The Best Apps for Older Adults in 2024
Many useful mobile apps for seniors can help you manage your medications, stay in touch with loved ones, get directions, and more.
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There are mobile apps for everything. Want to video chat with your grandkids? Find a dinner recipe? Play games with friends? Listen to music? The above (and more) can be done with smartphone apps – often for free.
Smartphone applications can educate, entertain, and even make life easier. They enable you to get the most out of the computer in your pocket: your smartphone. But with well over two million applications available for mobile today, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
We created a list of our picks for the best apps for seniors that are easy to use and can improve your life. It’s worth noting, too, that many of these apps are great for anybody, regardless of age. Maybe you’ll find your new favorite app on this list!
Make the Most of Your Apps With a Top Cell Phone Plan
While you can typically use apps on your mobile phone with WiFi, you can get the most out of your apps with a cell phone plan that offers data on the go. No phone plans or carriers are identical, so it’s vital to consider your budget and needs before deciding. If you’re unsure where to start, check out some of the top-rated wireless providers we have reviewed.
Medisafe – Manage Your Medications
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free
Forgetting to take prescriptions and get refills on time are significant problems for older adults who may take multiple medications at different times of the day. One in five adverse drug events occur due to incorrect dosage or usage of prescriptions.2
Medisafe helps you manage your medications and get reminders. Simply input your prescriptions and timings, and Medisafe will create a visual schedule complete with images of each pill and a list of potentially harmful interactions. It will then give you reminders throughout the day when it’s time to take a medication, let you know if a prescription is running low, and even alert a friend or family member of a missed dose.
Medisafe app
Google Maps – Remember Where You Parked
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free
Everyone has experienced a time when you get ready to leave somewhere and realize you have no idea where you parked. If you find this happening frequently, your phone can help you out in the Google Maps or Apple Maps app.
In Google Maps, click on the blue dot showing your location, then click “Set as parking location” from the menu that pops up, and it’ll save it. Then, when you are ready to navigate back to your car, click the blue “Directions” icon and choose “Saved parking.” This app is also great for getting directions when you’re going somewhere new or get lost while driving.
Google Maps app
Magnifying Glass + Flashlight – Read the Menu in a Dim Restaurant
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free
One in three people 65 and older have some form of eye disease,3 making it difficult to read small print. If you’ve ever had trouble reading a restaurant menu, forms at the doctor’s office, or labels on food packaging, a magnifying app could be a handy tool.
This magnifying app uses your phone’s camera to zoom in on whatever you point it at, and you can quickly turn on the light to illuminate what you need to read. With a touch of the screen, you can also “freeze” what you are looking at, so you don’t have to point it in the same spot the entire time you’re reading.
Magnifying Glass + Flashlight app
Facebook Messenger – Connect with Friends and Family
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free
If you are among the 23.7 percent of adults over 544 with a Facebook account, you’ve already done most of the work needed to use Facebook Messenger. Messenger is a standalone app that connects people through their Facebook profiles.
You can video chat with one person or a group chat, plus send text messages and photos. There are even fun features to try out while on a video call. You can make your grandchildren giggle by putting a digital frog on your head or even turning into a dragon!
Facebook Messenger app
Personal Capital – Take Charge of Retirement Planning
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free
While plenty of tools allow you to track finances, personal capital stands out regarding retirement planning. If financial planning seems daunting, check out this app for its straightforward visuals and projections. Use it to assess your current retirement situation and even play out other scenarios to decide whether you need to change your long-term plans.
Personal Capital app
GoodRx – Save Money on Prescriptions
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free
One of the reasons seniors do not take medications as prescribed is that they cost too much. GoodRx helps users compare prescription drug prices at different pharmacies and find usable coupons in the app. The app can also alert you when a particular medication drops in price and let you know when you may be due for a refill. If you use Medisafe to manage your prescriptions, you already have savings help powered by GoodRx and don’t need to download a separate application.
FYI: For more information on our favorite prescription discount apps similar to GoodRx, head to our best prescription discount cards page.
GoodRx app
Snapfish – Get Those Photos off Your Phone
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free
We’re all taking more photos than ever, but hardly any photos ever leave the digital world. Creating photo books no longer requires a tech-savvy or artistic flair, as you can simply choose your favorite shots, and the app will do the rest. Snapfish makes it easy to order photo books and prints straight from your phone and have them delivered.
Snapfish app
Audible – Escape Into a Good Book
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free; requires a paid subscription after a free trial
Audiobooks are a great alternative to print for seniors who have vision problems or arthritis that may make holding a book uncomfortable. Alternatively, if you’re hoping to read more but struggle to pay attention, narration could prove useful. They have never been better, featuring excellent narration by voice talent or the authors.
Audible has the largest selection of audiobooks available. It’s free to download, and you’ll pay for a book access subscription. Audible also offers a free trial period, so remember to take advantage of this 30-day freebie!
Audible app
LastPass – Never Forget a Password Again
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free
You must create a password to do almost anything on the internet. Creating a unique password each time is critical to avoid being hacked, but who can remember all of them? Many people use the same password for simplicity, leaving them vulnerable to online attacks.
LastPass stores all your passwords securely in one place so you can look them up when needed. It can also autofill passwords into websites you use frequently and create strong passwords. Simply remember one password – the LastPass password.
LastPass app
Words with Friends 2 – Play with Friends and Family Virtually
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free
Video chatting is a great way to connect when you can’t meet face to face, but coordinating time can be challenging. With this app, you can challenge friends and family to a game or get paired with another player. Calling itself a mobile word game, Words with Friends 2 is very similar to Scrabble, so it’s great for passive playing and connecting with friends without a significant time commitment.
Words With Friends 2 app
Spotify – Listen to Music and Podcasts
Available for iPhone and Android
Cost: Free; select plans require a paid subscription
Music can help people relax, set the ambiance at a dinner party, return to a bygone era, get pumped for exercise, and so much more. With Spotify, you can listen to specific songs or let the app curate music based on your interests. Users can also create playlists and share them with other users or select from playlists made by Spotify.
Spotify is also the number one app for listening to podcasts. Podcasts continue to grow in popularity, and there is something out there for almost every interest. Use the app to discover new podcasts or manage your favorites. Some premium plans also allow audiobook access, although the selection is lacking compared to Audible.
Spotify app
BroadbandNow. (2023). Smartphone Usage Stats.
SingleCare. (2024). Medication errors statistics 2024.
AAFP. (1999). Common Causes of Vision Loss in Elderly Patients.
Statista. (2024). Share of Facebook users in the United States as of July 2024, by age group.
