Technology // What Apps do you use?

March 04, 2020


Apps! Gosh they've revolutionised life right?! From doing the food shop without leaving the house to not having to use old school maps to photo editing to baby tracking to creating playlists, I certainly couldn't be without my phone and apps for everyday living these days. I'm always interested in what apps people use so put together this very quick blog post with my favourites...

{I haven't linked any of these as I'm not sure which phone system/app store you use, I'm an Apple girl so these are all on the iOS app store but I'm assuming most will be multi platform?}

Photo Related...

Google Photos // The best photo back up app, this gives you a lot of free storage and categorises your photos by place/people/things so they're easily searchable. I've ended up paying for extra storage per year but it's still not much for that peace of mind knowing your photos/videos are backed up. I tend to put this on every few days overnight and it will back everything up overnight. Can't recommend this more! free but you might want to pay for extra storage if needed

Instagram // Obviously! I use this for social networking both personally and as a huge part of my job but also editing all my photos and using the story fun effects/filters/boomerangs. free

Unfold // For creating a set of coherent stories with nice text/frames/titles, gives creative templates to use. You can buy extra creative packs in the app. free with add on purchases

Snapseed // I don't use this often but it's got some good photo editing features. free

Snapfish // For printing photos from your phone easily, gives you free prints each month too. free

Baby Related..

British Red Cross First Aid // I've put this on my homepage for a quick reference for infant first aid which also works when offline with videos for fast access. I downloaded this specifically because I was worried about choking with weaning but it also covers lots of other things too like burns/cuts. There is an adult version of the app too which is worth having for up to date medical advice. free 

Glow // I used this for tracking my cycles each month when we were trying for a baby, it highlights when it predicts ovulation will be and then your period and you can log your different symptoms throughout the month to see if you notice patterns and it can even analyse photos of ovulation sticks to tell you how likely it is! Super clever. My periods haven't come back yet since having Freya as I'm still breastfeeding but I'll definitely use this again when they do, not for trying to conceive but just to track cycles. free 

Ovia Pregnancy/Pregnancy Plus // Pregnancy app trackers to easily keep up to date with how many weeks you are/how long there is to go plus it gives you little snippets of info each day/week and that all important 'baby is the size of a ...' this week. I loved seeing the 3d scan photo of what your baby would look like in the womb at each stage too. I used both of these. free

The Wonder Weeks // I think I paid a couple of pounds for this when Freya was born but it was definitely worth it as it tells you about when your baby is likely to go through a development leap and what that means for them. It's been crazily accurate for Freya, reassuring and educating. paid.

Huckleberry // We use this every day for tracking Freya's naps and finding out the next 'sweet spot' for when she should go to sleep next. Prevents overtiredness and has always been so spot on for us. There are other things to track on there but we've only used it for sleep. Free, does have a premium version with personalised advice but we just use the free one.

Kinedu // Thousands of age-appropriate activity ideas for your baby to help develop their skills and personalised questionnaires about what they can/can't do to personalise the app for you - I find it interesting to click through and tick what she can/can't do and it gives a typical age that this should be achieved by. Not in a 'your baby should be able to do this' kind of way, but I just have no idea about what is typical for a baby at different ages. You have to subscribe to get the most out of this app, we just have the free version but still some good ideas. free but best to subscribe.

Hoop - what's on for families // An easy way to find local activites and book classes for babies/children. I wish all baby classes were on here! free

One Second Everyday // An app which collates videos with 1 second from everyday. We're using it to record Freya's first year. It's so easy to use and I've paid for the premium version, around £20 a year, so as to back up the videos and you can add an extra clip/second if needed plus add music at the end of it. So in love with this app and this little creative project which will form a huge part of our documenting of Freya's special early years. free but worth paying for premium

Other...

Doodle // A poll creating app for coordinating diaries easily with big Whatsapp groups to easily look at everybody's availability and choose a day which the majority can do. You can also use it to decide on options for things too! Makes organising things so much easier than millions of messages/dates flying backwards and forwards. free

Hive // being able to schedule or turn on/off our heating from our phone has made such a difference as our days are different everyday so it didn't suit us to have a set time on our heating system. Love this.

Youtube // I use this for workout videos a couple of times a week. Obviously there's videos on pretty much everything on there. free but you can pay for an ad-free/download version.

Spotify // My family and I have a family subscription to Spotify which I love for being able to download playlists offline and listen ad-free. I use it for running and listening to music around the house almost everyday. free but with ads/limited features.

Podcasts // SO many great podcasts to listen to these days. Most of mine are parent based but there's a podcast for pretty much every topic. free

Just Park // For booking parking in advance in cities which often works out a lot cheaper. free 

Easyjet // Clever app for searching for/booking short haul flights and then checking in online/issuing boarding passes. free

Uber // Probably needs no explanation. Although I hardly use Uber these days, occasionally when we're in America but when I do use it, it's still so great? free

Class Pass // Love using this when we go away for attending/booking exercise classes in cities around the world. subscription, can get free trial with credits.

Ocado // I can't believe I've only just started using this app but it's been totally game changing since having Freya for not having to go to the supermarket. I used to get Sainsbury's online deliveries semi regularly but their website isn't a patch on Ocado's app. Particularly love the one click option to add something quickly when you've checked out. free

Google Maps // We use google maps for so many things, the most obvious being directions for both driving & walking but also for zooming in on parking street signs when trying to see if you can park in a road at a set time and also for google reviews/opening hours of restaurants/cafes. I also like the part where you google map directions and then click search to add a stop in, it will tell you how long the de-tour is. We often use this for finding petrol or if we have a burning desire to stop somewhere like a chain in America to find the best option when on a road trip. free, worth signing in with a free google account though.

Waze // Similar to google maps which I also use A LOT but this has a clever feature where you can put in where you want to go and it will tell you what time to leave in the future based on traffic predictions. Also will tell you live traffic and the fastest route home. free

Hopper // My friend raves about this app and although I haven't actually used it yet, it looks so great for alerting you to when flights will be cheapest and tells you when is a good time to book. I think you put your dates and destination in and it will tell you if prices are steady/likely to go up or down. Will definitely use when we need long-haul flights next. free

Airbnb // Travel for us has been totally revolutionised by Airbnb. I've written more about our experience & tips in this blog post. free

Deliciously Ella // I only started subscribing to this app at the start of this year and have already used it for so many delicious recipes. I'm a huge Deliciously Ella fan and even though I have the books, it's nice to have lots of recipes in one place on your phone and there are lots which are app only. There's also yoga on it but I haven't used that part. subscription

Houzz // I often think this is better than Pinterest when looking for garden/house project inspiration. free

Pinterest // I rarely go on pinterest these days but have spent hours on it in the past, especially when we planned our wedding! Inspiration for almost everything and so great visually for creating digital pin boards. free

Zara & H&M // I don't have many shopping apps but if I'm ever doing a Zara or H&M order I'll always do it on the app over the browser. free

BBC Weather // I'm forever checking the weather although it's not always that accurate?! But yes, check this multiple times per day. Any better weather apps though please hit me up. free

Google Translate // Genius app for taking photos of menus/signs in another language and it will translate it for you. free

Plus whatsapp/facebook/facebook messenger.

Would love to hear if I'm missing any that will revolutionise something?!


R <3 xx

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1 comments

  1. Hi there,
    So interesting to read - I've made a note of a few I hadn't yet come across.
    I have some suggestions to add:
    1. Phonto. I use this to create squares of comments (in a very cool vintage typewriter font) of little things our son says. I date each one, hashtag it to instagram and then when he's 18, they will be bound in a book for him (and one for weepy, sentimental me).
    2. Days - great countdown app for special events.
    3. Little Moments - helpful for resizing photos.

    ReplyDelete

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