Trying to help my old man from abroad with his smartphone

My old man has his first smart phone and like some he is having a lot of trouble with it.

This may be an S2 question or an android question but thought I would post it here and it can be moved later on.


He emailed me last night and for some reason his Gmail wont show up in the notification bar. Previously it had worked fine

Im almost certain he hasnt played with the setting as Im sure he doesnt know where they are. I am going to try and help him tonight (via webchat) but is there an easy way to explain to him. On my S3 I go to label settings and can check the box for notifications. Is this the same process with the S2.

He also has the problem of the volume being turned down on the phone.
I am assuming that he is pressing the side volume buttons without knowing it but is this a problem others have had. Is there a way to lock your volume settings?

Thanks for taking the time to read./

Regards