Setting Up & Managing
Dementia Dialer
Everything a carer or family member needs to know — from first installation through to managing contacts, accessing carer tools, and restoring normal phone operation if needed. Covers both Dementia Dialer and Dementia Dialer 2.
This guide covers both apps — choose yours for specific requirements:
Dementia Dialer — Free Dementia Dialer 2 — £1.19Keep this page private. This guide contains the access methods used to manage the app. Please do not share it with — or leave it visible to — the person using the phone.
Step by step
First installation
Check your phone is compatible
Dementia Dialer works on any Android phone running Android 8.0 or above — including older and budget devices from 2017 onwards.
Dementia Dialer 2 requires a modern Android phone running Android 10 or above (released 2019) with Live Caption support. Check Settings → Sound → Live Caption on your device to confirm before downloading.
Download from Google Play
Open the Google Play Store on the Android phone. Search for Dementia Dialer or Dementia Dialer 2 and tap Install (Dementia Dialer is free — Dementia Dialer 2 costs £1.19).
Set as the default home screen
Press the Home button on the phone. What happens next depends on your Android version or manufacturer:
Option A — A prompt appears asking which app to use as the home screen. Select Dementia Dialer (or Dementia Dialer 2) and tap Always.
Option B — A button appears saying "Use Launcher as Home" (or similar wording). Tap it, then select the app and tap Always.
If no prompt appears at all, go to Settings → Apps → Default apps → Home app and select the app from the list.
Add your first contacts
See the Adding & editing contacts section below for full instructions.
Managing contacts
Adding & editing contacts
The contact management screen is accessed by a special tap sequence — this keeps it completely hidden from the patient.
Open the contact management screen
Tap the top-right corner of the screen 7 times in quick succession. The contact management screen will open directly.
Add a new contact
Tap Add contact. You'll be asked to:
• Add a photo — tap to take a new photo with the camera, or choose one from the gallery
• First name — enter what the patient knows them as (e.g. "Sarah")
• Relationship — e.g. Daughter, Son, Sister, GP Surgery
• Phone number — the number to dial when the patient taps their photo
Tap Save contact when done.
Edit or remove an existing contact
Each contact in the list has an Edit button (to update the photo, name, relationship or number) and a Remove button to delete it.
Return to the patient screen
Tap Return to main screen at the bottom. The patient's photo calling screen will reappear immediately.
Contact management screen
Dementia Dialer 2 only
Setting up Live Caption
Live Caption is an Android feature that displays spoken words as text on screen during phone calls — in real time. It helps hard-of-hearing users follow conversations without needing to hear every word clearly. It is only available on Dementia Dialer 2 and requires Android 10 or above.
How to enable Live Caption
Enable Live Caption once on the Android phone — it will then work automatically during every call made through Dementia Dialer 2.
- Open Settings on the Android phone
- Tap Sound or Accessibility (varies by manufacturer)
- Find Live Caption and tap to open it
- Toggle Live Caption on
- During calls, the caller's spoken words will now appear as text on screen automatically
Live Caption works without an internet connection. It is available on most Android devices running Android 10 or above. If you cannot find Live Caption in Settings, your device may not support it — use the free Dementia Dialer instead.
Check Live Caption is supported
Go to Settings → Sound → Live Caption. If the option appears your device supports it. If it doesn't appear, your device does not support Live Caption.
Turn Live Caption on
Toggle Live Caption to on. You may see a privacy notice explaining that Live Caption processes audio on the device — tap OK or Accept to continue.
Test during a call
Make a test call using Dementia Dialer 2. During the call, the caller's spoken words should appear as text at the bottom of the screen automatically. No further setup is needed.
Advanced access
The Carer Tools screen
The Carer Tools screen gives access to deeper phone settings. It is accessed differently to the contacts screen — using a long press rather than taps.
Open the Carer Tools screen
Press and hold the top-right corner of the screen for 2–3 seconds. The Carer Tools screen will open.
Open Android Settings
Opens the standard Android Settings app directly. Useful for adjusting Wi-Fi, volume, accessibility options, or any other phone setting without needing to suspend the app first.
Change default home app
Takes you to Android's home app settings so you can change which app acts as the home screen — for example, to switch back to the standard Android launcher permanently.
Suspend the app
Temporarily pauses the app and returns the phone to normal Android operation. Useful when a carer needs to use the phone normally for a short period.
Temporary use
Suspending the app temporarily
If you need to use the phone normally for a short period — for example to make a call yourself, check settings, or install an update — you can suspend the app without uninstalling it.
Long press the top-right corner
Press and hold the top-right corner of the screen for 2–3 seconds to open the Carer Tools screen.
Tap "Suspend the app"
The phone will return to normal Android operation immediately.
To resume the app
Either find and tap the app icon in the Android app list, or simply switch the phone off and back on — it will launch automatically on startup.
Emergency access
If something goes wrong
If the app is behaving unexpectedly or you need urgent access to the phone's normal functions, follow these steps.
Try the long press first
Press and hold the top-right corner of the screen for 2–3 seconds. Tap Suspend the app to return to normal Android.
If the long press doesn't work — switch off and on
Hold the phone's power button and select Power off or Restart. When it starts up, the app will relaunch — but you will then have access to the long press method again.
To permanently remove the app as home screen
From Carer Tools, tap Change default home app. Android will open the home app settings — select your preferred launcher (e.g. the standard Android one) and tap Always.
Removing the app
Uninstalling the app
First change the default home screen
Using the Carer Tools screen, tap Change default home app and select your normal Android launcher. This must be done before uninstalling.
Uninstall via Android Settings
Go to Settings → Apps → Dementia Dialer → Uninstall. Confirm when prompted.
All data will be removed
Uninstalling the app removes all contact information, photos and settings stored within it.
Troubleshooting
Common questions
The 7-tap sequence isn't opening the contacts screen.
Make sure you are tapping the top-right corner fairly quickly — all 7 taps should be within about 3 seconds. If it still doesn't respond, try the long press method to access Carer Tools instead.
The patient's photo isn't showing clearly.
Edit the contact and replace the photo with a clearer image. Use a well-lit, front-facing close-up where the face fills most of the frame. Avoid group photos or images where the person is far away.
The app isn't launching on startup.
The app may not have been set as the default home screen, or "Just once" was selected instead of "Always". Go to Settings → Apps → Default apps → Home app and select Dementia Dialer. On some Android versions you may instead see a "Use Launcher as Home" button — tap it, select the app, and choose Always.
A call isn't connecting when the patient taps a photo.
Check that the phone number saved for that contact is correct (edit the contact to verify), and that the phone has an active mobile signal and SIM card.
The screen has gone dark — how does the patient wake it?
The patient simply presses the phone's power/side button once to wake the screen. The calling screen will appear immediately.
Live Caption isn't showing during calls (Dementia Dialer 2 only).
Go to Settings → Sound → Live Caption and confirm it is turned on. If the option isn't there, your device doesn't support Live Caption — consider switching to the free Dementia Dialer instead.
Which app should I use — Dementia Dialer or Dementia Dialer 2?
Dementia Dialer is free and works on any Android phone from 2017 onwards (Android 8.0+). Dementia Dialer 2 costs £1.19 and adds Live Caption support for hard-of-hearing users — but requires a modern Android phone (Android 10+). If in doubt, start with the free version.
Need more help?
If you need assistance setting up either app or have a question not covered here, please get in touch — we're happy to help families and care homes.
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