12 Tech Gifts Ideas That Older People Will Find Useful

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Shopping for gifts can be a challenge. Not only does everyone have their own tastes, but different generations of people yearn for different things, too. And though companies these days even have gift selector tools to help you find that perfect gift, there are just too many options out there. 

Some gift buyers err on the side of practical gifts while others go for more decorative ones. Something that people seem to universally enjoy receiving is tech. A cool piece of new tech can improve one's quality of life, give them an additional fun thing to interact with, or just replace an aging tool with something modern, faster, and more convenient. Whatever the case may be, tech is a good first spot to look for something new. 

However, shopping for tech for older people has its challenges. A study conducted by researchers at Rutgers University showed that older people have a lower tolerance for things they perceive to be more difficult to learn. That means some of the newer, more complex technologies like blockchain may be a bit too far over the precipice in terms of ease of use. It's better to keep things simple. So, if you're shopping for an older friend or relative, here are some brainstorming ideas to get you out of the gate, and why they'd be good gifts for old people. 

An Apple Watch is a very good choice for an older person. They look cool and futuristic, and have tons of useful features. And besides, older people tend to wear watches more than younger folks. If they're going to wear one anyway, why not make it one of the coolest ones money can buy? The latest generation is the Apple Watch Series 11, and it's available at virtually all major retailers in two sizes and a few colors, so you have plenty of options if you need to pop in somewhere at the last minute. 

The Apple Watch is good for a lot of reasons. You get the modern feel of things like answering calls and receiving notifications on your wrist, but Apple has also baked in a load of fitness and health functions as well, which can be beneficial for older people. That includes a built-in ECG with atrial fibrillation alerts, SpO2 monitoring, sleep monitoring, and various types of fitness. 

Of course, this gift only works if the old person in your life uses an iPhone. If they don't, an Android alternative still makes for an excellent gift. The Samsung Galaxy Watch houses many of the same features as the Apple Watch, and Google makes a pretty nice one as well that's integrated with Fitbit. 

A more decorative tech idea, the Aura Digital Picture Frame features a 10.1-inch display that will show whatever photos you load onto it. This gift will sit right on your table and show off memories without being in the way or calling undue attention. We like this one specifically because the app to control it is free and doesn't come with any subscriptions or additional fees. You can also invite the old folks in your life to add their own photos through the app, and make it a collaborative thing, which is cool. 

The benefit of a digital picture frame is that customization. You can put anything you want in there. Plus, since it is digital, and that's how most people take photos anymore, it'll be easier to find good photos without needing to go print some off. Aura is on the higher end of the spectrum in terms of quality, offering up a color-calibrated display to make sure the photos really pop, and can have an auto-off function set so it doesn't run all night when it doesn't need to. 

There are less expensive options as well, so you can shop around if you need to. They're usually available the big retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, so they're also pretty easy to find. 

The Google TV Streamer is the spiritual successor to the immensely popular Google Chromecast, and it still functions like one if you need it to. Once plugged in and set up, it runs Google TV on your actual TV. This is a good way to upgrade an older TV to have smart TV functionality or to give your older friend something a little more intuitive than the stock smart TV interface they have now. 

The benefit here is threefold. Older folks have already started streaming more often, and Google TV's all-in-one interface makes it pretty easy to do from your phone or from the device itself. It comes with a remote, which is nice to have over phone menus. Finally, it comes with all the bells and whistles, including Dolby Atmos and Vision support, 4K streaming, and physical connections like an ethernet port that many competitors don't have. 

The best streaming device is subject to personal preference. So, if the Google TV Streamer isn't your cup of tea, you can find plenty from competitors like Amazon, Apple, Roku, and others, and most of them are within the same price category as Google's streamer. There are legitimate reasons why you'd want to choose one over the other, so you should look into it before buying anything. 

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a slam dunk gift idea if the older person you're shopping for is a reader. It's lightweight, easy to use, it can carry thousands of books, and it has weeks of battery life. I own one of these and as long as I keep the Wi-Fi turned off, I charge it about four times a year. Your battery life would vary, of course, but even so, it's hard to drain the battery on these things quickly. 

The big benefit, especially for older people, is the customization. The Kindle has a variety of font and margin settings. You can make letters bigger, bolder, and there is even a font for dyslexic people. It also includes a backlight that can get pretty bright and a warm light setting that can make it less harsh and glaring on the eyes. That makes them super comfortable to read with once they're set up.

This is also a nice gift idea because it branches out into other gift ideas. Based on my experience, I recommend a nice folio case at the bare minimum. The good ones come with magnets that turn the screen off and on automatically when you close and open them, which is cool. An Amazon gift card to buy books for it is also a nice extra gift idea. 

Wireless earbuds are another good idea for a gift for old folks. They tend to just work. You pair them, pop them into your ears, and then listen to music or watch video content. There are plenty of great wireless earbuds on the market, but the Apple AirPods Pro 3 strike a nice balance between functional and enjoyable. They're a little on the pricier side, but Apple tends to support these for years and includes features you don't get out of earbuds that are only for listening to music. 

For starters, these things can double as hearing aids, and the third-generation AirPods Pro have intentional upgrades specifically for that use case. That makes them nice for old people with hearing problems as an alternative to their normal hearing aids. They also have reasonably good noise cancellation and sound quality, which makes them good for jamming to tunes and traveling in noisy environments like airplanes. In short, they're good at just about everything, and the extra features are actually nice for older people. 

Android users have some good options in this space too, including the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. These earbuds aren't certified hearing aids but do have a variety of features for people who are hard of hearing, making them the closest competitor for Android users. 

You may not think that old folks would enjoy a video doorbell, but I don't think that's true. I have two elderly neighbors, and both of them have video doorbells they very much enjoy having and using. There are a ton of good video doorbells to choose from, but for this article, we're going with the Eufy E340 Video Doorbell. It's a competently made doorbell that can be installed either hardwired to the house or standalone with a battery, and it doesn't require a subscription to operate. 

As a whole, the E340 satisfies all of the conditions for what makes a video doorbell good. You can see and talk to anyone standing at the door from the comfort of your smartphone. Eufy also includes a secondary, downward-facing camera to check the porch for packages and other drop-offs. The main camera is 2K resolution, which is more than good enough, and you get alerts on your phone if it detects something going on. In all, it's nearly perfect for all major use cases, and a good starter video doorbell overall. 

Other doorbells have different features. Some have better alerts, while others have wider or higher resolution cameras. However, Eufy does a pretty good job of checking all the boxes, even if it's not necessarily the very best in every category. 

Smart thermostats are also a fun gift idea for old people. Some of them may resist going with the ultra-modern ones like the Google Nest Thermostat. However, Ecobee does a very good job of making a thermostat that has some smart features but doesn't have any complex requirements for use. I purchased an Ecobee3 Lite in 2019, and it strikes a good mix of smart features and ease of use. Ecobee doesn't make that product anymore, but it does have the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential, which is the spiritual successor. 

What makes Ecobee nice compared to the other big thermostat brands is that it's supremely easy to use. Adjusting the temperature is doable without any special knowledge, and the menu system is simple and easy to read. The phone app mirrors the thermostat's controls, so you only have to learn the new system once and it works in two places. You can control it from anywhere, and set it up to do a variety of things to make things easier for yourself. 

For me personally, I consider this one of my best smart home purchases. It alerted me both times my air conditioner broke down before I was aware that there was a problem, and it reminds me to change my furnace filters every three months. I never have to think about it.

When researching this article, I was surprised to learn so many older people have been gifted iPads, and that they really seem to enjoy them. There are a lot of reasons for this. The bigger screen makes things easier to see, and there really isn't much that you can do on a computer that you can't also do on an iPad. The most recent iPad launched in 2025, and we found it to be outstanding for its price. 

For an older person with simpler needs, an iPad can absolutely replace a computer, laptop, and other tech. They can use it to check their stocks, read books (although a Kindle Paperwhite is better for that), stream videos and movies, read news articles, chat with people, and even play games. The sky is really the limit here, and since most people already own a smartphone, you can get the less expensive iPad with just Wi-Fi functionality and save yourself a few bucks. The iPad also comes in a few different colors and storage configurations depending on what you need. 

The iPad is the natural answer, but there are some good Android tablets on the market as well. Google and OnePlus make some good, simple Android-powered tablets that can do quite a lot. I personally own a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+, and it's delightful.

Almost every older person I know has (and enjoys) a Bluetooth speaker. They use them for outdoor activities like bonfires, parties, and sometimes just for listening. My neighbor built a little basket on his bicycle where he stashes a Bluetooth speaker for his bike rides. So, it's a pretty reasonable assertion that a nice Bluetooth speaker would make for a good gift. Again, there are many on the market, but for this one, the JBL Charge 6 is a good option. 

There are a few good reasons for this. For starters, the JBL Charge 6 is often on sale during the holiday season and you can get it with a pretty steep discount. It sounds pretty decent for its size, comes in several colors, and has IP68 water and dust resistance to keep it safe in the shower or by the pool. In short, it ticks all the boxes you would want in a portable Bluetooth speaker, and its 28-hour battery life is long enough for most uses.

I bought an older model for my mom several years ago, and she told me that it was the most used gift she's ever received. She kept hers on her TV stand most of the time and just turned it on and jammed out. JBL does this particular type of speaker very well, so it's a solid bet. 

A robot vacuum is a nice gift idea for anyone, but as your joints and muscles stiffen up with age, it can be a particularly nice boon for an older person. Having to bend down once or twice to empty a robot vacuum is easier than dragging a full-size vacuum all over the house. iRobot is a household name in robot vacuums, and the Roomba 705 robot vacuum is a good, middle-of-the-road start for a vacuum. 

This model is far enough up iRobot's lineup to get more advanced features like self-emptying and anti-tangle brushes, but it doesn't cost as much as top-of-the-line models. In a regular household, iRobot says that you should only need to empty the dock once every two months or so, which is six times a year. Of course, that'll be significantly more often if your giftee owns pets. There are both less and more expensive robots across the lineup, but the 705 strikes a decent balance between features and price. 

Should the Roomba not be the option for you, there are many other options to consider from brands like Roborock, Ecovacs, and Shark. Products like these can save a lot of time and effort, which is a nice gift to give someone. 

If you've watched any cooking videos on YouTube over the last several years, you may have noticed how many recipe video creators have electric salt and pepper mills. They look cool, work well — at least, they do to me. If the old person in your life likes to cook, this is a nice, relatively inexpensive gift idea. There are tons of them available on Amazon, Target, and other retailers, but the Vivosparks Electric Salt and Pepper Set is a good way to go. 

This set is a bit more expensive than most off-brand models, but it's worth the extra price. The base comes with wireless charging, so you don't need to worry about batteries, and the mills are refillable and can be used many times over again. In addition, they come with niceties like a light so you can see how much you're adding and a coarseness setting with six options. They can also be used one handed, which is nice for accessibility reasons. 

Kitchen tech is a popular gift choice and there are many small kitchen gadgets that you can gift for the holidays. However, an electric salt and pepper mill strikes a nice balance between a gadget that can be used every day and cost. Some kitchen tech gadgets can be hundreds or even over a thousand dollars. 

Being forgetful is a part of life, and humans have invented ways to adapt to this problem. Perhaps one of the best methods is with a Bluetooth tracker of some sort. There are several options in this space, and perhaps the most popular is the venerable Apple AirTag. However, for this list, we'll opt for something a little more universal and suggest checking out this four-pack of Tile Bluetooth trackers. It comes with two keyring trackers, a general tracker for bags or purses, and a card-sized tracker that can be put into a wallet. 

These work well as a gift for two reasons. For starters, they come with a speaker so you can use the app to make the speakers beep and find a lost set of keys or wallet. Secondly, they can be tracked out in the world, making them easier to find if you've left them behind somewhere. They are also pretty simple to use. You set them up, attach them where they need to go, and then you just leave them alone until you need them for something. 

If the Tile trackers aren't looking right for you, then the recommendations are also pretty simple. If your older giftee has an iPhone, the Apple AirTag is the best choice, and if they rock a Samsung Android phone, the Samsung SmartTag2 is worth consideration. There are also generic Bluetooth trackers that work with iOS and Android if none of those sound good.