Making a Will on a Tablet or Phone

An online will service that is properly built for mobile use presents the same structured questions on a tablet or phone as it would on a desktop computer: about your family, executors, gifts and residue. There is nothing about a phone or tablet that makes your answers, or the resulting legal wording, any less valid.

What matters is whether the service is genuinely designed with smaller screens in mind, clear layout, readable text, and forms that are easy to complete with a touchscreen, rather than a desktop-only design squeezed uncomfortably onto a phone.

Filling in a will's worth of decisions in one sitting on a phone can feel like a lot, so a good service should let you save your progress and come back to it later, whether on the same device or a different one. This is particularly useful if you want to check details, such as a beneficiary's full name or address, before continuing.

If a service does not let you save and resume, it is worth checking before you start, since losing an hour of answers because you closed the browser is a frustrating and entirely avoidable problem.

Before finalising, you need to read your full draft will carefully, checking names, addresses, gift descriptions and the residue clause. On a small screen this takes more scrolling and more care than on a desktop, so take your time rather than skimming quickly because the screen is small.

If you find it easier, many people complete the questions on a phone during spare moments and then review the final draft on a larger screen, such as a laptop or tablet, before finalising. There is nothing wrong with mixing devices at different stages.

Whatever device you used to answer the questions, the finished will needs to exist as a physical, printed document. Under section 9 of the Wills Act 1837, a will must be in writing and signed by hand in the presence of two witnesses present together, who then also sign it themselves in your presence, a step that cannot happen electronically.

Plan for this in advance: you will need access to a printer, either at home, at work, or via a shop or library service, and two independent adult witnesses available at the same time to watch you sign and then sign themselves.

Use a stable internet connection where possible, since losing connectivity partway through can be frustrating even with a save function. Keep key details, full names and addresses of executors, guardians and beneficiaries, handy in a notes app so you are not searching for them mid-process.

Once your document is ready, email or transfer the PDF to a device connected to a printer if your tablet or phone is not, and double check the printed copy looks correct and complete before you arrange your witnesses.