Unless you’ve been living on the moon, you’ll know what an App is. But for context, an App is a program that you can download and install on your smartphone.
The first mobile App may have been the game Snake way back in 1997, but since then, we’ve come a long, long way. These days an App can be used for almost anything, let’s see that in alphabetical order by examining the Top Ten Apps of 2023.
Camera
If you’ve got an iPhone, you need Camera. Okay, there may be better Apps out there but this one is free and if you like it and want more, you can pay to upgrade.
In typical Apple fashion, it looks and feels good, it’s easy to use and you can edit your snap to perfection. It’s ideal for beginners to get to grips with photography and may even surprise those with more camera experience.
Duolingo
It’s the world most downloaded education app in the world for a very good reason. It works.
Yes, you’ll have to put in the time, but time flies with its engaging and fun format. It’s free too, but you’ll have to pay extra to get the most out of it.
What can we say about Facebook that hasn’t been said a billion times before? Yes, it’s not perfect but the Facebook App is the easiest way of diving right in and checking out your likes.
You can post messages, photos and movies via the App, basically, everything you can do on a Mac/pc. And it’s a great way of killing time, just keep on swiping until you’ve had your fix.
Gmail
Why download a mail App when your smartphone already has one installed? To be perfectly honest, you only really need the Gmail App if you’re using a business email address.
For example, you can send ‘out of office’ emails automatically and the smart compose function is handy if you’re backed up with work. And being able to schedule a specific time to send a message is a minor game-changer.
We’re only mentioning the Instagram App for reasons of best practice. Let’s face it, we all use it, and it’s highly addictive with an uncanny ability to cause bouts of serious FOMO!
Okay, not everyone gets Instagram, but if you’re one of the two billion people (yep, you read that right) who does, the App is essential. As you probably know already, it’s a cinch to upload photos and movies and, like Facebook, hard to put down.
Skype
In the past few years, Skype has felt some stiff competition from the likes of Zoom and Team Viewer etc. But it’s still one of the best Apps out there for face-to-face calls, especially if you’re using it for business on your smartphone.
For a start, did you know you can create a meeting with as many as 250 attendees? That’s not to mention the quality of the video or the collaboration tools that allow you to share files and images.
The basic Skype package is free, but if you want to upgrade it’s as little as two bucks a month. Good value, that.
TikTok
A controversial entry at number six. TikTok is banned in India and forbidden for use on most phones held by government officials (?) over the world. But when used sensibly, under supervision, it’s a great way for kids and young people to explore their creativity while getting tech-savvy in the process.
Twitch
This may be the ultimate live-streaming service. It’s been around since 2011 and is predominantly used for streaming video and casino games, esports and more generalised creative content.
With Twitch you can go from live footage of granny making an apple pie to your uncle playing big bass bonanza by the pool.
WhatsApp Messenger
You may be wondering why we’re mentioning WhatsApp because everyone uses it, well 2.7 billion people do anyway. It’s great for setting up like-minded groups of friends and family to exchange messages/photos/movies without bothering anyone else.
You can also make face-to-face calls on it and, like the app, everything is free. And it’s celebrated end-to-end encryption also ensures that any conversations you have within a group are kept private.
YouTube
It’s still out there after all these years and yes, it’s still good. The main reason it’s so effective is that it’s devastatingly simple to use and there is so much content to choose from.
In fact, if you think about it, its Swiss Army knife usefulness alone makes it an invaluable part of our day-to-day lives. One wonders how much money households have saved simply by watching a YouTuber fix something and simply following suit.
It’s free to use but if you want to upgrade to Premium you can get rid of those adverts and download content to watch offline as well. Bargain