Favourite apps

My phone means everything to me - not for keeping contact with people, but for the wonderful apps and services a smartphone provides.  Having a smartphone has made my life so much easier and has assisted me with some of my day-to-day difficulties

So as a lighthearted thread I was wondering if you have any apps that you absolutely love or have recently discovered and would like to discuss?

Some wonderful apps I have recently come across are:

This app and website is all about recording your observations on nature and wildlife and then sharing them with a community.  It can be used to identify species of plants, mammals, reptiles etc. as well as learn about what species are living in your local area.  For me, this is like a real life Pokemon and it combines my love of nature and walking, with actively seeking out wildlife and learning more about it.  The app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

JouleBug is a sustainability app that lists many ways you can help to reduce your impact on the planet.  This can be from small things like turning lights off when you leave a room, to much larger things such as organising or attending a sustainability event.  I like this app as it showed me what I am currently doing to reduce my impact and what other steps I can take to build on it.  You can tell in some sections that it was originally designed for a US market, but is still applicable for the rest of the world.  The app can also work as a social media feed, where you can see what others are doing to minimise their impact and adopting new routines.  I am not a big fan of social media platforms as there is a lot of hatred and negativity, but this seems to be positive and everyone is there for the same agenda.  You also don't have to interact with others if you don't want to and is completely optional.  The app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Calm is a meditation/relaxation app and website aimed at helping users to adopted meditation and mindfulness into their day-today lives.  I have used the free version of this app for some time and was sad to see that some of the features switched to pay for only.  Saying that I decided to pay for the membership and haven't been disappointed.  There are a number of sessions to choose from which can help with anxiety, guilt, sleep and much more.  They have also introduced some masterclasses as well and the one on rest I found interesting.  The app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

There are a couple of other apps I am trying at the moment which may be added to this list, but I was wondering if you have stumbled on any good apps lately or whether you use one regularly that you want to share with others?

Parents
  • My iPhone is my home office. I have each section grouped and adapt from time to time and each section is important for different reasons. 

    Navigation: weather! I like to know what to expect and see what it’s like elsewhere. Maps, clocks and alarms, compass etc 

    word processing, notes, documents, calendar 

     camera and photos

    radio and music library apps and audiobooks (Libby and Overdrive) 

    podcasts.. essential ( countryside ones and  health and exercise ones ( including Thrive with Aspergers and The adult Chair , adhd rewired and adhd support talk radio )  couch to 5k.. mainly had to delete the radio programme ones to make room on my phone) 

    entertainment, tv catch up, films, news

    information I have Pocket Birds ( I looked at Inaturalist so now you’ve recommend it may look again ) but I downloaded British Trees Bee Count and Butterfly count instead but haven’t used them yet. ( I did have yha/National Trust/english Heritage but had to delete for more room) 

    Games! 

    Health and exercise; exercise;MapMyWalk, walkathome , meditation/getting to sleep ( and podcasts) Breathe2Relax,insight timer, SleepStream 2; recording health Cara, sleep cycle, ; CoeliacUK ( just got this so still learning) 

    My phone is full! 

  • Loving the list of apps and I am the same, my phone is my office, entertainment and day to day life saver.  I don't know what I did before having one!

    The British Tree Bee Count and Butterfly Count seem very interesting - I will have to look into those.

    Is the Thrive with Aspergers a weekly podcast?  I don't listen to a lot of podcasts to be honest, but I want to start listening to more.

Reply
  • Loving the list of apps and I am the same, my phone is my office, entertainment and day to day life saver.  I don't know what I did before having one!

    The British Tree Bee Count and Butterfly Count seem very interesting - I will have to look into those.

    Is the Thrive with Aspergers a weekly podcast?  I don't listen to a lot of podcasts to be honest, but I want to start listening to more.

Children
  • Yes I think so. It’s just something I got into. I don’t suppose podcasts suit everyone. I think the bee count itself might just be til June from what I heard on gardeners question time. I haven’t tried it out yet . It’s hard to tell what an app will be like til you’ve downloaded it so choosing is difficult!