Phone apps are a great help to accomplish many things conveniently. The tech-savvy undertake shopping, banking, travel booking, bill payments, reading, learning, and much more through phone apps. However, when it comes to technology and apps, seniors usually restrict themselves to Uber, Ola, Zomato, Swiggy, Amazon and Flipkart. The trend is slowly changing. While youngsters may download new apps daily, seniors prefer to keep them minimal. And that’s quite fine, as it keeps what is needed to avoid clutter and find what you want easily.
There are a few apps for convenience, a few that help keep up your brain health, and a few others that can entertain you. This article lists a few such apps that may appeal to the seniors.
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As we age, for reading, it helps if we have the letters magnified and can also have the aid of light, especially in the dark. A few apps go by the name of a magnifying glass, and a few also have a flashlight feature alongside. You could download and try one of these apps to suit your reading habits. The zoom and brightness help read the fine print easily.
Family and friends of seniors worry when the seniors travel. Common queries are “Have you boarded”, “Have you reached” etc. The Life360 app relieves this anxiety and keeps people connected. Whether kids or seniors, this app keeps track of people with GPS and location sharing in real-time to show exactly where they are. It has notifications that make tracking easy, so you don’t have to keep checking.
Brain health games
A game named Brain Games for Adults trains your memory, concentration, focus, speed, and accuracy and helps you better focus on your activities. It has a range of games spanning multitasking, math, colours, memory, faces, decision, listening, etc. There are some good brain apps for seniors like Cognifit – it helps you train your brain through fun and engaging mental games with cognitive stats for you to track periodically. Apart from these, you can easily download Sudoku, puzzles, etc., to keep yourself occupied. There is also a simple game called Dots in which you have to connect same-coloured dots vertically or horizontally. A game by the name of Duolingo helps you learn spoken English or 30 other languages with fun mini-lessons. It’s a good time pass to keep your brain active.
Word games
If you love playing with words, try Wordle, Dordle, Quordle, Octordle, Wordhurdle, etc. Wordle requires you to solve a new five-letter every day. Dordle follows the same theme for two words, Quordle for four words, and Octordle for eight words. Wordhurdle has options for you to pick from four to six-letter words daily. Also, it has another option called Phrazle that requires you to solve one English phrase/saying each day. Not all these apps can be downloaded. For such you may need to be online. Play them regularly to improve your vocabulary and brain health.
Music apps
If music is your motivator, you can download Spotify, Amazon Music, Wynk, YouTube Music etc. and listen to songs freely on your mobile anywhere. They also have subscription options that allow you to pick and choose unlimited songs or download them across various genres. Spotify also has podcasts where you can listen to multiple topics.
Streaming apps
Almost all streaming service providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+Hotstar, etc., have streaming apps which you can download. They have paid subscriptions, and you need to use your login and password to watch your favourite shows and movies from anywhere. You could also check out albums and movies on YouTube that are available for free. If you take a premium membership, you can watch them Ad-free.
Social networking apps
You can easily create a login on Facebook or Instagram and watch many videos or read articles. If you follow celebrities, influencers, public figures, and news portals on these apps, they upload a lot of interesting content that keeps you updated and entertains you.
Video calling apps can connect you with friends and allow interaction within the group. For example, you can easily have an antakshari or tambola game on Skype or a Zoom session to up the fun quotient.
Seniors and Mobile Apps
Mobile apps are enablers that make up the physical shortfalls that seniors face. Very few areas have been discussed above. Other areas like Health, Finance, Travel etc. offer a wide variety of mobile apps for seniors that they must explore.
