Lively (stylized as Live!y, and known before 2021 as GreatCall) is a

connected health Connected health is a socio-technical model for healthcare management and delivery by using technology to provide healthcare services remotely. Connected health, also known as technology enabled care (TEC) aims to maximize healthcare resources and p ...

technology company based in

the United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Since 2018, the company has been a subsidiary of electronics retailer

Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...

. Lively offers health and safety products and services for older adults, including mobile devices, cellular service, mobile apps and a wearable device. The company provides US-wide cellular service as a

mobile virtual network operator A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) is a wireless communications services provider that does not own the wireless network infrastructure over which it provides services to its customers. An MVNO enters into a business agreement with a mobil ...

(MVNO) through the

Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the divi ...

network. The Lively Smart phone requires a data plan at an additional fee and those data services begin with a nominal fee and increases with options.

History

GreatCall was founded in 2005 by

Arlene Harris Arlene Harris (July 7, 1896 – June 12, 1976) was a Canadian-born American radio, film, and television actress. (Another source gives her date of birth as July 7, 1898.) She was best known for her role as "the human chatterbox" on Al Pearce's ...

to provide aging adults with accessible technology and services. In the same year, the company launched the original Jitterbug phone. In 2009, the company launched Live Nurse (now Urgent Care). In partnership with FONEMED, it provides customers with access to registered nurses 24 hours a day. In 2011, GreatCall added the app MedCoach, which provides daily medication management. That same year, it introduced the 5Star Urgent Response (now known as GreatCall Splash), a mobile Personal Emergency Response System device, along with 5Star Medical Alert System, which uses GPS technology and advanced location analysis to connect users with emergency certified 5Star Agents. In 2012, the company released the Jitterbug Touch, a keyboarded Android phone with a simplified user interface. In 2014, the company added an alerting app, Link. In November 2015, the firm acquired Lively Inc. Lively, prior to being acquired, had developed an online software platform for caregivers to get alerts about pill dispensers and other items through a sensor system, allowing for the tracking of activity, diet, sleep, and movement. In 2017, Great Call had around 800,000 subscribers in the United States for its mobile services. It generated roughly $250 in annual revenue, and employed around 1,000 workers, with around 700 of those worker in call centers in Nevada. On June 7, 2017, GreatCall announced that it was being acquired by the private equity firm

GTCR GTCR LLC is a Chicago, Illinois-based private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout, leveraged recapitalization, growth capital and rollup transactions. The firm principally invests in high-growth industries, including financial services & tec ...

. The price was undisclosed."Jitterbug phone outfit Great Call sold to Chicago private equity firm"

; ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' (sandiegouniontribune.com); 07-06-2017; retrieved on 19 January 2023 CEO David Inns remained with the company, as did other Great Call executives. In turn, GreatCall was acquired by electronics retailer

on August 15, 2018, for $800 million. GreatCall's CEO became Best Buy Health's president of active aging."GreatCall switches to Lively"

; ''Fierce Wireless'' (fiercewireless.com); 04-06-2021; retrieved on 19 January 2023 In May 2021, the company renamed itself Lively, taking the name of the company it had acquired in 2015. Lively became available on Apple Watch in 2021."Best Buy's Lively app now available on Apple Watch as retailer pushes further into healthcare"

; FierceHealthcare (fiercehealthcare.com); 04-03-2021; retrieved on 19 January 2023 Its Jitterbug Flip network experienced a network disruption at the start of 2023, with Best Buy stating that Jitterbug Flip2 phones, Jitterbug smartphones, and Lively-branded phones weren't impacted."Best Buy-owned phone service faces angry customers after 3G network shutdown"

; Fox6 Milwaukee (fox6now.com); 16-01-2023; retrieved on 19 January 2023"3G network shutdown cuts off some Best Buy phone customers"

; ''Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal'' (bizjournals.com); 10-01-2023; retrieved on 19 January 2023 Verizon is the 3G provider for Lively, and the network issues followed Verizon's retirement of its 3G mobile network."Network updates leave some Best Buy Jitterbug customers with no cell service"

; ''

Star Tribune The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...

'' (startribune.com); 11-01-2023; retrieved on 19 January 2023

Products and services

The company operates the Lively phone service, an MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator, where it rents cellular service from other operators, and primarily caters to seniors with old-fashioned phones and medical alert devices."Select Jitterbug Phones Sold by Best Buy Can’t Make Calls"

; ''ReviewGeek'' (reviewgeek.com); 11-01-2023; retrieved on 19 January 2023 Lively manufactures the Jitterbug Flip phones, an easy-to-use cell phone marketed for American elderly. The brand's Urgent Response Center offers medical advice, as well as prescriptions and refills."Lively"

; TechRadar (techradar.com); 07-09-2022; retrieved on 19 January 2023

Awards and recognitions

* In 2006, the Jitterbug cell phone was recognized in ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' tech journalist

David Pogue David Welch Pogue (born March 9, 1963) is an American technology and science writer and TV presenter. He is an Emmy-winning correspondent for ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' and author of the "Crowdwise" column in ''The New York Times'' Smarter Livi ...

's Top 10 Brilliant Ideas and

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

100 Best Products. * In 2007, the company won the

wireless Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...

industry's Andrew Seybold Choice Award for "Best New Wireless Company" at CTIA, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Associations design award, and was recognized as a finalist for CES's Last Gadget Standing Competition. * In 2008, it received the Stevie Award for "Best Overall Company" , the American Society on Aging's Award for "Best Small Business" . * In 2009, TripleTree selected GreatCall as the winner for "Best Consumer Experience" and GreatCall's LiveNurse application (now Urgent Care) received the CTIA Hot for the Holiday's "Hottest Mobile Consumer Application" award. In 2010, LiveNurse also received the CTIA Hot for the Holiday's "Hottest Mobile Consumer Application" award. * In 2014, The company Link app won the Today's Caregiver's "Caregiver Friendly Award" . * In 2016, the Lively Wearable was recognized in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' "Best Of CES 2016: The Wondrous and Wacky Year Ahead in Gadgets" * In 2016, the Jitterbug Flip was featured in the ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' article on simple phones and was the editor's phone of the lot. The same year, it was also recognized in ''

PCMag ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and have continued to the present d ...

'' as Editor's Choice for simple cell phones

References

{{US mobile phone companies, state=collapsed 2006 establishments in California Companies based in San Diego Telecommunications companies established in 2006 Mobile virtual network operators Verizon Wireless

History

Products and services

Awards and recognitions

See also

References