Customers are enthusiastic about the Jitterbug Smart4 Smartphone, particularly its ease of use and large screen size. Many find the camera quality and battery life to be satisfactory, and appreciate the overall performance upgrades. However, some customers have reported issues with the phone activation process.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 521 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Set up was glitchy
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I think my 89 year old mom will finally be willing to ditch her flip phone for the Jitterbug Smart 4. The interface is easy and pretty intuitive. BUT. It took tech skills to set it up. There was supposed to be a card in the user guide that told me how to activate a Lively account. I never saw it and had to call Lively. Once they told me the website to activate, I moved on to the next glitch. The voicemail setup kept spinning, giving an error message and then going right back to spinning. The only way to exit was to reboot. Finally, once I got past the google signon, the keyboard came up blank in every app. I thought maybe I corrupted somethig when I rebooted, so I reset to factory settings and set it up again. Still no keyboard. Ugh. Found a suggestion online to update the keyboard app. I’m an IOS girl, and the keyboard is inherent. Who knew? So I go to Google Play and guess what. You can’t search without a keyboard. Voice search wasn’t even working. I finally found a place where I could click on update app from the phone, and it updated and fixed the problem. So, it migjt be a simple phone to use, but it a non-techie elderly person could never have set it up! My mom will love the 178 page guidebook, but the pages are falling out, like the glue is crumbling. The guy I talked to at Lively said they will send me another one.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Battery life, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nice phone
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Nice phone. Pretty easy to use. I got it for my husband who has beginning stages of dementia. All he needed is for was to call out for me to call him. The phone seems to be easier than the TracFone that we had. The only thing I don’t like is that it takes 4 steps to make a phone call. The battery life is very good. It will go a week on one charge if you’re just making phone calls. I’m hoping that this will be the last phone we have to purchase for a while.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
JITTER-UP
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
easy to use I am 88 years young. Although the Jitterbug Smart4 is only compatible with Lively’s plans, this cellular provider offered everything I’d need in terms of coverage.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great phone
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Super easy to use exactly what my 96-year-old mother needed
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Enjoying my jitterbug
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The large letters and numbers are such a good help to me and I am enjoying the phone .
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Battery life, Camera quality, Screen size
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good phone for seniors
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
My mother is 80 and has brain damage and mobility issues from a stroke, and this phone is a life saver! It has enough smart phone capabilities to let her participate in the modern tech world, but the interface is easy enough to use that she can actually do it. It has good battery life, a bright large screen and a pretty decent camera considering the very low price. The Lively phone service is excellent as well, and they have great customer support. This is an excellent phone for somebody who needs a simplified phone!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Solid option to typical smartphones
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Bought this for my mother-in-law who was getting overwhelmed with her Android phone. Interface is more straightforward -- the list approach for apps is easier for her to deal with than the multiple screens of icons on her old phone. Sound quality is excellent. Not surprisingly, we needed to spend a fair amount of time getting her accustomed to the new interface, but she's caught on pretty easily. Only reason I can't give 5 stars is a couple of design challenges:
1) she holds her phone with her left hand wrapped around the back, which puts her fingers right on the volume controls. More than once she has inadvertently turned the volume down to the point she can't hear us. We wound up putting duct tape over the toggle controls as a reminder to not grip the phone so tightly.
2) She likes to turn her phone off when she's not using it (even though we've told her it's not necessary -- it's the old dog, new tricks thing). When she turns it back on, her fat fingers tend to hit the Airplane mode button instead of the On button and you guessed it -- no phone, no text, no email and she was convinced the phone was broke.
I point out these issues only as a warning that you may need to invest a good deal of training before the phone is user-friendly.
On the plus side, Lively's customer support has been excellent, so all-in-all this was a good purchase. Camera seems adequate although she doesn't use it.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Highly recommend this phone and phone plan
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Posted . Owned for 11 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I finally convinced my wife to switch from a flip phone to a smart phone, after showing her the features on this Jitterbug Smart4. She is almost 70 and is a bit technically challenged. However, once I showed her how much better the camera is and how much easier texting is compared to the flip phone, she agreed to try this.
My wife has been using this phone for a year now and loves it. I still have to show her how to do certain things at times but the basic functions she is completely comfortable with.
Once I added her contacts, she has no problems making calls or texting. Getting her voice mail is no problem at all. She loves the ease of the camera and the ability to send the pictures she took to others or to her desktop computer.
Those are the main functions she uses so there was no need for me to get her an upgraded data plan. The basic one is more than enough. And how about the plan price? I still cannot believe how low the monthly charges are.
As soon as we got the phone, I got her a snap on case for it, which has kept the phone in like new condition.
For anyone looking for a phone that makes the functions of a flip phone so much easier, along with the ability to do some smart phone functions, I highly recommend this Jitterbug Smart4 smartphone.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Battery life, Ease of use, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Jitterbug the only phone you need
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
easy to use love the battery little charge needed right size for my hand love the listing provided so that i do not need to search where calls and emails are located. nice ring and volumn adjustments provided. My first phone is a hit! Camera works really well
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Screen size
Cons mentioned:
Phone activation
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Jitterbug
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Bought this for my 80 year old father. Its very easy for him to use. The screen is a nice size. The menu is in bigger print making it easier to see and the volumn is loud enough that he can hear it ring as his hearing isn't so good. The only thing is the Emergency Call button tends to get in his way or attract his attention. There is a delay if you press it and it gives you a 10 second countdown before actually going through and gives you the chance to cancel. Other than that no issues at all. It was easy to set up and the customer service people were very nice and patient.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Larger screen. Sharper, clearer image.
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The screen is larger, type is smaller, camera is much better than previous Jitterbug phone.
I did go through the User Guide to learn correct usage of each command. Didn't want to wing it on anything. After day two it started to click and readily added needed apps.
I use the phone for everything, calling, texting, internet sites, news, social media. This screen has a sharper picture than previous Jitterbug and I am pleased with the improvements in this model.
Jitterbug is definitely senior citizen friendly.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Screen size
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Ease of Use
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Posted . Owned for 1 year when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Easy to set up. Very user friendly for people that are not as familiar with using a smart phone. My grandma appreciated the large icons and the menu and navigation system was simple enough for her to learn, having only had a flip phone in the past. Sometimes freezes or runs slow but can be fixed by turning the phone off for a few minutes.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Senior Phone -Unless Grandma is Entitled
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I bought this for my 80-year-old grandmother who has wanted a smartphone forever but is terrible with technology. It's so easy to use, there are multiple ways to get to everything from the home screen, it's extremely affordable, and the font/buttons are huge and clearly labeled. Unfortunately, Grandma did not like it because "This isn't an iPhone" but I'm hoping she'll warm up to it because there is no reality in which she would ever be able to use any smartphone aside from the Jitterbug.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Screen size
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
"I LIKE IT" ...THE JITTERBUG 4!
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I am 85, deaf but still trying to keep up with technology as much as I can. I have had flip phones in the past because they were compact, and did all that I needed at the time. Now I need voice texting, larger letters, gadgets easier to understand.
Although I am still learning how to use some of it, I have found Jitterbug 4 has all that I need.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
This is truly a simple, easy to use “smart” phone!
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I wanted to wait until my mom had used for a while. I can easily give this phone 5 ⭐️. Now keep in mind, this is not for tech savvy people. It was not designed to be similar to an iPhone either. What it is, however, is a perfect “smart” phone for my elderly mom. The last one that I purchased (different brand) was far too complicated for her and after months of our family members trying to teach her how to use it, we gave up and bought her a flip phone made by this same company. That was a fabulous phone, but at 3 years, it was tired and the flip wasn’t really flipping anymore. After doing some research, I decided on this model. It was very easy for me to transfer her number over and to set up her new phone. I am extremely impressed with how easy they did make this model. Teaching my mom how to use it was fairly easy as well. She likes to text and now with an actual “keyboard” it’s much easier. She also has the ability to use the speak-to-text option, which works fairly well. Overall, she likes that phone and no longer has issues with hearing the ringer, making/receiving calls or texting. She’s even learning to do a basic Google search! Thank you for making a phone that is truly easy to use for those folks who were not raised with technology.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Easy to use!
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I like the larger buttons and ease of use! Great phone for the older crowd! This is my third Jitterbug!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
All good- except the lack of volume. It whispers.
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This Jitterbug smart4 phone is easy to navigate. The L!vely carrier seems to be fine. One drawback with the phone is the sound (listening to calls and using online/apps)- i should say LACK of volume. I am not hard-of-hearing, so this particular phone has a problem. The quality of the sound is good- the volume is way too quiet at its max.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great for older....
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
My 90 Y. O. Spouse got an Android for 1st time. Not overwhelming to learn to use it. Now I am considering purchasing one for myself. This Lively phone has better quality than my old Moto! Worth the money.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Good big phone
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Posted . Owned for 1 year when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is just like a regular cell phone and has all the functions but buttons are a little bit bigger and the screen is a little bit bigger. It’s a little bit less complicated. There’s a few apps that don’t work with this which is a little frustrating but the rest of it is good for an elderly period or somebody that can’t see well and has a hard time with complicated cell phones. And you can’t it doesn’t look any different so you won’t be embarrassed that you’re using an older folks phone.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Jitter bug phone
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Bought the phone for my dad who is 93. Seems easier for him to use. Did not activate phone with the default Lively service as he did not need all the extra services (their help I've fallen... call for a Lift cab ...) plus extra data usage becomes roaming charges. Bought a SIM card (99 cents) from Tracfone which has plans that will not go over on data. With the Tracfone activation there is a red image at top as the Auto911 Lively service is not available or similar message like that - have to just inore that. Jitterbug could not or would not assist in resolving that red warning bar. They want you to use their service.