Must have iPhone/Android apps for mums

Check out theAsianparent’s suggestions on must-have iPhone/Android apps for all you tech-savvy mummies.

1. Wattpad

If you love reading or writing, you’d definitely love this app. Wattpad describes itself as “the best place to discover and share stories". It’s a new form of entertainment connecting readers and writers through storytelling. The app includes thousands of stories written by undiscovered and published writers that are uploaded onto Wattpad every day. There’s a huge library of stories under several genres such as romance, science fiction, mystery, short stories etc. (continue to next page)

1. Wattpad

Readers are able to collect stories into reading lists, vote for their favourites, and share and comment with friends and writers. For writers, Wattpad provides a completely free writing experience, where writers can publish their work serially, write from anywhere using a mobile device or tablet, collaborate with readers and other writers, and to see their work gain appreciation. Fans of a writer’s work can even choose to create cover art as well as video trailers for your story. So for all you budding writers, this is definitely a good place to develop your hobby or even kick-start your potential writing career. And for all you mums looking for a good read, you may be able to find it on Wattpad. Best of all, the app is free! Enabling you to read or write anytime and anywhere.

2. Pinterest

All mums need a scrapbook to jot down all their ideas and inspiration. Pinterest is the perfect platform for mums to do this! Pinterest is basically an online scrapbook where you can organize and share all the interesting things you find online. You can create pinboards to categorize all the pictures you pin onto your profile, making it easier to plan your wedding, decorate your home, organize recipes and DIY projects. (continue to next page)

2. Pinterest

Pinterest is an online collection of photos that cover a range of categories such as fashion, DIY, weddings, home, places, recipes, kids etc. You can browse through pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from your friends or people with similar interests. You may even choose to follow their pinboards to get notifications on what they’re pinning onto their profile. Pinterest is available both online and as an app. Get this free app now and have on-the-go access to a mass of pretty pictures. It is definitely a great time killer for when you’re stuck behind post office or bank lines. So go ahead and start pinning!

3. 8tracks

Everyone needs a little music to brighten up their day and make mundane tasks more exciting. You can specially select playlists off 8tracks to reflect your mood. 8tracks is a handcrafted internet radio that offers a simple platform for people to share and discover music through an online mix uploaded by users. Each mix is a short playlist containing at least 8 tracks. (continue to next page)

3. 8tracks

On 8tracks, people can choose to either listen to a mix or create a mix. Listeners can search for a mix they like by entering their favourite artist or genre. You can definitely find a mix that you’d love by simply choosing what kind of music you’d like to listen to through a list of genres such as chill, indie rock, party, classical, covers, country etc. Listeners can then stream the mix in a legal, radio-style manner and follow users who you find make good mixes. 8tracks is available online and as an app, and best of all, it’s free!

4. Instagram

Have fun showing off your photography skills with Instagram. Who needs a camera when you can Instagram is a social networking and photo-sharing program that enables users to take a photo, apply a digital filter, and share it with other Instagram users they are connected to. Instagram is the perfect app to document and share photos of your kids growing up with friends and family. This app is also free, so start snapping those pictures!

5. WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the perfect substitute for text messages, and it’s free too! All you have to is get all your friends and family to download this free app so that you can spend night and day chatting with them without having to pay a single cent. WhatsApp is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends that are all over the world, as there are no charges for overseas messages. You are also able to have group chats and share pictures with your contacts. Who needs text messaging when you have WhatsApp?

6. Evernote

Any busy parent needs to write notes as reminders on what they have to do. Evernote aims to help you remember everything, communicate effectively and get things done. It helps you save passing thoughts and ideas, preserve experiences, and work effectively with others. Evernote also enables you to ‘clip’ articles or recipes online to your desktop application so that you can read it later. Overall, Evernote is the perfect tool to make sure you never miss another appointment or task without you having to carry around a heavy journal. Best of all, Evernote is free. Definitely beats buying yet another journal for all those reminders.

7. Allrecipes

Wondering what you should cook for dinner? Use this app to help you decide! Allrecipes is the place to go for recipes, cooking tips, and how-to videos – all rated and reviewed by millions of home cooks. This app enables you to create your meal plan for you and your family for the whole week. When you have chosen what’s on your menu, the app will create your shopping list for you automatically, making grocery shopping so much easier! (continue to next page)

7. Allrecipes

Another handy feature is the app’s sharing capabilities. If you cooked a fantastic dish, you can easily send the recipe directly to friends or family who ask for it. If you don’t know what to cook for dinner, the Dinner Spinner feature will randomly select recipes when you shake your phone - what a perfect way to get your kids to choose what they want for dinner! This app is available at an affordable rate of $2.99 for iPhone and Adroid users.