Astoria Net Shop is an independent publication. Our editorial decisions are made by our editor, not by advertisers, manufacturers, or affiliates.

Editorial independence

We do not accept payment from device manufacturers, mobile carriers, or app developers in exchange for coverage. We do not publish sponsored posts. Advertisers cannot review or approve articles before publication.

How we choose topics

We publish articles based on three signals: questions our editor is repeatedly asked by senior students, search-trend data showing rising interest among older readers, and accessibility or scam developments documented by trusted sources (FTC, FBI IC3, Apple, Google, Samsung, AARP).

How we test devices and apps

• Every phone we recommend is used as a daily driver for at least 30 days.
• Every phone is set up alongside at least one first-time senior user, with our editor present, before publication.
• Every app we recommend is used for at least 30 days and re-tested every six months.
• We document the version of iOS, Android, and individual apps under test in every review.

Sourcing standards

Every factual claim about a setting, menu path, or feature is verified against the current Apple, Google, or Samsung documentation at time of publication. Statistics are sourced to original primary research (FBI IC3, AARP, FTC, Pew Research, peer-reviewed journals). Anecdotes from our classroom teaching are clearly identified as such.

Use of AI

Our articles are written by humans. We do not publish AI-generated articles. We occasionally use AI tools for spell-checking, link-checking, and to draft initial outlines, but every published sentence is written, reviewed, or rewritten by our editorial team.

Updates and corrections

Every article carries the date it was last reviewed at the top. When we update an article in response to a software change, we note the change and the new date. When we correct a factual error, we add a dated correction notice at the bottom of the article. See our Fact-Checking Policy for details.

Author attribution

Every article carries the name of its author. Author pages disclose relevant credentials and conflicts of interest.

Contact

Editorial concerns: our contact form.