[psmith2.0]

Indeed, that's a great price. I need to pass that on to 2-3 folks I know.

Yeah, you'd think there would be an easy-to-administer function like this, out of the gate. iPads are great "grandparent" devices for the very thing you mention (FaceTime video, photo album, etc.), but it's nice to be able to keep them updated and running smooth from your end. I, naively, assumed something like this was already embedded in the Settings. Sure seems like there would be (or at least an app one can download to get it set up/going).

Years ago, on my Mac, I could help/troubleshoot my Mom's friend in Port Angeles, Washington (and relatives around the Southeast, 30+ minutes from where I live) this way (via iChat?). Somewhere along the way, I seem to have lost that feature/ability.

Apple should have some sort of app/feature like this built into every Mac and iOS device. No better source of help/answers than experienced relatives or friends you already know. Being able to see/take over someone's screen makes troubleshooting/support 20x easier. I've spent 15-20 minutes trying to talk someone through navigating to a certain place, clicking a certain tab, etc. If I could just do it myself, these "help" sessions would be about two minutes long.