To ask a stupid question about phones?

[crumpetswithjam]

My husband recently upgraded his iPhone. I would like to use the handset for my son, who is 8 and autistic and uses YouTube songs to self regulate.

DH was previously on a Vodafone monthly contract, but that's obviously gone over to the new phone.

Would the phone be 'Locked'? I have no idea what this means

Sorry, if you know this please humour me, as I've never done this before and my brain is a bit frazzled by half term (I would also really like my own phone back off my son!)

Why do you need a SIM card for him at all? If he's only using it on WiFi in the house or out and about it'll work just fine for that without one. You can always use your or DH's phone to hot-spot and give WiFi to it if you're somewhere without free WiFi.

Basically, just like any tablet.

www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/forms/unlock-code-request/

You need to do this if you want to put a sim card in for when you're out an about. You would have to buy one and pay for data. I think all networks have sim only packages.

Depending on the model of the phone, some services (like the YouTube app) will be likely to work over WiFi without a sim card.

He can't use it, he has a learning disability. He only knows how to use YouTube, and I can put parental controls on that. (I check it regularly to make sure he's not watching anything scary or inappropriate- he isn't, he's watching Teletubbies or nursery rhymes.

My dd has my old iPhone to play around with. It’s locked to EE which means if she needs it to be a working phone, it needs to be an EE sim card.

But we aren’t using it as a phone just as an internet device. So it’s still ok to be connected to Wi-Fi and be used as a tablet like device

@crumpetswithjam My daughter does the same thing with one of our old Samsungs. You do not need a s SIM card at all. At home you can connect to your WiFi just like normal. When out and about (if your son still needs his phone) you can piggyback data from a nearby phone via bluetooth tethering. So he is using DATA from your phone on your contract . No SIM needed. Share Wi-Fi Data Via Bluetooth Tethering

Also try youtube Kids. Much easier to manage

If your son can access YouTube (which will need a Wifi connection), he can also access other sites. Is there a way of restricting your son’s access so he can only get onto YouTube, and nothing else? (I don’t have the answer sadly, but other posters might!)

Thanks @ForTheLoveOfSleep he still loves Cocomelon and Hey Duggee. But he also likes watching the Star Trek Next Generation theme over and over again, and the Funky Gibbon, by the Goodies. He has eclectic tastes

I think I can just delete or hide most other apps @FourForYouGlenCocoYouGoGlenCoco

We are currently in the constant repetition of "One wonderful world" by Numberblock One 😂

Most iPhones are no longer locked these days so you should be fine.

If you put a pay as you I vodaphone sim in it it will work like a regular phone

if you put a different sim in and it dont
work then it’s locked to the vodaphone network so you would need to get it unlocked

without a sim it will work on wifi only

I’ve always handed my old phone down to my DD.

I usually order a ‘pay as you go’ sim - these can be ordered from anywhere on the internet (I would stick with the provider you have) and you should be able to put it straight in the phone and the phone should work.

Pay as you go means you need to top up if you want to text or ring.
Contract means you get a set amount of texts and minutes for a monthly fee.

If he’s just using Wi-Fi then definitely get pay as you go.

If you have good internet allowance/hotspot on your own phone you can link it to a device with no sim and get Wi-Fi that way when out and about. I do it with DDs ancient iPad mini when we are travelling.