Best Free Apps for Older Adults in Australia
There is a common worry that anything good on a phone or tablet must cost money. It does not. The apps most older Australians use every day are free, and they are free properly, not free for a week and then a bill. You can call the grandchildren, read a library book, check the weather and catch the news without paying a cent.
This guide gathers the best free apps, grouped by what they help with. They work on iPad and iPhone, and nearly all on Android too. We point you to the ones worth having, what they do, and how to get them safely. For the wider picture, including a few paid options, see our best apps for seniors guide. For the wider view, our guide to the best tablets for seniors in Australia compares the main options.
Quick answer
The best free apps for an older Australian are WhatsApp or FaceTime for family calls, Libby for free library books and audiobooks, BOM Weather for the forecast, ABC News or ABC listen for news, your bank’s own app for money, the myGov app for Medicare and government services, and your state’s transport app for buses and trains. All of these cost nothing. Only ever install apps from the official App Store or Play Store, never from a link in a message.
A quick guide to the best free app for each job
| What you want to do | Free app to use |
|---|---|
| Call and message family | WhatsApp, FaceTime, Messenger |
| Read books and listen to audiobooks | Libby, BorrowBox |
| Check the weather | BOM Weather |
| Catch the news | ABC News, ABC listen, The Guardian |
| Watch television | ABC iview, SBS On Demand |
| Medicare and government services | myGov |
| Get around town | Google Maps, your state’s transport app |
Free apps for keeping in touch
This is where the savings are biggest. A video call to family overseas used to mean a frightening phone bill. Now it is free. WhatsApp is the most popular choice in Australia because it works on everything, Apple and Android alike, for free messages, photos and video calls over your internet or data. If everyone in the family has an iPhone or iPad, FaceTime is already built in and could not be simpler. Messenger suits anyone who uses Facebook. Pick whichever the family already has. Our guide on setting up WhatsApp walks through it.
Free apps for reading and listening
Libby is the one people are most delighted to discover. With your library card it borrows eBooks and audiobooks from your local Australian library for free, with text you can make as large as you like. BorrowBox does the same and is especially good for audiobooks. Between them, a keen reader need never pay for a book again. We have a full walkthrough on tablets for reading and large text if print has become hard going.
Free apps for news and television
For news, the ABC News app is free and ad-free, and ABC listen carries the radio and podcasts. news.com.au and The Guardian Australia apps are free too, though some papers like The Australian sit behind a subscription. For watching television, ABC iview and SBS On Demand are completely free and hold weeks of catch-up programmes, and 7plus, 9Now and 10 play cover the commercial channels. YouTube is free too, with everything from old concerts to gardening tips. You only start paying when you add a service like Netflix.
Free apps for everyday life
BOM Weather is the official app from the Bureau of Meteorology, free and ad-free, with the forecast, the rain radar and any warnings before you head out. Google Maps shows you the way and finds a shop’s phone number or opening hours. For buses and trains, your state has its own free app: Opal Travel in New South Wales, PTV in Victoria, TransLink in Queensland, Transperth in Western Australia, and similar apps elsewhere, all with live timetables. Your bank’s own app is free and the safe way to check your money. If you are new to it, read our online banking safety guide first.
Free Australian government apps worth having
A couple of free apps from the Australian Government are genuinely useful and save a lot of paper and phone queues. The myGov app is the main one. It holds your digital Medicare card, lets you make and track a Medicare claim, check your immunisation history and reach Centrelink and the Tax Office, all in one place. Since the old Express Plus Medicare app was retired, Medicare lives in the myGov app, so this is the one to install. Sign in with a myGov PIN once it is set up.
The other worth having is Emergency+, a free national app built by Australia’s emergency services. If you ever need to call Triple Zero (000), it shows your exact location, using a what3words address, so the call-taker can find you quickly even if you are not sure where you are. It also has the State Emergency Service and Police Assistance Line numbers in one tap. It is one of those apps you hope never to need, but are very glad to have.
The free apps already on your device
Some of the most useful tools cost nothing because they are already there, no download needed. Magnifier turns the camera into a magnifying glass for a menu or a medicine label. Notes and Reminders hold a shopping list or a reminder to take a pill. Camera and Photos keep the family pictures. Before you go hunting for new apps, it is worth knowing how much the built-in ones already do for free.
How to get free apps safely
One rule keeps you safe. Only ever get apps from the official App Store on an iPhone or iPad, or the Play Store on Android. These are the shops Apple and Google run, and the apps in them are checked. When an app says it is free, look for the word “Get” rather than a price. Never install anything from a link in a text, an email or a pop-up, however official it looks, as that is how scammers slip bad software onto a device. Our step-by-step guide on downloading an app safely shows exactly how.
A free starter set
- WhatsApp or FaceTime, for family calls and messages.
- Libby, for free library books and audiobooks.
- BOM Weather, for the forecast and warnings.
- ABC News for news, and ABC iview for television.
- myGov for Medicare, your bank’s app, and your state’s transport app.
Before you finish
Download the free Family Tech Safety Checklist to help check phone safety, passwords, scam messages, emergency contacts and medical alarm details.
Start with one or two
The common mistake is loading a device with free apps all at once, simply because they cost nothing. Free still takes up room on the screen and in your head. Start with one or two that solve a real need, the family calling app and the library, say, and add others as the use for them comes up. A few apps you know well beat a screen full of ones you never open.
Our recommendation
Begin with WhatsApp or FaceTime for family and Libby for free books, the two that bring the most pleasure for nothing. Add BOM Weather, the ABC News app, ABC iview, the myGov app and your state’s transport app as you go. Get every one only from the official App Store or Play Store, never a link in a message. You will be surprised how full a day these free apps can carry.
Next steps
New to a device? Our guide on downloading an app safely shows the how, and the best apps for seniors guide covers the wider set, free and paid. All of our tablet advice lives on the tablets and iPads hub.
FAQ: free apps for older Australians
Are these apps really free, or free for a trial?
The ones here are properly free: WhatsApp, FaceTime, Libby, BOM Weather, ABC News, ABC iview, myGov, your bank’s app and the transport apps cost nothing and have no trial that turns into a bill.
How can I tell a free app from a paid one?
In the App Store or Play Store, a free app shows the word “Get” or “Install” instead of a price. Watch for “in-app purchases” listed underneath, which means parts of it may cost extra later.
Do free apps fill up with adverts?
Some do, which is how they stay free. ABC News, ABC iview, BOM Weather, Libby and the government apps are clean. If an app is buried in ads, there is usually a tidier alternative.
Will free apps fill up my device?
Most are small. If space runs low, the easiest fix is to remove apps you never use. Books and videos you have downloaded take the most room, not the apps themselves.
Do these free apps work on both iPad and Android?
Almost all of them, yes. WhatsApp, Libby, BOM Weather, myGov, your bank and the news apps work on iPhone, iPad and Android. FaceTime is the main Apple-only one.
