Smartphone Glossary: Tech Words Your Kids Should Know

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A mother and her two children are sitting on a mustard-colored couch. The older child is exploring a smartphone glossary, while the younger child leans affectionately against the mother's shoulder. They are all smiling and appear to be enjoying a moment together.

Introducing your child to a smartphone is an exciting experience, especially if that phone is from Troomi. Suddenly, your kid has a safe smartphone with the ability to call you if they have any trouble, and a plethora of interesting apps and games to peak their creative interest and encourage educational pursuits. 

It can also be intimidating! Between the dangers of social media and issues of cyber security, there is a lot to think about when giving your kid their first phone. However, there’s a concept even more intimidating that you may not have thought about: vocabulary (duh duh duh!).

Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you a vocabulary quiz—this isn’t a seventh grade English class. 

One of the most difficult parts of introducing a phone to your child is the seemingly endless bunch of new words they need to learn. As such, Troomi has put together a little glossary of important words that your kids should know when using their first smartphone.

Speaking of first smartphones, if you’re on the hunt for a smartphone designed specifically for kids, give Troomi a try! Our kidsmart, parent-approved devices are created with your children in mind. Our phones’ military grade security protects kiddos from all sorts of cyber attacks, and our KidSmart apps encourage creativity and education, while helping your child remain free from technology addiction. Click here to learn more!

Now, let’s get into the words!

Smartphone Glossary

Airplane mode – a setting on a smartphone that turns off wireless signals; for use on an airplane

Alarm clock – a clock that makes a sound at a certain time, usually to wake someone up

Android – an operating system used for smartphones and tablets

App – an abbreviation of application

Application – a program or piece of software on a smartphone

Audio jack – a socket for plugging in an audio source, like headphones 

Bar – representations of a phone’s ability to connect to a network; the more bars, the better the connection

Battery – a container that creates electricity and powers mobile phones

Bluetooth – a form of connection between mobile phones, computers, and other electronic devices

Browser – a computer program that people use to surf the web

Call – a way of speaking to someone on the phone, voice to voice

Calculator – a machine or app that completes mathematic calculations

Calendar – an app that shows days, weeks, and months of a particular year

Camera – an app or device that takes pictures

Cell phone – a phone that uses cellular networks so you can take it anywhere

Download – to copy data from one computer system to another

Emoji – little images used to express ideas or emotions

Email – messages sent through the internet

Gigabyte – a unit of measurement for the size of digital information (1 gigabyte equals 1000 megabytes)

Google – a website that people use to search for information; also slang referring to searching for info online

Home Screen – the introductory visual interface on a device or computer program

Keyboard – a panel of keys that people use to type words and sentences

Kilobyte – a unit of measurement for digital information (1000 kilobytes is equal to 1 megabyte)

Livestream – a live transmission of an event over the internet

Lock code – a code that must be entered to access a mobile phone

Megabyte – a unit of measurement for the size of digital information (1000 megabytes is 1 gigabyte)

Messaging – to send a message to someone, usually by text

MMS – Multimedia Messaging Service; text messages that include media content

MP3 – a music file

MP4 – a video file

Network – a number of interconnected computers, machines, or operations

Night Mode – a type of display on a mobile phones that makes the screen darker; it’s better for your eyes at night

Notification – a small message that appears on your phone, letting you know new information

Pocket Dial – when you call someone accidentally 

Ringtone – the sound that comes from your phone when you’re getting a call

Screen – the part of your phone that displays images and words

Selfie – a picture you take of yourself

Smartphone – a mobile phone with an advanced operating system that can use apps, play media, and surf the internet

SMS – Standard Messaging Service; your basic text messaging

Speaker – a machine that plays noise

Stream – a continuous download of data; typically referring to media

Swipe – moving your finger across a touchscreen 

Text – a message sent from one phone to another

Theme – that way your phone’s home screen looks

Touchscreen – a screen that works by touching it

Troomi  – the best first phone for kids! (we couldn’t resist) 

Voicemail – a spoken message left by a caller when a phone call is not answered

Wi-Fi – the wireless technology used to connect computers and smartphones to the internet

Wireless – using radio waves to transmit a signal, rather than a physical cord

QR Code – an array of black and white squares that you can scan to access a website

Zoom – a video conferencing app

Zoom in – to adjust a camera so the picture looks closer

Zoom out – to adjust a camera so the picture looks smaller

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