More seniors are using smartphones and tablets than ever before and getting all the benefits that come with it! With thousands of apps to choose from it can be a difficult task to find which ones are really helpful – especially helpful for seniors. In this article, I’ll show you the best apps for seniors that I found in the health, communication, dating, exercise, leisure and monitoring categories.
I was very lucky to be a young adult when personal computers first came on the scene. Heck, I’ve been around PCs so long I even used DOS 2.1 — Microsoft’s first operating system! Technology was and still is a passion of mine. When cell phones and tablets came out, I was an early adopter too. I’ve leveraged this experience to find and test each of these great apps below so you don’t have to.
One thing you should note, I’ve shied away from listing the obvious apps like Twitter, Facebook and Netflix. You’ll likely know those already from your family and friends. What I present to you is the best apps for seniors whether you’re 50, 60, 70 or beyond!
1. MyTherapy
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: MyTherapyApp.com
Cost: Free for both Android & iOS
Ever forget to take a pill? I know I have. MyTherapy is a pill reminder and medication tracker. This award-winning app is also a health journal, weight tracker, and mood tracker that allows you and your doctor to review your health history. You can share and print your results plus the app includes personalized tips for your treatment for a wide range of conditions. Best of all it’s 100% free. Free, award-winning, and good at what it’s intended to do — that’s why it’s on the Best Apps For Seniors list.
2. Senior Safety Phone
Editor’s Pick: 12 Best Apps For Seniors
Available for: Android, not available for iOS
Website: SeniorSafetyApp.com
Cost: Free (Contains ads, offers in-app purchases)
Is your Android phone a little too complicated? Senior Safety Phone makes your phone more senior-friendly. By using a different, intuitive interface Senior Safety App allows anyone to use a smartphone! Colorful, larger buttons help those seniors with shaky hands or poor eyesight. It also gives you one-touch access to the people you call most often. Making calls, receiving, and sending text messages is a snap. You can even have your text messages read aloud!
Why is this the Editor’s Pick for 12 Best Apps For Seniors? In my experience, some seniors find smartphones too complicated and simply choose the less sophisticated flip phone. This app bridges the gap and allows those of us in our twilight years to use a phone that is far more interesting, is much more enjoyable, and increases productivity.
3. Silver Singles
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: SeniorSingles.com
Cost: Free (Offers in-app purchases)
Looking for a casual date or long-term relationship? This app is for you. Discover the magic of online dating and meet up with singles over 50. Tens of thousands of singles use Silver Singles. Why shouldn’t you? The app includes a personality test and a dating profile. You’ll get up to 7 matches daily with access to those matching profiles. You can even interact with your matches with “smiles” and “likes”. You don’t have to be lonely. Try Silver Singles today.
4. Pocket Yoga
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: PocketYoga.com
Cost: Paid
Pocket Yoga is perfect for doing a routine at home. Put on your workout clothes, get your mat out and this app will guide you through a complete yoga session. There are over 25 routines of different difficulty and length. Each is designed by an experienced yoga instructor. Don’t know a pose? Use the built-in dictionary to get a proper explanation of the alignment, posture, and benefits. You can keep a log of your sessions to track your progress. This is the only one on our list that’s not free but it’s perfect if you’re a yoga fan. That’s why it’s on my Best Apps For Seniors page.
5. Old Time Radio Player
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: MobileSoftwareDesign.com
Cost: Free (Contains Ads)
Old Time Radio is the cat’s pajamas! Do you remember when radio was king? Maybe you’re a bit young for that but appreciate the finely written and performed shows from days gone by. Well, Old Time Radio lets you listen to great radio comedies, mysteries, and dramas from yesteryear. There are over 15,000 episodes from more than 130 shows including such greats as Abbott And Costello, The Bickersons, Burns And Allen, CBS Radio Mystery Theater, Perry Mason and Radio Reader’s Digest, and many, many more. There are so many available you’re bound to find some to your liking! Download it and try it today!
6. LibriVox
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: BookDesign.biz/librivox
Cost: Free (Contains ads, Offers in-app purchases)
Like to listen to books on tape but find it expensive? Get access to tens of thousands of audiobooks with LibriVox. These books can be streamed or downloaded at no cost to you (though depending on your setup data charges may apply). The LibriVox app includes listings for new recordings, classic bestsellers, and out-of-print gems. The app is easy to use and allows you to browse by title, author, or genre. You can also search by keyword. Why you can even find books read by a favorite narrator. Do you fall asleep listening to books? It’s got a sleep timer plus you can bookmark unlimited locations in your books. Access to the LibriVox collection, thousands of old-time radio dramas, and many other collections are entirely free. Check it out and start enjoying books on tape for fre7. e!7.
7. Headspace: Meditation & Sleep
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: Headspace.com
Cost: Free (Offers in-app purchases)
Suffer from stress? Not sleeping as well as you’d like? In no time at all Headspace will teach you meditation and mindfulness techniques so that you can improve the quality of your sleep and lower the level of stress in your life. There are literally hundreds of guided meditations on subjects like anxiety, stress management, personal growth, sleep, and mind-body health. The app is free. Download it and enjoy the benefits of a happier, calmer, and healthier life.
8. Lumosity
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: Lumosity.com
Cost: Free (Offers in-app purchases)
Looking for a fun and interactive way to train your brain? Then try Lumosity. Downloaded by over 100 million people worldwide, Lumosity has countless science-based games designed to exercise attention, memory, speed, flexibility, and problem-solving. Start with a free and fun 10-minute test to set your baseline scores and then you’re off! You’ll also get to see how you compare with your peers. Lumosity regularly releases new features and carefully curated sets of games made for you so you’ll never grow old of this app. You’ll also get insights into your game strengths, weaknesses, cognitive patterns, and analysis of your gameplay to make connections to daily life. Keep your brain fit and download Lumosity.
9. TuneIn
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: TuneIn.com
Cost: Free (Offers in-app purchases)
Whether you’re at home or on the go, use TuneIn to get music, live sports, news, podcasts, and AM & FM radio stations at home and abroad. TuneIn has the world’s largest library of live, on-demand, and original audio content. Listen to local news, favorite podcasts, and discover new music all from this one little app!
As a bonus, TuneIn is also available for free across 200 other platforms and connected devices. Whether you’ve got an Apple Watch, Sonos, Google Home, Alexa, or some other platform there’s probably a TuneIn app for it. If you want it all in one place, download TuneIn.
10. Find My Parked Car
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: OfirMiron.com
Cost: Free (Offers in-app purchases)
If you’re like me, have you come out of a store and wondered “where is my car?” Find My Parked Car saves your parking location and allows you to view it later. How difficult is it to use this app? Dead simple. Park your car, press the park button and it saves your location. Later, open up the app and see the car’s location on the map. Why it can even give you walking directions to your car if you need them! It’s a simple little app, especially good for seniors and it works like a charm!
11. Life360: Family Locator & GPS Tracker
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: Life360.com
Cost: Free (Contains ads, Offers in-app purchases)
Stay connected with your loved ones with Life360. How does it work? You and your people download the app and add each other to your “Circle”. Once you do that you’ll be able to chat with them using your smartphone. What’s the most useful aspect of this app and why it’s on the Best Apps For Seniors list is that you can also know their current location via GPS. This is a great tool for caregivers to elderly people. If a senior you know is prone to get lost this is a tool that can be a literal lifesaver. In addition to knowing a person’s location, you can also get notifications when Circle members arrive or leave their destinations. If you’re concerned about family safety, you should check this app out.
12. TapTapSee
Available for: Android & iOS
Website: TapTapSeeApp.com
Cost: Free (Offers in-app purchases)
Are you visually impaired or do you know someone who is? TapTapSee helps visually impaired people identify objects they encounter throughout their day. All you need to do is double-tap the screen to take a picture of something and the app tells you what the item is.
Is this app any good? Well, it won the American Foundation for the Blind Access Award, was the Royal National Institute for the Blind, App of the month and is on the ever popular ELDERCARE digest list of Best Apps For Seniors (LOL). If you have a visually impaired person in your life, you owe it to them to check it out.
Final Thoughts
Yes, that’s it for now. I hope you find a couple of good apps to use on your phone. Have I missed some really good ones? I’d love to hear from you. Send your suggestions to me and I may include them next time I revise Best Apps for Seniors. Thanks for stopping by!
