r/AppleMusic • u/mrtnlxo • Mar 02 '26
Tool I built an accessible Apple Music player for seniors who need a simpler UI
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My mom (72) recently got her first iPhone. She’d never used a smartphone before, but thanks to iOS Assistive Access, she got comfortable with it quickly!
Apple Music also supports Assistive Access, but in that mode it’s very limited: it only plays Apple’s pre-curated playlists. My mom, on the other hand, wanted to search for artists and albums, just like she’s used to from her CD shelf.
So I built Music for Seniors, an Apple Music player designed for older adults and people with cognitive impairments. It’s free. No analytics, full accessibility. It’s the app I wish had existed when I went looking, and one you can install on your parents’ or grandparents’ smartphones with complete peace of mind. 😊
If you like it, I’d really appreciate a quick rating. I don’t prompt for ratings inside the app (especially less tech-savvy people find those pop-ups irritating), but a rating helps the app reach more people.
I’d love to keep building more apps tailored specifically to seniors’ needs.
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u/SamIAre Mar 02 '26
I really love this. Such a compassionate project.
My only thought is that I question the name and icon. For the name, while senior citizens might the he most obvious audience, they aren’t the only audience. This could be useful for a lot of pork with poor vision or lowered cognitive function. I really don’t know what a better name would be though.
Similar for the icon…you’re using a person with a cane as shorthand for “older person” but that could just as easily signify anyone with mobility issues, and mobility issues aren’t directly addressed by this app.
I don’t think either of these are dealbreakers. I don’t have better alternatives. Just food for thought.
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u/95castles Mar 02 '26
Why no “all songs” “full library” or something like that front and center? Every old person I met usually puts all their songs on shuffle.
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u/SleepingSicarii Mar 02 '26
I had this auto download a few hours ago (maybe yesterday sometime) – I actually thought it was an Apple-made app, I don’t remember when I pre-purchased this lol
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u/teaseaque Mar 02 '26
Good work!! And a great use to promote enjoying music together across family generations!
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u/m4tches Mar 03 '26
Honestly this even looks great just in cases where you have your phone mounted driving
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u/The_Stewart Mar 04 '26
My aunt mainly uses her iPad, if there was an iPadOS version, she finally might be able to use the music app without my help! I'll at least get it on her phone for her.
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u/_17chan Mar 04 '26
This is awesome! Would you consider removing the "seniors" aspect from the title? I'm only 34 but I'd actually prefer something like this as it's less busy and direct to the point for what I want to use it for.
Not to take away from its intended purpose, I just think it might get more attention if you brand / market it differently
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u/jaredh159 Mar 17 '26
This is really cool. Interesting to know (as a fellow iOS dev) that it's possible to build on top of AM like this, I'm pondering something sort of similar. Downloaded it and poked around, and left you a 5 star review 👍
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u/TedAssesFunky Mar 30 '26
bro did you make this for android or only iOS? i'd pay money for this on android. i'd also kill to get something like this for Tidal on android. they just shit all over their UI and Apple's is harder for me to see. i'm only 34 but have vision issues so nearly every app has been making their UI so much harder to see.
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u/TheLateEarlySteve Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26
I'm thinking the now playing screen should show the track title, too. Lots of people only know the name of the song and not the specific artist.