What's new

What's new at TryTechSafe

We keep improving TryTechSafe. Here is what changed, newest first.

: Go back a step, and clearer instructions

  • Go back to the step before. In every lesson on SafePhone and SafePC, "Previous step" takes you back to a step you already did. Do it again if you like, then tap "Next step" to carry on where you were. Take a look: Go back to the step before
  • Every step says exactly what to do. We went through the lessons as a beginner would and rewrote the steps that could leave you unsure: which button to press, which box to fill in, and when the step is done. The lessons on the practice web apps (documents, spreadsheets, slides, maps and videos) got the biggest clean-up.

: Give a year of practice as a gift

  • Gift a year of SafePhone, SafePC or both. Buy 12 months of practice for a parent or a friend, paid once, never renewed, no account needed to buy. You get a gift code by email and a card you can print. They enter the code in their account and the 12 months start that day. Give a gift: Gift a year of SafePhone, SafePC or both

: Try a lesson without an account, and new SafePhone lessons

  • Try a lesson first, no account needed. Open SafePhone or SafePC from our home page and do a whole lesson right away. If you like it, create your free account at the end: that lesson counts, and you get 5 lessons free. Go to the home page: Try a lesson first, no account needed
  • No second password after you sign up. Create your free account after a trial lesson and the practice device opens already signed in, right on your next lesson. No need to type your password a second time.
  • A page for sons and daughters. Helping a parent with their phone? Read how TryTechSafe gives them a pretend phone to practice on, with lessons they can follow on their own, and how to set it up together in a few minutes. Read the page: A page for sons and daughters
  • See a doctor online on SafePhone. Practice with a pretend clinic app: sign in, check in before a visit, join a video visit, read a message and your test results, and book an appointment. 6 new lessons. Take a look: See a doctor online on SafePhone
  • Email and documents on SafePhone. Open a document someone emailed you, save it, print it or keep it as a PDF, scan a paper and send a photo by email. 6 new lessons. Take a look: Email and documents on SafePhone
  • Online forms on SafePhone. Fill in a pretend city services form step by step: save it for later, fix a mistake, choose from a list, add a photo of your ID and send it. 6 new lessons. Take a look: Online forms on SafePhone
  • More ways to stay safe on SafePhone. Install a security update, choose which apps can use your camera or know where you are, say no to a website's notifications and close a fake virus warning. 5 new lessons. Take a look: More ways to stay safe on SafePhone
  • Order food for delivery on SafePhone. Practice with a pretend food delivery app: order a meal, leave it at the door and choose a tip, follow the driver, rate the delivery and report a missing item. 5 new lessons. Take a look: Order food for delivery on SafePhone
  • Be ready for an emergency on SafePhone. Add your medical information and an emergency contact, show them from the lock screen, turn on Emergency SOS, cancel an SOS pressed by mistake and share your location with family. 6 new lessons, all practice: no real call is made. Take a look: Be ready for an emergency on SafePhone
  • Make SafePhone easier to use. Take a tour of the Accessibility settings, get more time to read messages, turn on Simple mode and set up a shortcut for magnification. 4 new lessons. Take a look: Make SafePhone easier to use
  • Everyday tasks on SafePhone. Add an invitation from an email to your calendar, send someone a phone number from your contacts, and write a text message with your voice. 3 new lessons. Take a look: Everyday tasks on SafePhone
  • More everyday tasks on SafePhone. Put one of your photos as wallpaper, listen to a voicemail (with the words written below) and call back, and find help on the phone itself in Tips & support. 3 new lessons. Take a look: More everyday tasks on SafePhone
  • Ready for the next level on SafePhone. The Lessons app now suggests up to 3 lessons you did at Beginner or Intermediate, to do again with less help: that is how it sticks. At Advanced level, a "Show me" button briefly shows where to tap if you get stuck.

: Your progress, certificates, a helper and more

  • Practice with a screen reader on SafePhone. Turn on the practice screen reader and learn the real moves step by step: tap to hear, double-tap to open, swipe to move. 12 new lessons. Take a look: Practice with a screen reader on SafePhone
  • Practice with a screen reader on SafePC. Learn the real keys of a computer screen reader, like Tab, headings and "read all", step by step. 12 new lessons. Take a look: Practice with a screen reader on SafePC
  • Bigger text and a magnifier on SafePhone. Make all the text up to twice as big, practice the magnifier and a high contrast theme. 6 new low-vision lessons. Take a look: Bigger text and a magnifier on SafePhone
  • Bigger text and a magnifier on SafePC. Text up to twice as big, a magnifier from 150 to 400 %, a high contrast theme and a larger pointer. 6 new low-vision lessons. Take a look: Bigger text and a magnifier on SafePC
  • Read to me and live captions on SafePhone. Have each lesson step read to you, and see every sound, vibration and caller's voice written on the screen. Take a look: Read to me and live captions on SafePhone
  • Read to me and live captions on SafePC. Have each lesson step read to you, and see every sound, song and video written on the screen. Take a look: Read to me and live captions on SafePC
  • Simple mode on SafePhone. Bigger buttons, one easy step at a time with a "Show me" button, and no surprise pop-ups. Take a look: Simple mode on SafePhone
  • Simple mode on SafePC. Bigger buttons and text, exercises that start at the easiest level with a "Show me" button, and no surprise pop-ups. Take a look: Simple mode on SafePC
  • Video calls with family. A practice video chat app where family members talk to you, with captions. 6 new SafePhone lessons. Take a look: Video calls with family
  • Codes and passwords. Sign in with a code sent by text, let the phone fill in your password, reset a forgotten one, and never share a code. 6 new SafePhone lessons. Take a look: Codes and passwords
  • Photos for the family. A shared family album, sending several photos at once, brightening a dark photo and freeing up space. 5 new SafePhone lessons. Take a look: Photos for the family
  • Out and about. Scan a QR code for a menu (and check it first), pair your hearing aids, and use free Wi-Fi at the library. 5 new SafePhone lessons. Take a look: Out and about
  • Rides. Book a ride, check the car before you get in, share your trip with family, pay and rate the driver. 5 new SafePhone lessons. Take a look: Rides
  • Health online. Sign in to a practice doctor's website, check in before a visit, join a video visit, read a message, see test results and ask for a refill. 6 new SafePC lessons, with fake data only. Take a look: Health online
  • Pharmacy and medicines. Order a prescription refill, set a daily medicine reminder and answer it, turn on automatic refills and call the pharmacist. 5 new SafePhone lessons. Take a look: Pharmacy and medicines
  • Documents and printing. Open a document you received by email, keep it in your Documents folder, print an email or two copies of a note, save a web page as a PDF and scan a paper. 6 new SafePC lessons. Take a look: Documents and printing
  • Online forms. Fill in a practice application form step by step: lists, round buttons and check boxes, uploading a photo of an ID card, checking and sending, and keeping your confirmation number. 6 new SafePC lessons, with example details only. Take a look: Online forms
  • Video calls on the computer. Make and answer a video call on SafePC, mute your microphone, turn your camera off and on, and send a written message during a call. The family members are drawings that talk, with captions; nothing is filmed or sent. 6 new SafePC lessons. Take a look: Video calls on the computer
  • Keeping safe on the computer. Install updates, choose which apps can use the camera, check the padlock before typing, say Block to notification requests, and calmly close a fake virus warning. 6 new SafePC lessons. Take a look: Keeping safe on the computer
  • Codes and passwords on the computer. Sign in with a code sent by email, let the browser remember a password, reset a forgotten one, and know what to do when someone asks for your code. 6 new SafePC lessons. Take a look: Codes and passwords on the computer
  • Pharmacy and medicines on the computer. Refill a prescription online, turn on automatic refills, ask the pharmacist a question and set a daily medicine reminder in the calendar. 4 new SafePC lessons. Take a look: Pharmacy and medicines on the computer
  • Online banking, safely. Sign in to a practice bank, read your transactions and a statement, make a transfer, and spot a fake bank message. Made-up bank, pretend money. 5 new SafePC lessons. Take a look: Online banking, safely
  • Back up your photos. Copy photos to a USB drive, remove it safely, copy them back, and upload them to an online drive. 4 new SafePC lessons. Take a look: Back up your photos
  • Shopping online. Search a practice store, compare by reviews, use the cart, pay with a practice card on a secure page and start a return, then learn the warning signs of a fake store. 5 new SafePC lessons; no real card is ever accepted. Take a look: Shopping online
  • See your progress. Your dashboard now shows how many lessons you finished on each device, your practice time and the next lesson to try. Take a look: See your progress
  • Certificates. Finish every lesson of a topic, like "Getting started", and print a certificate with your name. Take a look: Certificates
  • Share your progress with a helper. Give a son, a daughter or a caregiver a private link. They can follow your lessons and suggest the next ones. You can stop sharing anytime. Take a look: Share your progress with a helper
  • Every lesson, free to read. Every lesson now has its own page with the steps written out, so you can read them before you practice. Take a look: Every lesson, free to read
  • The accessible edition. TryTechSafe works with screen readers, big text, high contrast and the keyboard, at the same price for everyone. Take a look: The accessible edition

: TryTechSafe opens

  • SafePhone and SafePC. A practice smartphone and a practice computer in your web browser, with step-by-step lessons. Nothing you do there can break anything. Take a look: SafePhone and SafePC
  • Start free. Create a free account and try the first 5 lessons on each device. Upgrade only if you want every lesson. Take a look: Start free

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