Patient lessons · Bournemouth & Dorset
Patient smartphone lessons for seniors in Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset
Learn to use your phone at your own pace, with patient local techies who never rush and never talk down to you. Friendly group sessions in Kinson, 1-to-1 lessons in your own home, or help over the phone — whatever suits you best. Rated 4.9 on Google.
- ● Android specialists
- ● Same friendly faces every time
- ● Group, 1-to-1 at home or remote
What you'll learn
Lessons built around what you actually want to do
We are Android specialists — Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola and the rest — so if that is what is in your pocket, you are in exactly the right place. If you have an iPhone, we will be honest with you: we are not Apple specialists. Plenty of the basics work much the same way and we will happily help where we genuinely can, but we will never pretend to expertise we do not have.
Every lesson is shaped around you, but the things people most often ask us to teach are:
- Calls, texts and WhatsApp — ringing family, replying to messages, and joining the family group chat.
- Photos — taking them, finding them again afterwards, and sharing them with the grandchildren.
- Video calls — seeing faces, not just hearing voices, wherever your family happens to live.
- Contactless payments — how paying by phone works, and the sensible precautions to take before you switch it on. If you would rather not use it at all, that is a perfectly good choice too.
- App stores, safely — how to tell a genuine app from a dodgy one before you tap install.
- Bigger text and louder sounds — the accessibility settings that make any phone far easier on the eyes and ears.
- Spotting scam texts and calls — what the tricks look like, and how to forward scam texts free to 7726 so the networks can block them.
No jargon, no rushing, and no question is too small. Most people worry they will ask something silly — and honestly, in over thirty years we have never heard one.
Three ways to learn
Group sessions, 1-to-1 at home, or remote
Friendly group sessions run at the Kinson Community Centre in Bournemouth, where we are based. They are relaxed, sociable and taken at the pace of the room. Call 01202 775566 for the current timetable.
1-to-1 lessons at home across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and wider Dorset. You learn on your own phone, on your own sofa, at your own speed — and we always call with an ETA before we set off, so you know exactly who is coming and when.
Remote help for quick questions between lessons. We always phone first — never cold pop-ups — you watch everything happening on screen, and our access ends the moment the session does.
Whichever you choose, you will see the same familiar faces every time. We are a family firm, not a call centre, and we have been helping people across Dorset since 1995.
Try this today
A quick win: make the text bigger right now
Here is a small taste of a lesson. Menus vary a little between phone makes, but on most Android phones the pattern is the same:
- Open Settings — the cog-wheel icon on your home screen or in the app list.
- Tap Display (on some phones the text options live under Accessibility instead).
- Tap Font size — sometimes labelled Font size and style or Display size and text.
- Drag the slider to the right until the sample text is comfortable to read. The change saves itself — nothing to confirm.
- For a louder ring, go back to Settings, tap Sound and vibration, and raise the ring and notification sliders.
Stuck on a step? That is completely normal — every phone maker hides these menus somewhere slightly different. Bring the phone along to a lesson, or ring us on 01202 775566 and we will find it together.
By the way, this website has its own accessibility toolbar — bigger text, higher contrast and read-aloud — so you can make this very page easier to read while you are here.
Honest advice
Free lessons exist — and sometimes they are the right call
We would rather you found the right help than simply chose us. Age UK runs sessions covering central Bournemouth postcodes, and many local libraries offer free digital help too — both are genuinely worth a look if you live nearby and a set session suits you.
Where we fit in:
- We take our time. Lessons move at your pace, cover the same ground as often as you like, and nobody is watching the clock.
- We cover more of Dorset. Poole, Christchurch and the wider county, not just central Bournemouth — including 1-to-1 lessons in your own home.
- Same faces every time. You will never have to explain yourself afresh to a stranger at every session.
- Help between lessons. Many people add our home IT support plan — £18.25 a month per computer, rolling monthly, cancel anytime — so there is always a familiar voice to ring when something odd pops up.
Adult children often arrange lessons for a parent from a distance and pay on their behalf — we are always happy to set that up with a single phone call.
// FREE · LEARN SOMETHING NEW
11 free, friendly online courses for beginners and older learners — computer basics, email, WhatsApp, staying safe online and more. Short plain-English lessons, a printable certificate at the end, and never a sign-up form.
// RELATED
Keep building your confidence: try our computer lessons for seniors in Bournemouth, take the free online safety course, test yourself with the Spot the Scam quiz, or keep help on hand between lessons with a home IT support plan.
FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT
// GOOD QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
I have an iPhone, not an Android — can you still teach me?
We will be honest with you: we are Android and Windows specialists, not Apple specialists. Many basics — WhatsApp, video calls, spotting scam texts — work much the same on an iPhone, and we are happy to help with those. But if you want deep iPhone expertise, we will say so plainly and point you in the right direction rather than muddle through.
How much do the lessons cost?
Group sessions and 1-to-1 tuition are arranged on request, so call us on 01202 775566 and we will tell you the current details before anything is booked — no obligation, no pressure. For ongoing help between lessons, our home IT support plan is £18.25 a month per computer, rolling monthly, cancel anytime.
Do I need to bring my own phone to a group session?
Yes please — and the charger if you can. You will learn far faster on the exact phone you use at home, because the buttons and menus will be in the same places when you practise later.
My mum keeps getting scam texts. Can you help her?
Yes — spotting scam texts and calls is a big part of our lessons. We show her what the tricks look like and how to forward scam texts free to 7726. If she ever loses money to a scam, she should call her bank straight away on 159 and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Our free Spot the Scam quiz is a good practice run too.
Can I arrange and pay for lessons for my parent from a distance?
Absolutely — adult children do this all the time. Give us a call, tell us what your mum or dad wants to get out of it, and we will handle the rest. You can also set up and pay for a simple monthly support plan on their behalf, so there is always someone patient for them to ring.
When are the group sessions at the Kinson Community Centre?
The timetable changes from time to time, so we do not publish it here — call 01202 775566 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm) and we will tell you the current sessions and help you pick one that suits.
Ready to feel at home with your phone?
Call 01202 775566 for the current group timetable at the Kinson Community Centre, or to arrange 1-to-1 lessons at home. Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm. Prefer to text? 07520 615332.
01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM