No, getting older doesn’t mean you stop liking gadgets. It’s just that you stop liking how fussy they get & many devices are just frustrating. Here are the top ten gadgets that older readers said annoyed them the most during our survey. Which of these tech gadgets drives you the craziest?
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.
Slim streaming remotes with tiny buttons
Several readers told us how much they hate the ultra-thin remotes that come with Roku or Apple TV. They’re easy to lose & hard to hold. Somehow, they’re always upside down when you grab them, and one reader said he always presses “Home” instead of “Pause” every time. It’s hard to rewind just ten seconds with the touchpad when you’re in a dark room.
Smartwatches with small swipe targets
A few readers said the biggest issue with smartwatches was that the screens are tiny & the icons are tinier. Trying to scroll mid-workout feels like too much of a hassle for them. In fact, one reader said she gave up answering calls on her watch because she’d hang up instead. It was just way too annoying.
True wireless earbuds with touch controls
Tiny earbuds are great until they take every small adjustment as “skip the song.” Some older people told us they’ve turned off touch controls completely because just pushing them in makes the track jump. The cases are small too, almost too small. Quite a few readers admitted they’ve dropped theirs down a car seat gap three times.
Smart thermostats with app-heavy setup
Installing a smart thermostat sounds simple. Then you open the app & realize it wants Wi-Fi passwords & sensor calibration, as well as a login you forgot you made in 2018. Lots of readers told us it took them longer to connect the app than it did to actually mount the device. They wish they could just use the old-fashioned kind of thermostat because the knobs were far easier to adjust.
Stick vacuums with hold-to-run triggers
Sure, cordless vacuums are light. At first. Then comes the part where you have to squeeze the trigger nonstop, and your hand cramps before the floor’s clean. Several readers pointed out how hard it is to pop off the bin without spraying dust everywhere. It wasn’t exactly the upgrade they expected.
Digital bathroom scales with brief readouts
Standing on a scale should be simple, and it mostly is. Except for when the numbers vanish before you’ve even seen them, as well as when there’s glare on the screen. That means the glossy top reflects everything except the digits you’re trying to read. One woman said she weighs herself twice, just to be sure it wasn’t lying.
Induction cooktops with flat touch panels
A few home cooks told us how awful those touchscreen cooktops are. It’s a pain trying to change the temperature mid-recipe because the buttons are just light-up icons, & you have to hold your finger just right for it to register. Moving a pan sometimes turns off your burner. It’s really quite a hassle.
Wireless inkjet printers with app pairing
Between Wi-Fi setup & app permissions, using a printer is a test of patience for many older readers. One woman said she actually sold hers and bought a completely offline printer, as it was too difficult to use a digital version. Another claimed that their wireless printer works fine, but only on every third try, which frustrates them.
Touchscreen microwaves with small flat panels
Modern microwaves do look sleek. But those flat control panels can be annoying once your eyesight changes, according to our readers. The icons are faint & the contrast is low, so you end up leaning in just to find the reheat button. Our older readers said the lack of a real button press makes it easy to double-tap by mistake or start the wrong setting entirely.
Smart home hubs with voice assistants
Unfortunately, smart hubs cause more misunderstandings than fixes. Your voice softens with age & these devices don’t always adjust well, and many readers said they accidentally triggered the wrong command. They’d rather use their phones because it’s faster than repeating the same phrase three times.
Like our content? Be sure to follow us.
