15 Best Apps for Seniors

The use of tablets and mobile devices is growing for every age group and seniors are no exception. What apps are most popular and helpful for those of us in this demographic? Here are examples of the best and most helpful apps for seniors that you will want to try.

To download the latest version of any of these apps, head to the “App Store” on your mobile device and search for the name of the app.

Instant Heart Rate

Did you know that you can use the camera on your phone to sense and keep track of your heart rate over time? This highly-rated 5 star app allows you to do just that for free. The app works with any smartphone and does not require external devices.

Luminosity – Brain Training

Over 70 million users of this app attest to the importance of keeping your brain sharp with cognitive games, which were developed by Lumos Labs. Playing these games while we age may help you train your memory and attention while having fun.

Words with Friends

With an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and immense popularity, word lovers will enjoy some fun and free social interaction when they download this app. Challenge your Facebook friends or other Words with Friends users to an online match.

Crossword: World’s Biggest Cross Word Puzzle

If crosswords are more your style, check out the world’s biggest (online) cross word puzzle and gain access to an almost limitless number of puzzles for free.

Word Wow

Check out another fun game for Scrabble and word search lovers who will face against the clock to make words before time runs out.

Kindle

Be sure to download this very popular and highly-rated free app, that allows you to “carry a library in your pocket wherever you go.” The app allows for access to more than 3,000,000 books which are available for purchase through Amazon. Conversely, you can read pdfs and other file formats through the app as well.

Audible

Love books but prefer to listen to someone else read them aloud? Audible’s free app allows book lovers to listen to audio books which can be purchased on their website. Over 180,000 titles from many genres are available for download.

NPR

One of Apple’s most popular free news apps, use this app to listen to hourly news updates, create a playlist of stories, hear radio podcasts on demand, listen to live stations, and read news articles for free. The NPR app has an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

TED Talks

Learn about fascinating topics and exercise your brain with TED Talks. The app enables users to view over 2,000 TED Talks which cover a variety of topics, including technology, science, and psychology.

Yesterday USA Old Time Radio

Founder Bill Bragg launched this old time radio station app to preserve and present historical radio shows and music for listeners who loved radio in the 1920’s-1950’s. Tune in and have a listen for free!

Medisafe Pill Reminder

This pharmacist tested pill reminder app helps you “never miss a pill again.” The easy-to-use app is recommended by Reader’s Digest, CNBC, Wired and other media outlets. It allows you to manage your own medication or vitamins and even includes a feature for monitoring dog medication usage.

Red Panic Button

The free and paid versions of this emergency app enable users to notify an emergency number, send an sms, or send a panic email to a designated email list when something is wrong. You can now also send a voice recording to a designated email list as well.

The Weather Channel App

Check this app before you make your plans to get current weather information from the more accurate and precise forecasts. This app now also includes a “GoRun Forecast” that answers questions like “When should I run? What should I wear? How far should I go?”

iTunes U

Learn something new everyday. This is the 7th most popular app right now and it’s easy to see why. This free resource is a portal to the “world’s largest collection of free educational content.” Users will enjoy more than 1 million free lectures, courses, videos, books, and other resources from leading universities, institutions, museums, and schools across the globe.

Epicurious

This award-winning cooking app helps you choose, save, and organize your recipes and grocery shopping lists. Customer ratings are helpful when you start to cook your new meal ideas. If you use the app on your Apple Watch, you can also make use of the first intelligent kitchen timer for a wearable device, which tells you when to flip your meat or how long specific ingredients take to cook.