The App Store Is Working Against You
You pull out your old iPad, open the App Store, search for an app you want — and it’s not there. Or it’s there, but when you tap “Get,” you see “This app requires iOS 16 or later.”
This is the single most frustrating part of repurposing an old tablet. The device works fine. The screen is great. But developers drop support for older operating systems and suddenly half the App Store disappears.
The good news: the apps that matter for a home display still work on surprisingly old hardware. You just need to know which ones.
What iOS Version Does Your iPad Run?
Before looking at apps, check what you’re working with: Settings, General, About, and look at the Software Version line.
| iPad Model | Max iOS Version |
|---|---|
| iPad 2, iPad mini 1 | iOS 9.3.5 |
| iPad 3, iPad 4 | iOS 10.3.4 |
| iPad Air 1, iPad mini 2/3 | iOS 12.5.7 |
| iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 | iOS 15.8 |
| iPad 5th gen (2017) | iOS 16.7 |
| iPad 6th gen (2018)+ | iOS 17+ |
For Android: Settings, About Tablet, Android Version. Anything running Android 8 (Oreo) or newer is workable. Below that, you’ll struggle to install most current apps.
The practical cutoff: iOS 12 and Android 8 are the minimum for most useful apps today. Below that, your options shrink to basic web apps in the browser.
Photo Frame Apps
This is the most forgiving category. Slideshows don’t need much processing power, so even very old tablets handle them fine.
Google Photos (iOS 12+, Android 8+) — Free. The simplest option for most families. Shared albums sync automatically, and you can start a slideshow from any album. No dedicated frame mode, but set Auto-Lock to Never and it just runs. Full details in our photo frame guide.
Apple Photos (built-in) — Works on every iPad ever made. The built-in slideshow feature cycles through any album. Limited compared to dedicated apps (no auto-update from shared albums, stops after one cycle), but it’s there and it’s free.
Fotoo (Android 8+, limited on iPad) — $5 one-time for premium. The best dedicated photo frame app. Motion detection, clock overlay, weather widget, cloud album sync. Fotoo was built for this exact use case. Android gets the full experience; iPad availability varies.
DAKboard (any browser) — Free tier available. Not an app — it’s a web page you open in Safari or Chrome. Shows photos alongside calendar, weather, and custom widgets. Works on anything with a browser, which makes it a good option for tablets too old for App Store apps.
Kitchen and Recipe Apps
Paprika (iOS 12+, Android 8+) — $5 one-time. Paste a recipe URL and it strips out the ads and life story, leaving just ingredients and steps. Scales portions, builds grocery lists, does meal planning. The best $5 you’ll spend on a kitchen tablet.
Mela (iOS 14+) — Free with premium. A newer recipe manager with a cleaner interface than Paprika. Requires iOS 14, so it won’t work on iPad Air 1 or mini 2/3 — but runs great on Air 2 and newer.
Any recipe website in Safari/Chrome — Works everywhere. Honestly, just keeping Safari open to a recipe site with Auto-Lock set to Never works. The screen stays on, the recipe stays visible. Not elegant, but it works on any tablet.
Calendar and Scheduling
Google Calendar (iOS 12+, Android 8+) — Free. Full-screen calendar view, color-coded by family member, syncs across everyone’s devices. For a wall-mounted calendar display, this is the default choice.
Apple Calendar (built-in) — Works on every iPad. If your family uses iCloud calendars, this is the zero-setup option. The month view is readable from across a room on a 9.7-inch (25 cm) screen.
Fantastical (iOS 15+) — Free with premium. The prettiest calendar app on iPad, with natural language input and a beautiful week view. Requires iOS 15, so it’s iPad Air 2 and newer only.
DAKboard (any browser) — Shows calendar alongside photos and weather. If you want a dashboard that does multiple things, DAKboard on a full-screen browser is the way. Works on everything.
Weather
Weather.gov (any browser) — Free. Not an app — just open weather.gov in a full-screen browser. Shows radar, forecasts, and alerts for your location. Works on any tablet with a browser. For a dedicated weather display, bookmark it and leave the browser open.
Weather Underground (iOS 12+, Android 8+) — Free. More detailed than the default weather apps, with hyperlocal forecasts and animated radar. The app works well on older tablets.
Apple Weather (built-in) — Works on iPads with iOS 15+ (Air 2 and newer). Redesigned in iOS 16, but the iOS 15 version is perfectly usable as a weather display.
Smart Home Control
Apple Home (built-in, iOS 12+) — If you have HomeKit devices, the Home app on an old iPad works as a dedicated control panel. Bonus: set the iPad as a Home Hub and it can run automations even when your phone is away.
Google Home (iOS 16+, Android 8+) — Newer iOS requirement means it won’t run on iPad Air 1 or mini 2/3. Works fine on Air 2 and newer, and on most old Android tablets.
Amazon Alexa (iOS 15+, Android 8+) — Controls Alexa devices. The iPad requirement is iOS 15, so Air 2 is the minimum.
Home Assistant (any browser) — Free, self-hosted. If you run Home Assistant, the web interface works in any browser on any tablet. Pair it with Fully Kiosk Browser on Android for the best wall-panel experience.
Music and Media
Spotify (iOS 14+, Android 8+) — Free tier available. Dropped iOS 13 support, so iPad Air 1 is out. Works on Air 2 and newer. For a music hub, Spotify Connect lets you use the old tablet as a remote for music playing on a Bluetooth speaker.
Apple Music (built-in) — Works on any iPad with a subscription. The built-in Music app supports older iOS versions better than Spotify.
YouTube (iOS 14+, Android 8+) — The app requires relatively recent OS versions, but youtube.com in Safari works on much older tablets. For a workout space with exercise videos, the browser version is fine.
Plex (iOS 14+, Android 8+) — For a media server remote, the Plex app works on Air 2 and newer. The web interface (app.plex.tv) works on anything with a browser.
Kids and Education
Khan Academy Kids (iOS 13+, Android 8+) — Free. The best free educational app for young kids. Works on iPad Air 1 (iOS 12) if you download an older version — the App Store will offer “Download an older version of this app?” if the current version isn’t compatible. For a learning station, this is the first app to install.
Duolingo (iOS 16+, Android 8+) — Language learning. The iOS requirement has crept up — you’ll need iPad 5th gen or newer. Android is more forgiving.
PBS Kids Games (iOS 14+, Android 8+) — Free. No ads, no in-app purchases, genuinely good educational games. Works on iPad Air 2 and newer.
The “Download an Older Version” Trick
When you try to install an app that requires a newer iOS, the App Store sometimes offers to download the last compatible version. You’ll see a popup: “Download an older version of this app?”
Always say yes. The older version might be missing the latest features, but for a dedicated display that runs one app, an older version works fine. This trick extends the useful life of old iPads significantly.
It doesn’t work for every app — some developers don’t allow older versions to be offered. But it works for many major apps including Google Photos, YouTube, and several others.
On Android, you can go further by downloading APK files of older app versions from sites like APKMirror and installing them manually. This gives you access to apps that have officially dropped your Android version.
The Browser Fallback
When an app won’t install on your tablet, check if it has a web version. Many services — DAKboard, Google Calendar, Home Assistant, Plex, YouTube, weather sites — work fine in a full-screen browser. Set Safari or Chrome to full-screen (hide the toolbar), bookmark the page, and it effectively becomes an app.
This is especially useful for tablets stuck on iOS 10-12 where the App Store options are limited. As long as the browser works, the tablet is still useful.
The Quick Reference
| Use Case | Best App (iPad) | Best App (Android) | Minimum iOS | Minimum Android |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo frame | Google Photos | Fotoo | iOS 12 | Android 8 |
| Kitchen recipes | Paprika | Paprika | iOS 12 | Android 8 |
| Family calendar | Google Calendar | Google Calendar | iOS 12 | Android 8 |
| Weather display | weather.gov (browser) | Weather Underground | Any | Android 8 |
| Smart home panel | Apple Home | Home Assistant (web) | iOS 12 | Any |
| Music control | Apple Music | Spotify | Any | Android 8 |
| Kids education | Khan Academy Kids | Khan Academy Kids | iOS 13 | Android 8 |
| Dashboard (multi-use) | DAKboard (browser) | DAKboard (browser) | Any | Any |
This list gets updated as apps change their requirements. If something here is out of date, it probably changed recently — check the latest version on the App Store or Play Store before installing.
