By Louise Dupont
There are a lot of negatives to our current situation. But to look on the bright side, today’s technology gives us more connectivity and resources than ever before. So, to best utilize your technology in this trying time, here are ten extraordinary apps, all free, for your phone. Some of these are good to kill some time, some are educational, and some are just plain cool, but no matter what, all of them will improve your lockdown experience.
1) Plato. Although Plato may not exactly help with your productivity, it is a fun way to waste some time now that we all have so much of it. Plato provides a wide variety of games, like archery, cup pong, table soccer, chess, and card games such as hearts. There are also many groups in which you can play games, meet people from all around the world, and chat with them. And you can play with anybody, no matter what kind of phone they have or where they are, as long as they have the app and you add each other as friends. No matter what kind of games you like to play, Plato has them easily accessible for the next time you’re bored!
2) Explore. This app is an interesting and educational way to kill some time. Once you download Explore, you can view live streams from hundreds of fascinating places around the world. Most of these streams show animals, wild or otherwise, but others show beautiful natural phenomena like the northern lights. Available streams include kittens at a sanctuary, elephants at a park in South Africa, pandas in China, and many other adorable animals. Not only does Explore allow you to waste some time, but you can also observe the natural beauty of the planet in real time and connect more to our environment. Watching these streams is a great stress reliever, and hey, the animals are cute!
3) Radio Garden. Not only is this app cool and a great way to spend some down time, but it can also help you learn something. Radio Garden allows you to listen to radio stations all over the world live. If you’ve ever wanted to know what Argentinians or Moroccans are listening to right now, you’re in luck. Radio Garden is also a great way to help immerse yourself more in a language and improve your listening abilities, especially if you’re already studying a language and just want more practice in real world situations. It’s also a great way to discover foreign cultures and maybe just find your new favorite song.
4) Soon. This free planning app provides many interesting features, including the ability to make lists of movies, books, TV shows, or podcasts that you would like to enjoy in the future. You can also use the app to track which ones you have already completed. However, the most interesting feature, and the one most suited to these tough times, is the ability to plan trips and outings. I know that I will be using Soon to make a list of all the restaurants I want to eat at once we’re allowed to leave our houses again. Soon is also the perfect app to plan your dream vacation if you find yourself bored or with nothing to do. Just choose a city anywhere in the world and you can view restaurants, museums, and hotels in the area to add to your list, and to hopefully one day visit. Soon even provides you with an easy way to keep track of all the concerts you want to attend. You can even add friends on the app so that you can cooperate on lists and plan your vacations together!
5) Geocaching. With closures of things like gyms, restaurants, and movie theaters, most people have been spending a lot more time out in nature. Geocaching provides a fun and educational addition to your daily walks. Just download the app and make an account, and you can start finding geocaches all around you. Geocaches are hidden containers that can be found everywhere. With the Geocaching app, you can start on a treasure-hunting journey to find them. You’ll discover places you never even knew existed, as well as being able to enjoy fun puzzles and clever hiding spots. You can also meet other people in the geocaching community without even having to meet them. And, many of the geocaches provide you with extra information about the area you’re exploring, helping you learn a little bit more about the world around you.
6) DreamLab. Although not exactly a way to spend your time, DreamLab can help you contribute positively to the world around you. Without even doing anything, DreamLab can help you participate in cancer research, and for now, coronavirus research as well. Researchers need computers for many extremely complicated tasks, including things like scanning DNA. When you download DreamLab, your phone will be used to help with these computations. Don’t worry, DreamLab won’t slow down your phone while you’re trying to use it. DreamLab will only function when you plug in your phone during hours when you are asleep, which you can set. Then, the app will download minuscule amounts of data from online research databases, use the data in calculations, and then send the results back to researchers. So yes, you can now help cure cancer and the coronavirus without even moving a muscle!
7) Dinner Spinner. Created by the famous recipe website Allrecipes, this app provides a ton of functionality to help you cook, especially at this time when restaurants are closed. At its most basic, Dinner Spinner can provide you with tens of thousands of detailed recipes. But Dinner Spinner also provides a feed in which you can see new recipes to try, as well as the ability to search for recipes using keywords, ingredients, or preparation times. You can also save recipes, share what you make with your friends, and watch over a thousand videos that provide step-by-step cooking instruction. My favorite features are the small ones that make cooking so much easier. You can multiply recipes and all the measurements will be multiplied for you too. You can also check off the ingredients as you use them. And Dinner Spinner provides you with the ability to make shopping lists with all the ingredients for what you want to make. Next time you don’t know what to cook, just give Dinner Spinner a try and watch the inspiration roll in!
8) DailyArt. I know that a lot of people are struggling with inspiration now that we are all stuck inside basically 24/7. Although DailyArt can help anybody with the monotony, it’s especially useful for the people who miss going out to museums or art galleries. DailyArt will notify you once a day with an art masterpiece and a short text about it. You don’t even need to remember to check the app. Then, you have the ability to like that piece of art and even explore thousands of artworks. DailyArt also allows you to read information about artists and museum collections and share everything with family or friends. Not only is DailyArt the perfect app for people who are already passionate about art, but it can also help educate anybody about art and provide a much needed dose of beauty even though we’re all stuck inside.
9) PictureThis. Many people have been spending a lot more time in nature now that gyms and most leisure activities are closed. It’s very difficult and time consuming to learn to identify all the plants you might see on your daily walk. If you’ve ever seen a beautiful flower and wanted to learn more, or wondered what species of tree you might be looking at, PictureThis is the perfect app for you. Simply take a picture of the plant in question, and PictureThis will identify it with 98% accuracy. Additional features include sharing your photos, advice from gardeners on how best to take care of certain plants, and a collection of all the plants you have previously identified. PictureThis is a great way to learn more about the environment and interact more with the world around you.
10) Slowly. Slowly is a digital pen pal app that allows you to meet people from all around the world. Just set what age range you want to match with and what language you want to write in, and soon you’ll be chatting to somebody from across the world. Not only is Slowly a great app to practice using a language you might be trying to learn, but there are also some unique features that make sending letters on Slowly completely different from most digital conversations we have these days. Once you write a message, the letter takes between minutes and hours to arrive to the recipient based on how far away they are from you. Although I was skeptical about the slow pace at first, it actually encourages everyone involved to write more meaningful and in depth messages. It also increases the anticipation of receiving a letter. As a whole, Slowly allows for a different sort of communication than the kind we’ve become used to today, and it’s especially useful for making connections during a time when we’re all separated from family and friends.