visit me today but changed her plans, so unfortunately I have all of the extra devices and equipment and none of the ability to do anything for now. Hopefully the phone store can test out wireless charging or perhaps just sell her a new phone at a reasonable price. I told her to call me (on the iPad) before she gets something new.
wrincewind@reddit
Hopefully the repair place doesn't wipe the phone - some will as a matter of policy so they can test it and rule out software issues.
But point was more that, right now it's just a battery issue, but it could die unexpectedly at any point - she could drop it, or lose it, or the memory chip could just die....
OhmHomestead1@reddit
This. But it needs to be done ASAP. My husband waited too long for his iPad (basically original iPad) and now can’t access anything on it, it just keeps restarting the process because it can’t hold a charge long enough.
Connect-Preference@reddit
Maybe Mom is one step ahead of you and has Wi-Fi calling.
My inexpensive VoIP provider that replaced my land line, gave me a free cellphone app, so I can make and receive calls from anywhere in the world, as long as I can find internet or an internet cafe.
boogermanus@reddit
As someone who was still using an iPhone 8 until about 3 months ago; I agree with everything you said. Mine nearly died while they were doing the transfer to my new phone. Only the wireless charging saved me.
BoomerKaren666@reddit
I'm old and my phone is too. I'm sure I'd qualify for a new one but you still have to pay "Connection Fees" or whatever that is. Last time I upgraded my grandson's phone the fees were over 300.00 and I don't have that laying around.
dustojnikhummer@reddit
Well, start by getting said wireless charger, 5W ones are not expensive at all.
S-r-ex@reddit
Christmas wasn't ago, hopefully her birthday is soon.
Elegant-Winner-6521@reddit
You can get a a wireless charging pad for like $15, it's probably the port.
Mdayofearth@reddit
Saw in your other comment that you're Canadian. Does Canada still have 3G?
If not, then I really suggest you have her upgrade even if you have to lie to her. The iPhone 8 does not have 5G support, so, she has fewer (radio) frequencies her phone supports for emergencies (I don't mean 911), so it's a serious safety issue.
SLJ7@reddit (OP)
We don't, or if we do, it's being actively phased out. This is definitely a consideration. 5G goes all the way back to the iPhone 12 so I don't doubt that whatever her next phone is, it will solve this problem.