How To Set Up A Tablet Or Smart Display So Only Family Can Call In

What you'll learn: why restricting incoming calls beats trying to spot a scam mid-call, and step-by-step setup for the most common devices — iPad, Android tablets, and Amazon Echo Show.

Free Calls for Seniors

7/31/20262 min read

The Best Defence Is Closing The Door Early


A lot of scam-safety advice focuses on spotting trouble once it's already happening — an odd request, a strange voice, a call that feels off. That's useful, but there's a simpler approach that works even better for video calling devices specifically: make sure a stranger can never call through in the first place.

If a device only accepts calls from a short, approved list of family and friends, it doesn't matter how convincing a scammer's voice, video, or story is — they simply can't reach the screen at all. This is especially worth setting up on a tablet or smart display used mainly for family video calls, rather than general browsing.

Setting This Up On An iPad


Apple's Assistive Access mode is designed for exactly this kind of simplified, safer setup, and takes about 20 minutes.

  1. Open Settings, then go to Accessibility, then Assistive Access.

  2. Follow the setup steps and choose which apps appear on the home screen — for video calling, keep it to FaceTime and perhaps Photos and Messages.

  3. When prompted, set contacts so that only approved people already saved in the device can call or message in.

  4. Finish setup — the iPad now shows a simplified, large-icon screen, and only your chosen contacts can reach it.


This also has a side benefit worth mentioning: because the whole interface becomes simpler and more visual, it often makes the tablet easier and less overwhelming to use day-to-day, not just safer.

Setting This Up On An Android Tablet

  1. Open Settings and look for 'Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls' or 'Focus Mode' (naming varies slightly by manufacturer).

  2. Set up a restricted profile or guided mode that limits which apps are visible.

  3. Within your video calling app itself (WhatsApp, Google Meet, etc.), block or restrict unknown numbers and adjust privacy settings so only saved contacts can call.


Android's options are a little more spread out across settings than Apple's single Assistive Access mode, so it may take slightly longer to set up — a family member's help here is genuinely useful rather than just convenient.

Setting This Up On An Amazon Echo Show

  1. Open the Alexa app and go to Devices, then select the Echo Show.

  2. Go to Communications settings and choose who is allowed to 'Drop In' or call — restrict this to your household group and approved contacts only.

  3. Turn off the option allowing calls from anyone with the Alexa app, if this is currently enabled.


The Echo Show's Drop In feature is wonderful for casual, no-fuss family check-ins, but it's worth confirming this restriction is switched on, since default settings aren't always the most restrictive option.

A Small Setup Job With A Real Payoff


None of these steps take long, and none require ongoing effort once they're done. The payoff is a device that's simpler to use, warmer to interact with, and structurally unable to let a stranger — AI-assisted or not — reach the person using it.

If you're setting up a new tablet or smart display for a parent or grandparent this year, treat this as step one, before the device is even handed over.

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