Questions to ask about technology and software

Are there activation, upgrade or setup fees, and what will my first bill come to?

One-time fees tend to land on the first bill, which may also include part of a month. Ask the salesperson to write down two numbers: the first bill and an ordinary month, both with taxes and charges included. Someone who can only say 'it varies' has not looked, and should before you sign.

From: Questions to Ask When Getting a New Phone

If this phone is lost or broken, what do we still owe and what does a replacement cost?

On a financed phone the remaining payments usually continue whether or not the phone still exists, which changes the sum for a child's handset. Ask for the claim fee on any protection plan and the price of a replacement SIM or eSIM. Buying a cheaper phone outright can leave you with less to lose than insuring an expensive one.

From: Questions to Ask When Getting a New Phone

How full is my current phone, and what is filling it?

The storage screen in settings shows the total and the breakdown, and for most people photos and video are the bulk of it. Many phones have no card slot, so the size you buy is the size you keep. Compare the price of the next storage tier with a few years of cloud storage before paying for the larger one.

From: Questions to Ask When Getting a New Phone

What can I control from the carrier account: spending, data, or pausing the line?

Ask whether you can cap spending, block premium-rate numbers and charges billed through the carrier, and set data to stop at the limit and not roll into extra fees. The comforting answer is a hard cap you set once. The worrying one is that overage is charged automatically and you find out on the bill.

From: Questions to Ask When Getting a New Phone

If I reset this phone right now, would it ask for your password?

Apple and Google both tie a phone to its owner's account in a way that a factory reset does not remove. So have the seller sign out, erase it while you watch, and then tap through the first setup screens yourself. The moment it wants a previous owner's email or password, the sale is off.

From: Questions to Ask When Getting a New Phone

What rules will we agree on before the phone is handed over?

Settle a few and write them down with your child: where the phone stays overnight, who knows the passcode, which apps need a yes first, and what happens when a rule is broken. Rules that arrive with the phone are easier to keep than rules added after an argument. Plan to revisit them as your child gets older.

From: Questions to Ask When Getting a New Phone