Customer Ratings & Reviews

It's a very handy phone and somewhat easy for my dad to use. He still get frustrated with some of the functions but seems to be able to handle the very basic functions. Unfortunately, I was unaware that they used Verizon as their carrier; had I been made aware of that fact I would not have purchased it. I even asked the sales person before I purchased it who the carrier was...the answer was simply GreatCall. Where we live the service is horrible; which is why we had to leave Verizon in the first place after about ten or more years with the company after moving out to Front Royal, VA. Our phones just didn't work very well in our particular area although the coverage map says it would work here. You have to go outside and halfway down the driveway sometimes to get a signal. Which brings us to the second issue; he can't keep the phone charged as it's always searching for a signal. We have invested too much effort & money into it to quit now and dad doesn't handle change very well. Going to a smart phone was a big enough shock for him to begin with. If not for that one issue with the Verizon service it would be a great phone. We just can't rely on it here at the house. We'll stay with it for now until another opportunity with a more reliable carrier comes up.

Best smart phone ever for the person who needs a cell phone but doesn't want or need all the bells and whistles of an iPhone. This 'Jitterbug' phone (aka Great Talk) uses the Verizon network, so coverage nationwide is virtually guaranteed. Only drawbacks to this phone is that you cannot use it while it is being charged, and it does take a little longer than other phones to 'turn on'. Otherwise, great call and sound quality, easy features to learn, awesome phone for seniors or emergency use.

Whenever not using phone it needs to be charged because battery runs low with alot of use compared to regular smart phones.

I have never owned anything but a flip phone and I'm having problems learning all of it's capabilities.The battery goes down really fast, even when I'm not using it. It says I'm over my Data limit, and I do not know what data consist of. I am connected to Wi-fi most the time I use the phone. How can I be over my limit?

I am concerned about the lack of battery life. Even on standby the battery will drain in about 16 hours. Also I signed up for the base amount of internet 40mbs, and setting the phone up I used about 8, since then I have not used it, but now it shows that I have used 17mbs. It looks like I will be over my 40 by the end of the month without even using it.

The phone was easy to set up. Following the Quick Start Guide, I had no problems with the initial startup. The Jitterbug is actually 2 phones in one. It is a phone for Senior Citizens who want absolutely no frills but to talk, get voicemails and have limited apps supplied by Great Call. On the other hand, if you want a Smart Phone, as I did, it requires some basic knowledge of how to install an app and aligning it to your screen. My old phone is a Motorola Razor Droid. When I compare the two, I find many similarities, which I like. You still use the Play Store to get your apps and then you can place your icons where you want. You can even relabel them, which is a feature I also like. Setting up Voicemail was a bit tedious but a call to Great Call solved that. I found the Customer Service to be excellent and fast. A couple of items I wish they’d improve on have to do with the battery, which by the way is not removable. Make sure you switch the Battery Saver option to on. Now, if you charge the phone, the Battery Saver automatically turns off. This, they need to correct. Otherwise each time you charge the phone you have to manually go back in and switch it back on again. Overall, its reception (Verizon Network) is great. The visual is appealing, although the wallpaper choices could be improved. The sound is quite clear. I really like the 5.5” screen and the icons and fonts are excellent. For the price, you really get an excellent value, great service and a very appealing phone. It will replace my Motorola Razor quite nicely.

I acquired the Jitterbug initially for my 91-year-old mother to use. She had never used a smart phone before and was looking for something she and my father (who is nearly blind) could both find useful. She is very sharp but still had problems using it without someone to show her how. I currently am using an iPhone and found it not very intuitive, although that could be due to the fact that I'm not familiar with an android system. The first thing that I tried to do was enter my contact information for her and it took both my daughter and me to figure out how to do that. My mother found pulling up texts easy but difficult to respond to. She didn't even attempt to use the camera. Her biggest concern was that although the phone featured the 5* button, it was unusable for someone with limited visibility because there was no tactile button to find to push. There was also no way of sending an emergency call verbally as her current flip phone could do. She also commented that to use the 5* feature as effectively as a life-alert bracelet or necklace meant that you needed to carry the phone with you at all times, even walking around the backyard or using the bathroom. She noted that the battery life of the phone was very short and needed to be recharged every day. On the plus side, the phone itself has a nice large display system that makes it easy to see and hit the first time with your finger without error. The monthly cost of service is also a huge plus for those who aren't as attached to their phone as the younger ones are. I do feel that with a little more help my mother could enjoy many of its features, but her concern about getting something that my blind father could use in an emergency makes this phone not as useful as it could be. All-in-all my mother and I both feel that the phone would be of use to someone a little older than me but not to someone that is wanting it to be a life-line in an emergency.

I received a Jitterbug Smartphone to test and provide honest feedback. The phone buttons are large and easy to read. The calls I made came across very clear with no dropped calls. I was not able to test the Urgent Care, MedCoach, and 5Star apps, but I think they could be helpful for an older user. There is a useful Help Guide button that takes the user to various topics such as “Add New People,” “Make a Call” and “Downloading Apps.” The Home screen is uncluttered with only 6 items (Phone, Text, Camera, Photo Album, Email, Brain Games) and the font is large. There is a separate “All Apps” button where the user can get to other apps. This is an Android based phone. My favorite feature was the large font size. My least favorite feature was the short battery life. I had to charge it a couple times a day even with not using it much. I think this would be a great smart phone for a person who wants their first smart phone.