Home September 2026

6 jobs for a spare iPad

A spare iPad usually ends up in a drawer because it is not good enough to be your main one. It is plenty for one fixed job, though. These six each give it one: a library shelf, a sign in the window, a music stand, a photo frame, a desk timer, and something for a small child that is not a video.

The jobs for a spare iPad are Libby, LiveMarquee, forScore, Digital Photo Frame, Focus Train and Khan Academy Kids. I built LiveMarquee and Focus Train; the other 4 are other developers’ apps.

MiaAppLog— an iOS developer who reviews other people’s apps
Published September 2026 · apps and prices last checked 13 October 2026

Four stars is my score for how well an app answers this moment. An app I built gets four and a half — that is a rule, not a comparison. The App Store’s own average is on each card beside it.

1. 

   Libby

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Book · App Store 4.9 (4,559,348)

   Borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your library, free, with a library card.

   Skip it if you listen offline in the car — downloaded audiobooks refusing to play without a connection is the recurring report, and the waiting list is your library's, not the app's.

   Official site ↗More lists with Libby

   
2. 

   LiveMarquee Editor’s pick

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · Free · Utilities · App Store 5.0 (8)

   Type a message and it scrolls across the screen as an LED sign. No ads.

   App Store ↗More lists with LiveMarquee

   
3. 

   forScore

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · $24.99 · Music · App Store 4.8 (43,197)

   Your PDF sheet music on the music stand, with setlists and page turns.

   Official site ↗More lists with forScore

   
4. 

   Digital Photo Frame

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Photo & Video · App Store 4.4 (688)

   A slideshow of your albums, with the time, date and weather on screen.

   Official site ↗More lists with Digital Photo Frame

   
5. 

   Focus Train Editor’s pick

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · Free · Productivity · App Store 5.0 (5)

   Stand it on the desk as a focus timer: a train rolls while you work.

   App Store ↗More lists with Focus Train

   
6. 

   Khan Academy Kids

   ★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · Free · Education · App Store 4.8 (131,337)

   Reading and math games for kids aged 2 to 8. Free, no ads.

   Official site ↗More lists with Khan Academy Kids

   

LiveMarquee and Focus Train are mine — everything else on this list is someone else’s app. How that works.