📱 BIG Launcher User Manual

Version 6.2.0 | For Seniors and People with Vision Problems

📖 Table of Contents

1. Getting Started
2. The Home Screen
3. Phone & Calling
4. Contacts
5. Messages (SMS)
6. Screens & Buttons
7. Themes & Appearance
8. SOS Emergency
9. Security & Restrictions
10. Accessibility
11. Applications
12. Settings & System
13. Preferences Reference
14. Troubleshooting
15. Support & Help
16. Appendices

Part 1 — 🚀 Getting Started

What Is BIG Launcher?

BIG Launcher replaces the complicated home screen of your Android phone with a simple, easy-to-read interface. Instead of small icons and confusing menus, you get large buttons with big text that are easy to see and press.

🎬 Watch: BIG Launcher Promo (English)

Who is BIG Launcher for?

• Seniors who find smartphones too complicated
• People with vision problems or blindness
• People with motor difficulties, Alzheimer's, or Parkinson's disease
• Anyone who wants a simpler, stress-free phone experience

The BIG Apps Suite

BIG Launcher works together with two companion apps:

You need to install BIG Phone and BIG SMS separately (required by Google Play Store rules since March 2019).

Free vs. Full Version

🎬 Watch: Free version limitations

Installation

🎬 Watch: How to install BIG Launcher

1. Open the Google Play Store on your phone
2. Search for "BIG Launcher"
3. Tap Install and wait for the download to finish
4. Tap Open to run the app

Installing BIG Phone

1. On the home screen, tap the Phone button
2. Choose "Download and install the phone app"
3. Tap Install on the Google Play Store page
4. After installation, tap Open
5. Grant all requested permissions (calls, contacts, call logs) — the app won't work without them

Installing BIG SMS

1. On the home screen, tap the Messages button
2. Choose "Download and install the messages app"
3. Tap Install on the Google Play Store page
4. After installation, tap Open
5. When prompted, set BIG SMS as your default SMS app — tap Yes

Setup Wizard

The first time you open BIG Launcher, a setup wizard guides you through basic settings:

Step 1: Language

• Your phone's language is selected automatically
• You can choose the app language manually in Preferences → Select language
• Some special characters may not display on older phones

Step 2: Text Size

• Default — Standard size (recommended for most users)
• Bigger — Larger text for better readability
• Biggest — Maximum size (for serious vision problems)

Step 3: Color Theme

• Light (default) — White background, black text
• Dark — Black background, white text (easier at night)
• Blue — Light blue theme (also suitable for color-blind users)

Step 4: Deletion Permissions

• Enable or disable deletion of call history, SMS messages, and contacts
• For safety, disable deletion for users who might accidentally remove important info
• Tap the box under each option and choose "Allow" or "Don't allow"

Step 5: Complete

• Tap the green checkmark to finish
• BIG Launcher will ask for permissions to access contacts, calls, and messages
• Your data is never collected or sent online

Setting BIG Launcher as Default

🎬 Watch: How to set BIG Launcher as default

When you press the Home button, you'll be asked to choose a launcher:

1. Select BIG Launcher from the list
2. Tap "Always" or "Set as default"

If this menu doesn't appear: 1. Open System settings → Apps → Default apps → Home screen 2. Select BIG Launcher

Setting Default Phone & SMS Apps

🎬 Watch: How to set default phone/SMS app

BIG Phone as Default Calling App

Automatic: Open BIG Phone → tap Yes when asked to set as default.

Manual: 1. Go to System settings → Apps 2. Tap the three dots (⋮) → Default apps 3. Tap Calling app → select BIG Phone for Seniors

BIG SMS as Default Messaging App

Automatic: Open BIG SMS → tap Yes when asked to set as default.

Manual: 1. Go to System settings → Apps → three dots (⋮) → Default apps 2. Tap Messaging app → select BIG SMS for Seniors

⚠️ Important: Only the default phone app can show incoming call screens and access call history. Only the default SMS app can send and receive messages.

Purchasing the Full Version

🎬 Watch: How to purchase | Price info

Compare prices for all single-app and BIG Apps Suite PREMIUM plans on our pricing page.

Checking the Price

1. Tap the three dots (⋮) next to the clock → Preferences
2. Tap "Buy/refresh the full version"
3. The price appears in your local currency
4. You can buy one BIG app on its own, or BIG Apps Suite PREMIUM for all three.

Monthly and yearly plans are subscriptions that renew automatically unless cancelled. Yearly plans are billed for the full year. Lifetime is a one-time purchase with no recurring payments. Tap Other options to compare the available plans.

New BIG Apps Suite PREMIUM customers get a 7-day trial of the yearly plan. A payment method is required. Unless you cancel before the trial ends, Google Play charges the yearly price shown.

Existing Lifetime purchases remain valid for the apps originally purchased.

Buying

1. For BIG Apps Suite PREMIUM, open BIG Launcher. To buy only BIG Phone or BIG SMS, open that app.
2. Open Preferences → Buy/refresh the full version.
3. Choose the plan you want. In BIG Launcher, tap Other options to compare Suite plans and BIG Launcher-only plans. The main Start my free trial offer is for the yearly Suite plan.
4. Review the amount, billing period, and any trial terms shown by Google Play, then confirm the purchase.
5. Return to the app. For a Suite purchase, open BIG Phone and BIG SMS directly from BIG Launcher to activate their licenses.

⚠️ Keep your Google Play receipt. It contains the Order ID that support can use if a purchase is not recognized.

To manage or cancel a subscription, open the app where you bought it: BIG Launcher for Suite, or the purchased app for a single-app plan. Go to Preferences → Buy/refresh the full version → Manage subscriptions. In Google Play, select the subscription, then tap Cancel subscription if you want to stop future renewals. Access continues until the end of the paid period.

Buying Lifetime does not automatically cancel an existing subscription. Once the Lifetime purchase is active, use Manage subscriptions to cancel the matching subscription if you no longer need it.

Restoring Your License

🎬 Watch: How to restore a purchase

If you have already paid but the full-version features are unavailable, restore your purchase:

1. Connect the phone to the internet. In Google Play, select the Google account used for the original purchase.
2. For BIG Apps Suite PREMIUM, open BIG Launcher. For a single-app purchase, open the app you bought: BIG Launcher, BIG Phone, or BIG SMS.
3. Open Preferences: in BIG Launcher, tap the three dots next to the clock, then Preferences; in BIG Phone or BIG SMS, tap the Preferences button.
4. Tap Buy/refresh the full version, then Restore purchases.
5. After restoring BIG Apps Suite PREMIUM, return to BIG Launcher. Open BIG Phone from BIG Launcher, return, then open BIG SMS from BIG Launcher to activate their licenses.

A single-app purchase restores access to that app only. These steps also apply after reinstalling an app or moving to a new phone.

If access is still missing, check that Google Play is using the original Google account. For a subscription, open Preferences → Buy/refresh the full version → Manage subscriptions and check that the subscription is still active. If you still need help, email [email protected] with your Google Play Order ID.

Purchasing for Someone Else

🎬 Watch: How to add a credit card to another account

To buy a Lifetime plan on someone else's phone with your payment method:

1. On their phone, sign in to the Google account that will own the purchase and open Google Play → Payment methods.
2. Add your payment method.
3. For a single-app Lifetime purchase, open the app you want to buy. For the Lifetime plan for BIG Apps Suite PREMIUM, open BIG Launcher.
4. Open Preferences → "Buy/refresh the full version" → Other options, choose Lifetime and follow the purchase instructions shown by Google Play.
5. After the purchase, return to Google Play → Payment methods → More payment settings and remove your card from the account.

The Lifetime purchase remains active after removing the card.

Part 2 — 🏠 The Home Screen

Home Screen Layout

The home screen shows:

• Top bar: Clock, date, battery level, signal strength
• Main area: Six large buttons for the most important functions
• Menu: Three dots (⋮) next to the clock for settings

The Six Default Buttons

Screen Layout Options

Examples of screen layouts:

⚠️ Warning about 1×1 and 2×2 layouts: The three dots menu is hidden in these layouts. The lower-left button (2×2) or single button (1×1) automatically becomes a Preferences shortcut. If you change it, you may lose access to settings. Emergency access: Hold the top-left button for 30 seconds.

Portrait and Landscape

Blinking Buttons

When a button blinks, it means there is something new. Phone and Messages can blink for missed calls or unread messages. Other app shortcut buttons can blink when the linked app posts an Android notification.

• Phone blinking — You have missed calls
• Messages blinking — You have unread text messages
• Other apps blinking — That app has a notification (e.g., WhatsApp, Gmail)

App-notification blinking is enabled in Preferences → Screens' options → Blinking button when an app shows a notification. If BIG Phone, BIG SMS, or another BIG Apps Suite shortcut blinks incorrectly, see BIG Apps Suite apps are privileged in the Preferences Reference.

Setting an Alarm

1. Tap the clock or date on the home screen
2. Your phone's alarm app opens
3. Set your alarm as usual
4. When an alarm is set, a small bell icon (🔔) appears next to the clock

Accessing Preferences

Preferences can be opened from the three-dot menu, from the Applications list when the Preferences item is enabled, or by emergency access from the home screen. Caregivers can protect access in Preferences → Preferences menu → Protect menu.

🎬 Watch: How to show Preferences

Method 1 — Three Dots (easiest): - Tap the three dots (⋮) next to the clock → Preferences

Method 2 — From Apps List: - Open Applications → find "BIG Launcher Preferences"

Method 3 — Emergency Access: - Hold the top-left button on the Home screen for 30 seconds

Part 3 — 📞 Phone & Calling

The Phone Screen

Tap Phone on the home screen to see:

1. My Contacts — All contacts with phone numbers
2. Starred — Your favorite contacts
3. Dial Number — Keypad for manual dialing
4. Recent Calls — Call history

Making a Call from Contacts

1. Tap Phone → My Contacts (or Starred)
2. Scroll through the contacts or use the search box, if enabled
3. Tap the contact you want to call
4. Tap the phone number
5. Choose "Call" from the menu

Using the Dialer

1. Tap Phone → Dial Number
2. Tap the numbers on the keypad
3. To delete the last digit, tap the number display at the top
4. If Long press deletes the whole dialed number is enabled in Preferences → Phone, hold the number display to clear it.
5. Tap the green phone button. If an action menu appears, choose Call.

The dialer’s symbol dialog can include Paste from clipboard and Exit dialer. Choose the available symbols and actions with Show in symbols dialog: in Preferences → Phone.

If a call waits before sending additional digits, BIG Phone may ask whether to apply the remaining codes. Choose Yes to send the digits through BIG Phone, or No to let Android continue.

During a Call

The active call screen can be simplified in Preferences → Phone. You can hide Keypad, Hold, Mute, Audio switcher, Duration, and other buttons. For accidental-touch protection, use Ask to end the call, Confirm all the actions on a call screen, or Empty space at top of the Active call screen.

Available buttons during a call:

• End Call (red) — Hang up
• Speaker — Speakerphone on/off
• Mute — Microphone on/off
• Keypad — Number pad (for automated phone systems)
• Hold — Put the call on hold
• Bluetooth — Switch to Bluetooth headset

Call Screen Safety Features

• Collapse/Expand button — Hides all buttons except End Call
• Empty space at top — Prevents your ear from pressing buttons
• Confirm to end call — Optional confirmation before hanging up

Simplifying the Call Menu

🎬 Watch: How to simplify the call menu

When you tap a contact, a menu appears with call and SMS options. You can simplify this:

Remove SMS option: 1. Preferences → Contacts → disable "Show message option in call dialog" 2. Now only the "Call" option will be shown — this works as a confirmation and prevents accidental calls

Direct dial (no menu at all): 1. Preferences → Contacts → enable "No menu when calling the contact" 2. Tapping a contact will immediately start the call

⚠️ We don't recommend disabling the confirmation menu — otherwise random calls can be triggered anytime when handling the phone.

Default Audio Device

🎬 Watch: How to change default audio device

1. Open Preferences → Phone → Default audio device for calls.

2. Select the audio device you want to use:

   • Default — Phone's normal behavior
   • Earpiece — Small speaker at your ear
   • Bluetooth — Connected Bluetooth headset
   • Wired Headset — Headphones with a cable
   • Speaker — Loudspeaker

Switching during a call: Tap the audio-device button. It either shows a list of devices or cycles through them, according to Preferences → Phone → Audio device button functionality. Only available devices can be selected.

Dual SIM Phones

On a dual-SIM phone, choose the SIM for the call when prompted.

Call History

1. Tap Phone → Recent Calls.
2. To call a number from the history, tap its entry and choose the call action if a menu appears.
3. To remove an entry, open it and tap Delete, if deletion is enabled.

Call type icons:

• Green arrow — Outgoing (you called)
• Blue arrow — Incoming (they called)
• Red arrow — Missed call

Enable Missed calls: to show missed calls before the full call history. Opening a missed call’s details marks it as seen. Use Mark all as seen to mark the remaining missed calls. In Preferences → Phone, Show calls except: hides the selected call types from the call log.

Part 4 — 👥 Contacts

Viewing Contacts

1. Tap Phone → My Contacts
2. Scroll through the list or use the search box, if enabled
3. Tap any contact to see their details

Contact details may include: - Phone numbers — Tap to call or send SMS - Email addresses — Tap to send email - Websites, notes, birthday/anniversary

Starred (Favorite) Contacts

1. Open a contact's details
2. Tap Add star — the contact appears in the Starred list
3. Tap Remove star to undo

Adding a New Contact

1. Tap Phone → Add Contact
2. Enter the contact's name
3. Tap Add phone and enter the phone number
4. You can add multiple numbers (Home, Mobile, Work)
5. Tap Add email for email addresses
6. Tap Save

Adding a Photo to a Contact

1. Open the contact → tap Set photo
2. Choose Gallery (existing photo) or Camera (take new)
3. Use the crop tool to select the area you want
4. Tap the green Save button

Editing a Contact

1. Open the contact → tap Edit
2. Make your changes
3. Tap Save

Deleting a Contact

🎬 Watch: How to delete history/SMS/contacts

Deletion is disabled by default to prevent accidents. To enable: 1. Preferences → Contacts → enable "Add contact delete option" 2. Or re-run the Setup wizard and change deletion permissions

Part 5 — 💬 Messages (SMS)

Reading Messages

1. Tap Messages on the home screen
2. You'll see recent conversations with contact names and last message
3. Tap a conversation to read all messages

Message colors: - Green border — Messages you sent - Yellow border — Messages you received - Checkmark — Message was delivered

Sending a New Message

1. Tap Messages → Write new
2. Choose a contact or enter a phone number manually
3. Type your message
4. Tap Send

💡 Character limit: One SMS holds 160 characters (70 with emoji/special characters). Longer messages are split into multiple SMS.

Replying to a Message

1. Open the conversation
2. Tap Reply
3. Type your message → tap Send

Message Options

Tap a message to open its details. Available actions include Call now, Reply, Resend, Forward, and Delete (if deletion is enabled).

MMS Messages (Pictures)

If someone sends a picture or video: 1. The message shows "This is MMS" 2. Tap Download to get the full message 3. Tap again to view

BIG SMS can receive MMS, including text and attachments, but cannot create a new MMS.

SMS Templates

Create message templates for quick responses: 1. In the message editor, tap Templates 2. Tap Create → type your message → save 3. Next time, tap Templates and select your saved message

Dual SIM Support

On a dual-SIM phone, enable Dual SIM card support in Preferences → Messages to use SIM selection when sending a message.

Deleting Messages

🎬 Watch: How to delete history/SMS/contacts

Deletion is disabled by default. To enable: 1. Preferences → Messages → enable "Show delete button"

You can delete: - Individual messages - Entire conversation threads - All messages at once

⚠️ Warning: Bulk deletion cannot be undone!

SMS Notifications

Message notifications are controlled both by BIG SMS and by Android notification channels. Use Preferences → Messages → System Message notification and Sound and visual configuration. Full-screen display over the lock screen may require Android full-screen notification permission.

🎬 Watch: SMS notifications on Android 10+

Notification Types

• Blinking button — Messages button blinks on home screen
• Sound — Notification tone plays
• Vibration — Phone vibrates
• Screen popup — Message appears on screen
• LED light — Phone's notification light blinks

Configuring Notifications on Android 10+

Method 1 — Through notification bar: 1. Pull down the notifications bar 2. Long-tap the "BIG SMS for Seniors" notification 3. Tap Details → Incoming message 4. Set notification style and sound

Method 2 — Through system settings: 1. System settings → Notifications → See all → BIG SMS for Seniors

Vibration Duration

• None (0s) | Short (0.5s) | Optimal (1s) | Long (2s)

Repeating Notifications

Set notifications to repeat every 5, 15, 30, or 60 minutes until you read the message.

Fixing SMS Button Blinking Issues

🎬 Watch: Fix SMS blinking

On some devices, the SMS button blinks constantly even when there is no unread SMS message. To fix it, use the normal Preferences options:

1. Tap the three dots (⋮) → Preferences → Screens' options
2. Enable "Blinking button when an app shows a notification"
3. Enable Notification access for BIG Launcher → tap Allow
4. If BIG SMS still blinks incorrectly, disable "BIG Apps Suite apps are privileged"
5. Go back to the home screen → tap the three dots → "Set buttons"
6. Tap the SMS button → choose "App" → select "BIG SMS for Seniors"

The button should now behave normally.

Part 6 — 🔲 Screens & Buttons

Understanding Screens

Think of screens like pages in a book. The Home screen is page 1. You can add more pages with different buttons.

Adding a New Screen

🎬 Watch: How to add screens & customize buttons

1. Tap the three dots (⋮) → Preferences → "Customize buttons and screens"
2. Tap "Add screen"
3. Tap Yes to link the new screen to the last button of the previous screen
4. The previous last button (usually Apps) moves to the new screen

Swipe Navigation Between Screens

Instead of tapping buttons to switch screens, you can swipe left and right.

1. Open Preferences → Screens' options and enable Use swipe to navigate screens.

2. Open Swipe type and choose:

   • From home to right — Home → Screen 2 → Screen 3 (stops at the end)
   • Loop — After the last screen, swiping goes back to Home

⚠️ Memory warning: Swipe navigation uses more phone memory. If BIG Launcher becomes slow, turn off swipe or reduce the number of screens. When swipe navigation is enabled, buttons are not accessible by keyboard, so keyboard or switch users may need it disabled.

Customizing Buttons

🎬 Watch: Customize buttons

1. Tap the three dots (⋮) → "Set buttons"
2. Tap the button you want to change
3. Choose from the available options:

💡 About External Widgets: The space on a button is limited — we recommend using smaller widgets to maintain readability. The parent app usually launches when you tap the widget on the home screen.

💡 Running out of space? You can add more screens or change the layout to include more buttons.

Assigning a Contact to a Button

🎬 Watch: Assign contact to button

1. Tap the three dots → Set buttons, then tap the button you want to change.
2. Choose Contact details to open the person's contact details, or Direct call/SMS to call or message a particular number.
3. Select the contact. For Direct call/SMS, select the phone number, then choose Call, Write message, or Ask whether to call or message under Button action.

The contact's photo appears on the button. To keep the confirmation before calling, leave Preferences → Contacts → No menu when calling the contact disabled.

Assigning a WhatsApp Contact

🎬 Watch: Assign WhatsApp contact

1. Three dots (⋮) → "Set buttons" → tap the button
2. Select "External shortcut"
3. Find WhatsApp in the list
4. Select the contact

Changing Button Icons

1. While editing a button, tap Change icon
2. Choose from: Internal icons, Icon packs, Themes, or From app
3. Tap Download more to get additional icon packs

Button Text Labels

1. While editing a button, tap Set label
2. Type a short name (e.g., "Son", "Doctor", "Weather")
3. Open Preferences → Screens' options to adjust the label size and position, or enable Invert text label colors.

💡 Enable Preferences → Screens' options → Enable automatic text labels to name newly assigned buttons automatically.

Button Blinking for App Notifications

When you assign an app to a button, BIG Launcher may ask you to enable Notification access so the button can blink when that app receives a notification.

Make buttons blink when apps like WhatsApp or Gmail have notifications. For BIG Apps Suite apps, the privileged internal link can use better icons and different blinking data. If blinking does not match the app shortcut, disable BIG Apps Suite apps are privileged and create a normal shortcut manually.

🎬 Watch: Button blinking setup

1. First, create an app shortcut on a home screen button:
2. Tap the three dots (⋮) → "Set buttons"
3. Tap the button you want to customize
4. Select "App" and choose the desired app (e.g., WhatsApp)
5. Go back to the home screen → tap the three dots → Preferences
6. Tap "Screens' options"
7. Enable "Blinking button when an app shows a notification"
8. A system screen will appear — enable Notification access for BIG Launcher and tap "Allow"
9. Go back to the home screen — when the app receives a new notification, the button will start to blink

💡 Want to enlarge all notifications on your phone? Try our app BIG Notifications.

Part 7 — 🎨 Themes & Appearance

Built-in Themes

To change: Preferences → Appearance → Select theme

To download more: Tap "Download more" in the theme selector.

Text Size

Preferences → Appearance → Text size

• Default — Standard
• Bigger — Larger
• Biggest — Maximum

Screen Orientation

Preferences → Appearance → Select screen orientation

• Automatic — Rotates with your phone
• Horizontal — Always landscape
• Vertical — Always portrait

Full-Screen Mode

Full screen hides the Android status bar at the top of the display.

1. Open Preferences → Appearance and enable Full screen.
2. Enable Show big battery indicator to keep a large battery indicator visible.
3. Open Signal indicator and choose Phone or Wi-Fi for the signal you want to see.

Full screen makes the notification shade less immediately accessible, but it does not block Android system settings.

Safe Borders

Prevents accidental touches on edge-to-edge screens:

Preferences → Appearance → Safe borders size. Choose a border size from 0% to 15%.

Part 8 — 🆘 SOS Emergency

The red SOS button can automatically: 1. Send an emergency SMS with your location 2. Call a specific phone number

Setting Up SOS SMS

1. Preferences → SOS
2. Enable Send SMS
3. Enter phone numbers in SMS phone (separate with commas)
4. Write your emergency message in SMS text
5. Set SMS wait — seconds before sending (gives you time to cancel)
6. Enable Add GPS location to include your location

Example setup: - Phone: Enter your trusted contact's full phone number; separate multiple numbers with commas. - Text: Help me! Emergency! - Wait: 5 seconds - GPS: Enabled

Setting Up SOS Call

1. Preferences → SOS
2. Enable Call
3. Enter the phone number in Call phone
4. Set Call wait — seconds to wait after SMS is sent

Using SOS

Automatic sending works only when BIG SMS is the default messaging app. Otherwise, the SOS message is copied to the default messaging app instead.

1. Tap SOS on the home screen
2. A countdown appears
3. To cancel, tap Cancel
4. After the countdown: if BIG SMS is the default messaging app, the SMS is sent; otherwise, it is copied to the default messaging app. The call is then made on speakerphone.

⚠️ Limitations: - You cannot use emergency numbers like 911 or 112 (Android restriction) - Use family members' or caregivers' numbers instead - GPS is most accurate outdoors; less precise indoors

Dual SMS Option

Enable "Send GPS SMS" to send two messages: 1. First SMS — immediate, with approximate location 2. Second SMS — once GPS gets a more precise fix

Part 9 — 🔒 Security & Restrictions

Password Protection

🎬 Watch: Password protection

Protect settings so only you or a caregiver can change them:

1. Three dots (⋮) → Preferences → Preferences menu
2. Enable "Protect menu"
3. Tap "Password" and enter your password
4. The password can be blank (just press OK) or a specific code

⚠️ Warning: Keep a record of your password. If you forget it, read Forgot Password before clearing app data or reinstalling BIG Launcher.

What can be protected: - Preferences menu — Password required to open settings - System settings — Password required to access Android settings

💡 Tip: Even with System settings password-protected, the user can still access system settings by pulling down the top notification bar (this is an Android function that cannot be disabled). To make this harder, enable "Full screen" in Preferences → Appearance — this hides the notification bar on the home screen, requiring two separate pull-down moves to access it.

Hiding Preferences in BIG Phone / BIG SMS

🎬 Watch: Hide Preferences menu item

1. Open BIG Phone (or BIG SMS) → Preferences → BIG Apps Suite
2. Uncheck "Show the Preferences button"

💡 You can still access Preferences from BIG Launcher's main menu.

Settings Inheritance Between Apps

🎬 Watch: Settings inheritance explained

For a consistent setup, make your changes in BIG Launcher → Preferences and keep Inherit the settings enabled in BIG Phone and BIG SMS.

Recommended setup:

1. Configure everything in BIG Launcher until you are happy with the settings.
2. From BIG Launcher, open BIG Phone, then return to BIG Launcher.
3. From BIG Launcher, open BIG SMS, then return to BIG Launcher.

Opening each companion app from BIG Launcher applies the settings to that app. Repeat the last two steps after making further changes in BIG Launcher.

Changes made only in BIG Phone or BIG SMS do not change BIG Launcher. For example, if you change a setting in BIG Phone, then later change settings in BIG Launcher and open BIG Phone from it, BIG Phone takes the settings from BIG Launcher. This can overwrite the changes you made only in BIG Phone. The same applies to BIG SMS.

To keep separate settings: open the companion app’s Preferences → BIG Apps Suite and disable Inherit the settings. That app will then keep its own settings instead of taking them from BIG Launcher.

Controlling Deletion Permissions

🎬 Watch: Delete history/SMS/contacts

Deletion is disabled by default for safety. To enable:

Or re-run the Setup wizard (Preferences → "Run setup wizard") and change permissions on the trash can screen.

Bulk delete options (when enabled): - Individual entries or entire threads - All history for a specific contact - All call history or all messages

⚠️ Bulk deletion cannot be undone!

Hiding Applications

1. Preferences → Applications → Allowed applications
2. Tap an app to hide it (shows as "disabled")
3. Use Disable all / Enable all for bulk changes

Emergency Access to Preferences

On the Home screen, press and hold the top-left button for 30 seconds to open Preferences.

This works only on the Home screen and does not bypass password protection. If Protect menu is enabled, you still need the password.

Part 10 — ♿ Accessibility

TalkBack (Screen Reader)

BIG Launcher works with Android's TalkBack for blind users: 1. Enable TalkBack in your phone's Accessibility settings 2. BIG Launcher reads button names, screen titles, contacts, and messages aloud

Optimizations in Preferences: - Talkback: don't read app name — Speeds up reading screen titles - Talkback: image buttons — Use this compatibility fix if TalkBack has problems with image buttons

When TalkBack is enabled, turn off Speak on long press to avoid duplicate speech.

Speak on Long Press

Even without TalkBack: 1. Preferences → Accessibility → enable "Speak on long press" 2. Hold your finger on any button or text to hear it read aloud

Popup on Long Press

1. Preferences → Accessibility → enable "Popup on long press"
2. Holding a button shows a popup with its description

High Contrast & Large Text Tips

• Use Dark theme for maximum contrast
• Set text to Biggest
• Set Safe borders size to prevent edge touches
• Use full-screen mode with the big battery indicator and the selected signal indicator

Large Contact Photos

1. Preferences → Phone → Contact photo size
2. Choose how much space is reserved for the caller photo on the call screen

Haptic Feedback (Vibration)

Preferences → Accessibility → enable "Enable haptic feedback"

Your phone vibrates slightly with each button press.

Control Options

Hardware Keyboard & Accessibility Switches

For keyboard or switch control, disable Use swipe to navigate screens, because swipe navigation makes buttons inaccessible by keyboard. Enable Active button around widgets when widgets need keyboard focus.

1. Preferences → Screens' options → enable "Active button around widgets"
2. Use arrow keys to navigate, OK/Enter to select, Back to go back

Tecla Shield: BIG Launcher supports external switches, sip-and-puff devices, and joysticks via the Tecla Shield wheelchair interface.

Part 11 — 📲 Applications

Accessing Apps

Tap Applications on the home screen to see installed apps. The Preferences item can be hidden, placed above apps, or placed below apps in Preferences → Applications → Show the Preferences item.

Recent Applications

1. Preferences → Applications → enable "Show recent applications"
2. Set how many to show with "Recent applications count"

Searching for Apps

1. Tap the search box at the top of the apps list
2. Start typing the app name

💡 Enable "Better app search" in Preferences → Applications to search within names (e.g., "book" finds "Facebook").

Showing Preferences in Apps List

If your phone lacks a Menu button: 1. Preferences → Applications → "Show the Preferences item" 2. Choose: Don't show, Above apps, or Below apps

Part 12 — ⚙️ Settings & System

License Transfer

On the new phone, install the BIG apps you purchased and use the same Google account as the original purchase.

1. For BIG Apps Suite PREMIUM, open BIG Launcher. For a single-app purchase, open the app you bought.
2. Go to Preferences → Buy/refresh the full version → Restore purchases.
3. For Suite, return to BIG Launcher and open BIG Phone and BIG SMS directly from it to activate their licenses.

Restoring a purchase restores paid access, not your previous home-screen layout or settings. If access is still missing, follow Restoring Your License.

Checking Your App Version

🎬 Watch: How to check your version

1. System settings → Apps → tap BIG Launcher (or BIG Phone / BIG SMS)
2. Scroll to the bottom — version number is shown
3. For Android version: System settings → About phone → Software information

Switching Back to Original Launcher

1. Preferences → "Clear BIG Launcher as default launcher"
2. Press the Home button
3. Choose your original launcher

Part 13 — ⚙️ Preferences Reference

Important relationships between settings

Some Preferences work together and should be explained before the detailed reference:

• Full screen hides the Android status bar at the top of the display. When it is enabled, the BIG Launcher battery and signal indicators become more useful, because the normal Android indicators may not be visible on the home screen.
• Protect system settings can require a password before opening Android system settings from BIG Launcher. Android itself may still allow access through the notification shade. Full screen makes that harder because the notification bar is hidden on the home screen.
• Blinking buttons for missed calls, messages, and other app notifications depend on notification access and on how the button is assigned. BIG Apps Suite apps can use internal privileged links. If blinking does not work as expected, disable "BIG Apps Suite apps are privileged" and create a normal app shortcut manually in Customize buttons and screens.
• The incoming call screen depends on Android permissions, notification channels, battery management, and whether BIG Phone is the default phone app. If the full call screen cannot appear, BIG Phone can fall back to a heads-up notification or a notification-bar-only alert.
• Direct calling options reduce safety prompts. "No menu when calling the contact" and "No menu in the dialer" can make calling faster, but they also increase the risk of accidental calls.
• Deletion is controlled separately for contacts, call history, and messages. Contact deletion is in Preferences -> Contacts, call-log deletion is in Preferences -> Phone, and message deletion is in Preferences -> Messages.
• Swipe navigation between screens is memory-intensive and, when enabled, buttons are not accessible by keyboard. For keyboard, switch, or TalkBack use, consider disabling swipe navigation.
• SMS notification behavior is split between BIG SMS settings and Android notification settings. Sound, vibration, lock-screen display, and full-screen display may require Android notification permissions and channel settings.
• Automatic SOS SMS sending requires BIG SMS to be the default messaging app. Otherwise, the SOS message is copied to the default messaging app instead.

Open Preferences from the three-dot menu on the home screen, from the Applications list if enabled, or by using the emergency access gesture described in the Security section of this manual.

The exact list can vary by device, Android version, installed BIG Apps Suite apps, and permissions. Some actions open Android system settings.

Main Preferences screen

Appearance

Accessibility

Preferences menu

Screens' options

Contacts

Phone

Messages

SOS

Applications

Compatibility fixes

Use these only when the listed problem appears. Some can make BIG Launcher slower or use more memory.

Part 14 — 🔧 Troubleshooting

No Ringtone on Incoming Calls

1. Preferences → Phone → enable "Fix: no ringtone sound"
2. Check your phone's volume and Do Not Disturb mode

SMS Messages Not Received

1. Make sure BIG SMS is set as the default messaging app.
2. Check that BIG SMS has the required SMS permissions in Android settings.
3. Restart your phone.

Black Screen During Incoming Call

1. Make sure BIG Phone is the default calling app (setup steps).
2. In BIG Launcher, open Preferences → Phone → Show the incoming call as: and select Call screen - if your Android allows it. If not, show the heads-up notification.
3. If the call screen still does not appear, open Preferences → Phone → Fix: no call screen immediately on ringing and follow the instructions for your phone.

Missing Messages in Threads

If messages are missing because of serious SMS database problems on an older phone, open Preferences → Messages and enable Fix: show missing messages.

Duplicate Messages

Make sure BIG SMS is the default messaging app. If messages still appear twice, contact support with your phone model, Android version, and BIG SMS version.

BIG Launcher Is Slow or Crashes

If switching between BIG Launcher screens is slow, open Preferences → Screens' options and turn off Use swipe to navigate screens.

Use Clear cache upon pressing the Home key only for problems with external themes, not as a general speed-up setting: it is memory-intensive.

If BIG Launcher keeps closing or displays an error, follow the BIG Launcher keeps stopping steps in Common Support Requests. Do not clear app data or reinstall as a general troubleshooting step; this can erase your setup.

Battery Draining Fast

Open your phone’s Battery settings and check the battery-usage list to see which app is using the battery.

If BIG Launcher, BIG Phone, or BIG SMS shows unusually high usage, contact [email protected] with the app name, your phone model, Android and app versions, and a screenshot of the battery-usage list. Do not disable call or message notifications as a general battery-saving step.

Forgot Password

There is no password-recovery option. Contact [email protected] before clearing app data or reinstalling BIG Launcher.

Reinstalling resets your configuration. Restoring a purchase restores paid access, not the settings you removed.

"Don't Keep Activities" Fix

🎬 Watch: Fix "Don't keep activities"

Some battery guides recommend enabling "Don't keep activities" in Developer options. This completely breaks BIG Launcher.

1. System settings → Developer options → find "Don't keep activities"
2. Make sure it is OFF
3. If Developer options isn't visible: About phone → Software information → tap Build number 7 times

Notification Problems

If you're not receiving notifications: 1. Check Android Settings → Apps → BIG SMS/BIG Phone → Notifications (enable all) 2. Disable battery optimization for BIG apps 3. Check Do Not Disturb mode

Device-Specific Issues

Part 15 — 📬 Support & Help

Contact Information

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: biglauncher.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@big_launcher

Before Contacting Support

Please provide: 1. Your phone model (e.g., Samsung Galaxy S21) 2. Android version (Settings → About phone) 3. BIG Launcher version (see Checking Your App Version) 4. Description of the problem 5. What you've already tried

Common Support Requests

Appendices

Appendix A: Gesture & Control Reference

Appendix B: Supported Languages (70)

BIG Launcher 6.2.0 supports 70 app languages. The app language can be selected independently from the Android system language in Preferences → Select language.

Language codes: af, am, ar, az, bg, bn, ca, cs, da, de, el, en, es, et, fa, fi, fil, fr, gl, gu_IN, ha, he, hi, hr, hu, hy_AM, id, it, iw, ja, jv, ka, kn, ko, ku, lt, lv, mai, mr, ms, my, nl, no, or, pa_IN, pa_PK, pl, pt, pt_BR, ro, ru, sd, sk, sl, sq, sr, sr_CS, sv, ta, te, th, tl, tr, uk, ur_PK, uz, vi, yo, zh_CN, zh_TW

Right-to-left languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu use a mirrored interface where appropriate.

Appendix C: Permissions Explained

🔒 Your data is never collected or sent online. Everything stays on your phone.

Appendix D: Android Compatibility

The current BIG Launcher, BIG Phone and BIG SMS releases require Android 6.0 or later. Older app versions may support older Android versions.

Appendix E: Quick Reference Card

For Seniors: - 🟢 Green button = Phone calls - 🟡 Yellow button = Text messages - 🔴 Red button = Emergency SOS - ✨ Blinking = Something new (message or call) - ⋮ Three dots = Settings

For Caregivers: 1. Set up SOS with family phone numbers 2. Enable password protection if needed 3. Install companion apps (BIG Phone, BIG SMS) 4. Set all three as default apps 5. Test everything with the user 6. Disable deletion for safety

Appendix F: Video Tutorials

All videos available at youtube.com/@big_launcher

Manual Version 6.2.0 | © 2025 2BIG s.r.o. | All rights reserved.

For the latest updates and support, visit biglauncher.com