Getting Bitcoin on Grandma's Android Phone: 3 Easy Steps
So, you’ve helped mom buy some bitcoins and grandma is starting to feel a little left out. Being the perfect grandchild you are, you want to make her feel included in the latest family craze. However, grandma doesn’t believe in spending ridiculous amounts of money on an iPhone, she uses an affordable, tasteful Android. So let’s introduce grandma to cryptocurrencies in three easy steps.
Also read: Getting Bitcoin on Mom’s iPhone: 3 Easy Steps
Step 1: Quick! Get Grandma to the Google Play Store!
Similar to mom, grandma is up to date with all the latest apps like: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat. She knows about the Google Play Store. Ask her to click on the triangle icon (Fig. 1). Now get her a pen and some paper before we move on.
In the Search Bar, type in “bitcoin wallet.” She’ll have a plethora of choices to choose from. For grandmothers, we suggest three popular choices: Mycelium, Bread or Bitcoin.com. Each has an intuitive interface and is easy to use.
Bitcoin.com has a super solid wallet. With over 805,000 wallets created, our wallet is easy to use for beginners and robust enough for experts. Upon downloading the Bitcoin.com wallet, both bitcoin and bitcoin cash wallets are automatically set up for you.
Step 2: Download your Wallet
Grandma then should click Bitcoin.com’s wallet for Android in the play store. We’re going to walk-through Bitcoin.com’s wallet.
Right after she presses, “install,” a progress bar will appear as it downloads. This should take a few seconds depending on grandma’s internet connection.
Ask her to click the app symbol. Click “get started.” Three ‘pages’ of simple instructions follow. Click “create bitcoin wallet.” It should then confirm her wallet has been created. It should ask for an email notification. Enter her favorite email address. Click “continue.” Click “confirm.”
Now is perhaps the most important part. Remember that paper and pen you gave her? She should see “No backup, no bitcoin.” Click on “backup wallet.” She’ll be warned about what she is about to do. Click “got it.” No screenshots, click “I understand.”
Make sure to write down the 12-word secret passphrase on a piece of paper and put that paper in a safe place. You’ll find those in the wallet’s settings at any time.
Step 3: Getting Bitcoin
Obtaining bitcoin for grandma on her Android is as easy as getting bitcoins on your mother’s iPhone. If she wants to purchase a few bitcoins she can use a platform like Localbitcoins that asks for very little personal information. This way she can meet someone locally to buy her first Satoshis, but it’s probably a good idea to go along with her for her first meetup. Moreover, if she doesn’t mind sharing personal information then she can also download the easy-to-use app, Coinbase, which can also be downloaded to her Android. Check out the video on how to use Localbitcoins below.
Grandma is done! Now grandmother can have a wonderful dinner conversation with the family on how you helped her buy those wonderful bitcoins that keep appreciating in value.
What do you think about helping senior citizens get started in bitcoin? Are they too old to understand it? Or did they just not have enough guidance? Let us know in the comments below.
Images via Google Play and Shutterstock.
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