We are only 12 days from Christmas, and the preparations are probably almost complete. Santa letters have been posted, turkeys ordered and stockings hung up waiting to be filled with gifts and treats on December 24th.
But if Santa is leaving any tech gifts under the tree this year, there are some things you should start doing now to make sure that everything goes smoothly on Christmas Day, and beyond.
Set up accounts
If you were to rank the most tedious requirements for new devices, setting up accounts would be in the top three, especially if you are starting from scratch. Not only do they want to know how to contact you by phone, email and carrier pigeon, they also want you to choose answers to several security questions you will immediately forget, and pick out the images that show even a sliver of the side of a traffic light before they will let you continue.
But even if you are tempted to let your child do it for themselves on Christmas morning, there is one very good reason why you shouldn’t: parental controls. To access them, you will need an account of your own, then link your child’s account to yours before you can start imposing time limits on apps and locking down devices for school and study hours.
It isn’t always possible to put that in place retroactively if your child has already set themselves up with an unrestricted account. All the games companies – Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo – will allow you to set up a child account so you can keep on eye on what they are playing and for how long, as will the smartphone platforms and Microsoft for Windows PCs.
It doesn’t have to be forever. As they get older, you can loosen the constraints a little, allowing them more autonomy over their own devices as they learn to navigate their way through some of the trickier elements of technology.
Back up old devices
This is particularly relevant to those who have splashed out on a new smartphone or tablet for someone this Christmas. If you are upgrading them from an older device, there are going to be files they want to keep – including photographs, downloaded files and other important information.
But there is also going to be a lot of unnecessary junk on there too. Perhaps there are several apps lurking that you could get rid of. Those blurry videos with distorted sound that you took at a concert five years ago can go in the bin. As can the accidental screenshots, the ones where your thumb covered the lens, the out-of-focus shots of the pets and the kids and the many, many TikTok dances.
Food photos, too, along with memes sent on WhatsApp and the selfies that you’d rather not share with the world can also be ditched.
The more data there is on there, the more time the phone will take to back up and transfer to the new phone. You’ll not only save time by cleaning up those files ahead of time, you might be able to downgrade your cloud storage too.
Charge batteries
Most tech devices will come with rechargeable batteries, and those batteries will usually have some sort of charge out of the box. But occasionally they don’t and will need a few hours of being plugged in before they can be used. Sometimes, they don’t work at all and Santa has to hotfoot it back to the workshop for a quick swap.
Wouldn’t it be better to double-check that now rather than wait until Christmas Day, when you have to explain to an impatient child why they can’t immediately crack on with their Christmas gift?
With that in mind, it is also a good idea to make sure you have a stock of batteries on hand for toys that don’t come with lithium ion batteries built in. We usually reach for the rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, but some devices have very specific requirements, and ones that rechargeables don’t meet.
Install updates
If you have bought anything with an operating system on it – phone, tablet, games console – spare yourself the agony on Christmas morning and check if they will need software updates before they can be used.
It doesn’t matter that they are new and straight out of the box; there’s a good chance that in the time between the device being manufactured and you buying it, there have been more than a few software updates pushed out to devices. And in some cases, you will need to install those updates before you can get down to the business at hand – actually using the shiny new toys.
You could decide to wing it on the day but there are a couple of reasons you shouldn’t. First, what if there is a problem with an update? Then the gift recipient will have a frustrating delay in getting their device working properly
That is, of course, assuming you can get the update. Every year, we hear tales of woe involving an excited child, a high-tech device and a seeming eternally pending update. You aren’t the only one who will have chosen this particular gift, and if they all go for updates at the same time, there is a good chance you will get stuck in a queue behind people in various time zones trying to start up their new tech.
So do yourself a favour: install the updates now. At least if something goes horribly wrong, you will be able to get someone in the relevant tech support to help you through the mess.
[ Christmas gift ideas: 100 Irish websites to get your shopping sortedOpens in new window ]
Warranties and insurance
Your new technology will come with some statutory warranties that are yours by law, but there are also extended warranties on some devices. We aren’t talking about the kind that you have to fork over extra cash for, though; usually, if you register your device by a certain date, you can get a longer warranty (albeit a limited one in some cases).
Registering your device is also a good idea for getting notified about potential problems, product recalls or important updates to software that might otherwise pass you by.
That deadline is usually several weeks, but if there is one thing that slips through the cracks this Christmas, we would put money on it being this lengthier warranty offer. Do it now, save yourself the potential heartache – and much rummaging through the recycling bin – in the post-Christmas haze.
If you are planning on insuring your newly bought technology, it might also be worth looking at that now too. Some devices will be covered under your home insurance, but many – particularly expensive technology that leaves the house a lot – won’t be covered for loss, theft or damage under your regular policy.
Familiarise yourself with the details too. Some policies will require you to have bought the device within a certain time limit; others will limit how soon you can make a claim and a certain number for the year. The current record from handing over the gift to insurance claim here was six weeks, so best to move quickly on that one.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here
