AARP Now

Review by eFreeware

What stands out about AARP Now is how much it folds into a single app. AARP Now brings membership features to mobile, combining personalized news, alerts, events and savings, along with magazine editions, a digital membership card, a rewards program, games and a map of nearby discounts. Few apps in this category try to cover that much ground at once.

That breadth shapes who it suits. If you are an AARP member, or simply over 50 and curious about what the organization offers, this is the natural place to start, because the app works whether or not you hold a membership. Most of the app works without a membership, though some Members Edition content requires one. I would treat the app as a hub for reading, events and perks rather than a single-purpose tool.

Personalization drives the home screen

The feature the developer leads with is personalization. My AARP, the app's main area, pulls together editor-curated stories, news, events, benefits, videos and games, and the app adjusts its recommendations based on what you have looked at before. That means the recommendations should look different for a reader who follows health coverage than for one who mostly opens event listings.

The practical effect is that the app rewards a little use. Early on, recommendations have little to work from, so the mix may feel generic; the more you read and save, the more the News, Benefits and Events areas should reflect your interests. I like that the developer applied personalization across several sections rather than confining it to one feed.

The same area is also where the everyday membership tools live. From My AARP you can reach your digital membership card, your Inbox and your account, and the card can be added to Google Wallet so it sits alongside your other passes. For anyone who has fumbled for a physical card at a register or an event check-in, that is the sort of small convenience that justifies keeping the app installed.

Reading, events and discounts in one place

AARP Publications brings digital editions of AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin into the app, with current and back issues available. You can save an article for later if you are short on time, and an audio feature lets you listen to articles instead of reading them. That combination covers a lot of situations: a long magazine piece can be saved for a quiet evening or played while you do something else.

The Events section lists hundreds of local and online virtual events, spanning movies, documentaries, workshops and fitness classes, and you can register for them from inside the app. The mix of in-person and virtual options is the part I find most useful.

Member discounts get similar treatment. Benefits and discounts are organized by neighborhood, and a Nearby view plots them on a map, with new offers arriving monthly. A Save for Later feature works across news, videos, publications, benefits and events, so anything you want to revisit can be parked in one list rather than hunted down again.

Games round out the package. AARP Games covers word and trivia titles, arcade games, and solitaire and mahjongg, and the developer suggests adding Games to the navigation bar if you play often. It is an unusual addition for an app built around news and membership, but it fits the broader idea of giving members reasons to open the app regularly.

Rewards points and fitness tracking

AARP Rewards is the piece that turns routine visits into something measurable. You earn points for downloading the app and for visiting each day, and you can connect Health Connect or a fitness tracker so that eligible activities, including steps, swimming and cycling, are logged automatically toward daily fitness goals.

The developer is specific about how that data is handled: with your permission, the app reads fitness activity to confirm eligible activity and award points, and the data is used only to judge eligibility and credit Rewards points when daily goals are met. If you would rather not share fitness information at all, the developer states that you can keep using the app without connecting Health Connect. That gives you a genuine choice.

Notifications tie the experience together. Alerts for news and event reminders are optional, and saved benefits can trigger a notice when you are close by. Notifications are managed under My Account > Notifications, which is worth doing early so the alerts match what you care about.

What the app asks of you

AARP Now is free to download, and a membership is not needed to use it, although exclusive Members Edition content may require one. The app contains ads and offers in-app purchases.

The other requirement is optional but worth weighing. Rewards points from fitness activity depend on connecting Health Connect or a fitness tracker; without that connection, the activity-based points are simply not part of your routine. Everything else, from news to events to the digital card, is separate from the fitness integration.

Personalization is the third thing the app asks for, in a looser sense. Recommendations are built from your previous activity, so the app works best when you use it consistently and let it learn. None of this is onerous, but it does mean the app leans on regular check-ins.

Getting more out of it day to day

The Customize Your Navigation feature in the More AARP tab is the first thing I would set up. If you check events weekly or play games most days, adding those to the navigation bar saves a step every time. The developer makes the same suggestion for Games specifically, and the logic applies to any section you return to often.

Save for Later is worth using deliberately rather than as a dumping ground. Because it spans news, videos, publications, benefits and events, a short saved list becomes a personal queue of things you actually intend to read or attend. Combined with the audio feature for magazine articles, it adds a listening option.

The Nearby map view of discounts shows benefits in your area. Checking it before a trip or an errand is a reasonable habit, especially given that offers are refreshed monthly. And if you are pursuing Rewards points, the daily visit is the simplest way to keep them accumulating alongside any fitness activity you track.

A hub worth keeping for members and readers over 50

AARP Now has been on Google Play since 2011 and carries a 4.7 average from more than 76,000 ratings, with over 5 million installs. The feature set explains the reach: news, magazine editions, events, discounts, games and a digital membership card are all reachable from one place.

The trade-offs are straightforward. It is free but ad-supported and includes in-app purchases, some content sits behind membership, and the fitness side of Rewards depends on connecting a tracker or Health Connect. The app also leans on personalization.

I would recommend AARP Now to AARP members who want their card, publications and event calendar in one app, and to readers over 50 who want curated news and local benefits without assembling several apps to get them. If you fit that description, it is an easy install.

What's new in version 4.8.2

We've made a few minor improvements and fixed a few bugs for a better app experience.